The Monthly Question: September 2017
The difficulty setting in a game is not something most people really stop to think about, yet that choice can have a big impact on one’s enjoyment of the game. Then there is that part of the internet calling Story mode “girlfriend mode” or trying to one up each other on how to make Dark Souls even harder. So why do we play games on the difficulty settings that we do?
To shine a light on our thoughts on the different difficulty settings in video games, I asked the PS Nation writers:
Personally, I play a game to enjoy the story, mechanics, and scenery as much as possible without having to worry about “cheap hits” from enemy AI, and I find I can do that more on the lower difficulty settings. I don’t mind being challenged, but for me it doesn’t really improve my enjoyment of the game.
I will however play games on higher difficulties if it requires me to in order to progress further in the story or to complete certain Trophies but outside of those particular instances I’m not a glutton for punishment.
For example, I love Uncharted 2 and sometimes I want to replay it for the story and instead of just watching a YouTube video. I choose to play the game on Easy so I can enjoy the story and a little bit of combat.
However if a game has a mechanism built-in to suggest a lower difficulty if you fail a particular milestone repeatedly, I will never take the suggestion. I won’t give up what little pride I have left because some game thinks I’m a wimp!
The Witcher 3 is a great example of one that I quickly bounced off because I didn’t have the time for such a long game. Later I was convinced to give the game a second chance. Playing on Story mode meant I didn’t waste time on combat or replaying difficult fights over and over again. I got to explore an amazing world and lore that I would have missed out on otherwise.
Another great argument for easier settings is Mass Effect: Andromeda. I had no desire to spend my precious free time on a game that, from everything I had watched and read, appeared to be a big step backwards from the previous games. But Mass Effect is my favorite series and some sickness inside of me meant I had to see the story. Playing on Easy made it bearable enough for me to get what I wanted from the game.
Thanks as always to John Payant for editing.