Some comments about difficulty in games ( http://vgbm.blogspot.com/2008/05/take-it-easy-on-me-difficulty-in-games.html ) that grew into what should really be a post so here it is :)
Difficulty should of course be kept low, as low as can be, however challenge must be kept high.
Difficulty and challenge, are not quite the same there should be a certain level of ability to play games. I don't mean that to be snobish. This level is not exceptional high and is similar to the need to be able to read before you can enjoy books. Or understand a language before you can understand what people say in that language. This is not an artificial barrier but an implicit one.
In fact let me put it in terms of books and reading. It is up to you, as the reader, to understand and apply these ideas to the medium of games.
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It is expected for a reader to have the ability to read, however they do not have to be a speed reader. It is not expected that the reader has to read at 100 pages a minute or even understand every word perfectly to enjoy a book.
It is expected that the reader brings a sense of imagination and is willing to participate in creating the world with the author. It is not expected that the reader sits there turning pages demanding each page to bring them bigger and better pornographic delights than the last page.
It is expected that upon finishing the book the reader should feel that their reward for doing so is implicit in the act of reading. If anything finishing a good book should bring a sense of remorse that you will not be able to read that book for the first time ever ever again. It is not expected that the reader demands a badge because they beat the book.
It is expected that when a reader likes a book they may read it more than once. Simply for their own enjoyment. Every time they do they will increase their understanding of exactly what is contained within that book. Conversely if they do not like the book they may stop reading at anytime.
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Not finishing games is OK, people buy books and then don't read them all the time too. Different people like different things and not every game is suited for everyone. For many games finishing or completing doesn't even make any real sense.
Please note that it is not impossible to make games without challenge and requiring almost no skill to play but still deliver huge rewards. These are called gambling games. They often hide behind complex rules to disguise their basic nature.
When people complain about overcomplicated games, this need to hide the lack of game tends to be why they seem so complex.
Personally I always choose Go over Chess and have no wish to smother simple random number generators in bullshit.
The problem is todays gamers refuse to accept any challenge, they must always win and win with little to no effort. Time sure, effort no. Making games feels a bit like playing monopoly with a spoiled brat where you eventually have to resort to cheating to make sure they win in order to stop the tantrums.
thats not really very healthy
I suspect most of them would be happier watching tv
Some obvious points to back this up is the way ultima online turned from an interesting dangerous world into the bland grind machine that players demanded.
Also all the reviews of shiren. Where the moronic gamer press reflects the minds of the moronic gamers. "WHEN YOU DIE YOU GO BACK TO LEVEL 1 AND THERE IS NO SAVE!!!!"
gamers really need to evolve or go back to watching TV :)
Yeah, I know, wishful thinking. But I'm not talking about become a super gamer god, just be prepared to accept *some loss and risk* and learn from it rather than throw an instant tantrum.
*sigh*
