Why have games become easier?
It is obvious to anyone who has been in the gaming community more than about 5 years that games have become easier. Of course, that is a bit of a generalization. There are some really hard games released recently, notably the dark souls series, or Bioshock infinite on 1999 mode, but most games can be beaten on the hardest difficulty with a bit of effort by almost anyone. But nothing is more satisfying than beating a hard game, so why are we helped through most of them?
Games are going out to bigger audiences than ever before. The biggest game of the 90s (Pokemon Red/Blue) sold 32 million copies, Wii sports beat that with 79 million in the 00s, but GTA five has sold 29 million in only two months. There is no doubt that full priced games are growing, let alone freemiums. This means more people want to be able to play them, and more people want to be able to beat them. You don't have to be a MLG pro to watch The Dark Knight, so why would Arkham Asylum be any different?
It is obvious to anyone who has been in the gaming community more than about 5 years that games have become easier. Of course, that is a bit of a generalization. There are some really hard games released recently, notably the dark souls series, or Bioshock infinite on 1999 mode, but most games can be beaten on the hardest difficulty with a bit of effort by almost anyone. But nothing is more satisfying than beating a hard game, so why are we helped through most of them?
Games are going out to bigger audiences than ever before. The biggest game of the 90s (Pokemon Red/Blue) sold 32 million copies, Wii sports beat that with 79 million in the 00s, but GTA five has sold 29 million in only two months. There is no doubt that full priced games are growing, let alone freemiums. This means more people want to be able to play them, and more people want to be able to beat them. You don't have to be a MLG pro to watch The Dark Knight, so why would Arkham Asylum be any different?
Well, as I said earlier, it's more rewarding, but it's also less annoying. I recently played through Rayman: Origins on the PS Vita, and whilst it is somewhat challenging to 100% complete it, there is no skill in beating the main game, because not only is it insanely easy, if you die 8 times in an area a "helpful" frog-thing says the area is too dangerous, and "kindly" offers to let you through. I'm pretty sure that there is a message about today's youth in there for someone more insightful than me.
Take a look at Mario. The first non-arcade version, Super Mario Bros. was so hard. With three lives to beat the whole game with, I am glad that there weren't play time counters on the NES, because the game took me at least 100 hours just to beat it. But skip ahead to Super Mario Wii, and after a while you are just shown how to beat a level. When I first saw this feature I was simply stunned. The series has gone from impossible to casual. That's not to say the newer games are dreadful; in fact they are probably more enjoyable than their predecessors, and appeal to more people, but there will always be a place in my heart for the impossible sidescroller, like Contra, or the more recent Super Meat Boy.
But I don't think all games should be for the more hard-core of us, but I believe the gaming world will never be free until the last help message is strangled with the entrails of the last easy mode. Games should be a challenge, but taking more than 15 hours to beat one really isn't for everyone. I know it doesn't affect me much, but seeing Deus Ex: Human Revolution's description made me almost as angry as Mass Effect 3's Ending.
If you're stuck you can skip ahead to my twitter (@KaC__Official) or select an easier Poll for next week's article.