Difficulty or Fun?

[SashaS]

Depends, but a mix of a bit of both is usually the best solution. I think the formula that most good games follow is keep the difficulty high at the beginning, then make it more and more fun and relaxed as the player progresses and becomes more powerful, then hit them with that wall of difficulty and make them repeat that process until they are as powerful as they can be and you'll get that feeling of having conquered your opponent and achieved your goal. Similar to how Terraria works in terms of progress. Or the GTA series for that matter. Too much difficulty becomes tedious and ultimately frustrating, no fun in that. But of course fun can only come with *some* difficulty.

 

[Pixie06]

In fact the reason as to why I play games is because it is my hobby. I play for fun. Sometimes if the games are too challenging it can become so stressing that I may no longer appreciate the game as it will no longer be fun. Playing games help me to relax. I normally choose fun games over challenging ones.

 

[pioneerauthor]

I only experienced a sort of difficult times when I first started learning it. Since I became an expert in my favorite games which I play often, I have not been experiencing such difficult times any longer. Since I became perfect with my favorite game, I have derived a lot of fun from gaming.

 

[WildSpirit]

I think both aspects are very important (it's good to have a balance), so... Why not play looking to have both options? :wink: I think in those cases, the extremes make the games a little bit uninteresting. :worried:

 

[Jack_Dan]

Mostly I start with regular (medium) and just complete missions. But sometimes I use Veteran (Hard) to test my skills. It actually helps to make my decisions on game and how to make strategies more clearly. I always start a game as having fun but later started taking seriously like a real player (playing mind games). Both are depends on mood sometimes, either you wanna go and take it slows or just go out and enjoy your game time.

 

[OursIsTheFury]

Achievements in Steam always have stuff like "Don't Die Even Once" or "Finish Difficult Mode in 1 Hour"; all that nonsense. That's the reason why I can't finish all the stuff in there. I'm an achievement hunter; I have 2 perfect games so far on Steam, but I won't subject myself to torture like that and if there's one or two achievements I can't finish, so be it.

 

[thart]

For me i will chose difficulty, because i have fun that way.

 

[Okaviator]

When I'm faced between easy, normal, and hard I'll normally choose normal. This is mainly because I play games for the enjoyement factor and still want a bit of a challenge.

 

[Maxthewriter]

Do I play for fun or the difficulty? I would say both. The two are kind of intertwined, actually. To me, a game wouldn't be fun if it were too easy. So, most times, l play a difficulty level that is a bit higher than my current level of skill.

The better I get, the tougher the difficulty I set. When I get to the toughest level and it becomes pretty easy for me, I know I'm done playing the game and only play against other guys.

My soccer games are an exception to this though.

 

[m33kuh]

I play for both pleasure. I think without both, the game will be utterly useless. Difficulty makes it more challenging and when that challenge has been overcome, the fun part comes in.

 

[Zyni]

I play for fun, there is no difficulty while playing, because if you are a game lover then you will not feel that difficulty , instead you will take the difficulty as a challenge.

That's a good way to phrase it. Challenge rather than difficulty. I like a challenge. It keeps things interesting. If I can just blow everything up without even trying, I'm going to get bored fast. Too much challenge can be equally as boring, since you feel like you're never getting anywhere. There needs to be a good ratio.

A good bit of challenged followed by something a bit more relaxing is generally a good mix for me. Like having trash mobs in dungeons gives you a bit of a break before the next boss fight.

 

[valy]

I like to play the game for the difficulty mostly because it is challenging to reach a new level. Sometimes is nice if it is a bit fun as well, but I am a fighter, and I like to play difficult and complex games!

 

[Lexi]

I would say both, depends on what I'm looking for. Some days I want to be challenged, other days I just want to have fun. That's the great part about video games, with so much variety you can do what you want.

 

[OursIsTheFury]

In my personal opinion, I rather go for fun, when I used to play video games if there was something with a lot of difficulty it was really stressing for me and that is not the point for me of playing a video game. Fun video games are more relaxing and enjoyable, so I really rather to have a good time than be stressing out over a game lol

Yup, and the point of playing a game is to unwind and relax after a long day of school/work. How anybody would go home after a stressful day and just to frustrating challenges, or go online to play ranked matches where people flame at each other 9 times out of 10, is beyond me. Me personally, a good exploration game with relaxing music is enough to play after a long day, and the soundtrack would really help ease the mood around here.

 

[Zyni]

I like to play the game for the difficulty mostly because it is challenging to reach a new level. Sometimes is nice if it is a bit fun as well, but I am a fighter, and I like to play difficult and complex games!

Yes, I think complexity is another important aspect. I like to think. I liked it when I had to really weight my stats to decide if a new piece of gear was actually the better choice, instead of just throwing on the piece with the highest ilevel.

I would say both, depends on what I'm looking for. Some days I want to be challenged, other days I just want to have fun. That's the great part about video games, with so much variety you can do what you want.

This is so true. I love a game that let's me decide what I want to do. Sometimes, I really enjoy playing hard and doing challenging stuff. Other times, I just want to farm or explore, and relax by doing something simple that doesn't require much effort or consideration. I like when I get all that and then some in the same game.

 

[ZXD22]

For me there has to be a fine line between the both for the ultimate gaming experience. It has to be fun but with a twist of difficulty to keep things interesting and refreshed. You don't want it to be too hard, but if it's not difficult, it can be repetitive and can get old fast.

 

[OursIsTheFury]

Mostly I start with regular (medium) and just complete missions. But sometimes I use Veteran (Hard) to test my skills. It actually helps to make my decisions on game and how to make strategies more clearly. I always start a game as having fun but later started taking seriously like a real player (playing mind games). Both are depends on mood sometimes, either you wanna go and take it slows or just go out and enjoy your game time.

Same with me. First playthrough I play the game, do the story, do the subquests, etc; all in the default difficulty. If I really like the game, I'd push myself and do another playthrough with a higher difficulty and do it until I finish the game in the highest difficulty setting (which most Steam achievements have) so it's all good. I would then finish everything in the game and leave no stone unturned until I get sick of the game.

 

[Jack_Dan]

Same with me. First playthrough I play the game, do the story, do the subquests, etc; all in the default difficulty. If I really like the game, I'd push myself and do another playthrough with a higher difficulty and do it until I finish the game in the highest difficulty setting (which most Steam achievements have) so it's all good. I would then finish everything in the game and leave no stone unturned until I get sick of the game.

Exactly, it's not just about playing the game and have fun. We all need to test the game and also our skills as a gamer. Being a gamer we also need to do a lot of R&D also about game and strategies, so we can try a better approach for next time.

 

[jitendra0341]

I would most definitely prefer fun over difficulty if I had to choose one from the two. But in my opinion, both are needed for a balanced game at the very least. Why do people play games? Primarily for the fun of it. In my book, difficulty is a factor of fun; I see them as one element. Like TheFeeman said, "Difficulty and fun are not mutually exclusive".

I also choose game with easy understanding. It saves time to get those games and play hours without thinking about difficulties some games pose. But it is also true that difficulty makes a game more enjoyable to play. When we achieve something and get to next level with much tryst we feel much more satisfied and excited to get it. Difficulty is surely a factor of fun.

 

[OursIsTheFury]

I also choose game with easy understanding. It saves time to get those games and play hours without thinking about difficulties some games pose. But it is also true that difficulty makes a game more enjoyable to play. When we achieve something and get to next level with much tryst we feel much more satisfied and excited to get it. Difficulty is surely a factor of fun.

True. You have fun early on, but as soon as you start doing the side quests as well as just exploring, you'll soon find yourself overleveled for the main quest, which you conveniently skipped because you wanted to explore a bit. That's when I up the difficulty setting. If it still feels too easy because I already got my items as well as having a high level and stats, then I'll keep pushing it until I reach the max difficulty. Then, I'll continue playing.