Playing games on easy difficulty- how do you feel about it?

[Orby]

Play the game however you want, its your own personal enjoyment that matters.

For me personally I tend to always stick with normal for my first playthroughs, future playthroughs I just try to do hard or the more extreme level.

[vitor210]

I had to turn Doom Eternal down to "Too Young to Die" to fight the final boss and I'm satisfied. I've been stuck on the fight for probably a week or two now, and on the game as a whole for nearly three months, and I just wanted to be done. Even on TYTD it was still pretty intense, though.

In general, is there any shame in playing games on easy? Maybe it was just because Eternal was so mentally exhausting and (literally) headache-inducing to me that I finally needed to dial it down a little- 99% of the time I just play games on normal and they aren't nearly as intense.

Nope , there's no shame. What's shameful is flexing that you're playing on the hardest dificulty. Games are meant to be fun to play, if you have fun playing on easy dificulty then all power to you !

[Makabreska]

I start games on hard, and then lower diff if I struggle too much. I think Dark Soul series enforced the elitist gaming crowd. And their outcry, when From Software or someone else was considering putting easy mode in their games.

[Puupi]

I always play on normal.

Easy and hard are just artificial difficulties due to numbers tuning, which don't make the game any more interesting.

[Lord Pebbleton]

I usually play on normal for story-driven games (Uncharted, Horizon, etc). I use easy ONLY if it gives me an advantage while grinding for specific items, and only for that particular scenario, then I switch back to normal. This was the case with Niflheim/Muspelheim farming in God of War since those were an absolute chore with no challenge, just time consuming. For meaningful content, like the Sigrun secret fight, I ofc switched back to normal.

I use hard difficulty if there are particular achievements involved after I am done with the game once (Death March on Witcher 3 for example), or if I am playing a strategy game where I want to be challenged to tears (Starcraft 2, Warcraft Reforged).

It is true that videogames have to be a relaxing experience, but to me, easy difficulties might as well be a cinematic mode with no input required, since there are no risks or stakes at all

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I start games on hard, and then lower diff if I struggle too much. I think Dark Soul series enforced the elitist gaming crowd. And their outcry, when From Software or someone else was considering putting easy mode in their games.

Slightly off-topic, but the outcry about Dark Souls never made sense to me. The game is as easy as you want it to be, if you put in the effort; you are never locked to a place with no hope of getting back to a grindable place. It gets frustrating, sure, but if you are not prepared to take on a boss and you keep throwing yourself at it with no different strategies, it's gonna suck big time.

Every Souls game has at least one spot that allows for massive exp gains. I remember I was struggling immensely against the Fume Knight in DS2 because he was the counter to my build and I couldn't hold my concentration up for 20 minutes while battling him. I just went to the Giant Lord, got to level 200 or something, and murdered him pretty soon after. Those were the days

[SirBeef]

I had to turn Doom Eternal down to "Too Young to Die" to fight the final boss and I'm satisfied. I've been stuck on the fight for probably a week or two now, and on the game as a whole for nearly three months, and I just wanted to be done. Even on TYTD it was still pretty intense, though.

In general, is there any shame in playing games on easy? Maybe it was just because Eternal was so mentally exhausting and (literally) headache-inducing to me that I finally needed to dial it down a little- 99% of the time I just play games on normal and they aren't nearly as intense.

Since I don't care what others think about how I play my games I play on what difficulty I find most enjoyable. Obviously some games don't have those options, and I enjoy a few, but most of the time I play on normal or below if it becomes too difficult. Things where the game changes, as in has new enemies, different rewards, or new story content I try to play them all, but it it's just the same just harder, no thanks.

[Doffen]

Real life is hard, so you can play games on easy to take a break and feel good about it.

[ldev]

Depends on how easy "easy" is. If enemies die by just looking at them - I move to normal.

I don't see a point in playing in hard, getting good at a single player video game is the biggest time waste I can imagine. And sometimes hard mode just increases enemy HP, making the game plainly boring with sponge enemies, like those new online Tom Clancy shooters.

And then there's players like my wife - she's very thankful for "story mode" difficulty where enemies do die by just looking at them - she can enjoy a lot of games that way. Not that she has any disability, she just sucks at video games (xbox x with game pass is er first gaming console). And, again, doesn't has time to get good at... single player video games. Sadly games like Dark Souls would take experience away or some bullshit gaymer excuse, so she only watched me playing those games - she really enjoyed the world and enemies, but can't enjoy herself, because... I don't know exactly why Dark Souls games don't have easy mode.

[Logwyn]

Depends on the game.
Most RPG the first time through at least is on story mode since well I want to play an RPG and follow the story, develop the characters, and not have to worry about combat.
Sports games I generally start at rookie and then start to increase the difficulty. Madden or FIFA are fun the first time you win 100-0 or 20-0 but then not so much after.

[I Push Buttons]

I try to play RPGs on the hardest difficulty just because I find it enjoyable trying to figure out tough encounters early and usually in pretty much any RPG, by the mid to late game, your characters are so strong that even the hardest difficulties become easy.

I don't care what difficulty other people play on, do whatever you want.

I do, however, have a problem with people bitching about games being too difficult (cough game reviewers cough cough) and whining that the developers should go out of their way to make it easier for them. Fuck off.

[Aliven]

Exactly. /10char

Unless the devs berate the player for picking lower difficulty like in Wolfenstein games...

[Baconeggcheese]

In general, is there any shame in playing games on easy?

Its a game my dude, you do whatever you find fun. Only the thickest of neck beards would give a damn about you playing on a lower difficulty to get through a bit.

Hell I remember in assassins creed origins there was a spot where I was in a chase on horses and had to shoot dudes with arrows while moving and frankly its just a terrible experience in that game so I just tanked the difficulty to get through it because I wasn't enjoying it.

Ive yet to get through a few hours of the witcher 3 as well, but I'm pretty sure I'm just gonna bottom out the difficulty when I do try to play it next because I really don't enjoy the combat and I'd just be playing it for the story. So I'd rather it be piss easy so I can get to the bits I want to.

But yeah, if you wanna challenge yourself go for it, but if you don't want any challenge that's fine too. Its about having fun.

[Nihilist74]

I usually play them on easy but I am getting old and slow. I'm paying doom eternal on easy and I think I'm near the part where you get the double-barrel shotgun.

[spalernTJ]

Everyone has their own reason for their hobbies, when it comes to playing games, there's anything from enjoying good, interactive stories on an easier difficulty, to seeking challenge and accomplishment from higher difficulty. I'm personally in a bit of a mix, though I lean closer to preferring harder and more challenging gameplay, but I also know and respect people who play on easy.

It's your time, your hobby, your enjoyment in the first place, if the option is there, go for it.

[DechCJC]

Unless it's a game like The Last of Us where I know that I'm only really in it for the story and cba struggling, I'll typically put it on the hardest difficulty.

I love getting to the end of a game and feeling like I've truly had to master its mechanics to get there, I don't see the point in playing a difficulty that pretty much negates the need to learn how to play the game, but I get why a more casual audience wouldn't feel this way. This is especially true for me in RPG's, I just don't feel the point in getting stronger if the difficulty is at a point where it's not really a challenge to begin with.

I appreciate games like BotW and Dark Souls where there is no difficulty mode, they always feel to be the best balanced. My pride won't allow me to lower it below hard in most cases, and it really sucks because sometimes 'hard' difficulty is hard for the wrong reasons.

[Queen of Hamsters]

Wish I could upvote (like most of your posts).

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I have to say, the responses in this topic have surprised me (in a positive way).

Thank you, can just say I feel the same way about yours! ^_^

And I have been pleasantly surprised as well, was sure this thread would become an instant dick-measuring contest.

[Wilian]

In general I like playing games on hard when there's no artificial bloat. I reckon one of the best examples of this artificial bloat is Half Life 2 where mobs instead of hitting harder get lot more HP so you need to fill them with lead.

[Adam Jensen]

I play it on whatever difficulty is the best balance between providing a challenge and making my blood pressure go up.

[D3athsting]

Into the breach at easy is still too hard

[Adam Jensen]

Singleplayer games for me, are all about seeing the story, combined with abit of a power fantasy. I don't need a challenge, i need to be entertained.

It's why I don't like Dark Souls and Dark Souls type games.

I don't mind having to attempt a boss a few times, but I'm not going to keep going if I'm spending an hour or more at a boss, especially if you've got some sort of idiot mechanic where the hallway to the boss also respawns with all enemies. Like, come on. If I've cleared the hallway, don't punish me by respawning the monsters.

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Play the game however you like, sure there are people who believe that easy mode shouldn't exist in games, but those people can go fuck themselves.

I honestly don't get those people.

If they don't like easy mode . . . they don't have to play easy mode.