Difficulty or Fun?

[Hidden308]

Do you play the game for the difficulty or just for the fun of it?

I play for pretty much both. I enjoy having a challenge so I always put it up to max difficulty.

 

[22_22]

I like a challenge now and then but I also like to play for fun I guess.

 

[Blindy]

When I first buy a game, I play for fun and then I try and do all the difficulties to see how far I get.

 

[Demon_skeith]

mostly the fun, but I hope there is some difficulty in it. If it's too easy then it wasn't worth the price buying it.

 

[TheFreeman]

Difficulty and fun are not mutually exclusive. For example, Super Meat Boy is fiendishly hard, but since the levels are very short and even though you can die (literally) hundreds of times playing a very hard level, the difficulty actually becomes an integral part of the game, making it very satisfying to watch your previous attempts after finishing a very hard level.

Of course, there are games that "fake" difficulty by having either poor controls, randomness, which means that luck sometimes becomes more important than skill and lack of checkpoints, which means a super long but easy level becomes almost impossible because you have to do it all over again every time.

I prefer fun, with a good level of difficulty that becomes more difficult over time without becoming annoying, which in the end makes the game more fun.

 

[Jayvux]

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".

 

[jayjacinto]

I prefer difficulty, because that's where the real fun begins. Well, at least for me. I like the challenge, and I usually don't like it if I can't solve any obstacles of a game. I like using my mind during a game, just like a chess game. That's why would I prefer Tomb Raider over Plants Vs Zombies. Silent Hill over Zuma, etc.

 

[pandaa]

What fun is a game if it's not difficult? LOL, but I know what you're asking. As much as I may hate it at the time, I prefer a game that's a struggle. It's a LOT more fun than one that you beat in six hours. It kind of makes you feel as though you've wasted your money...

 

[jayjacinto]

Yeah same here. I love a game that will take me like a month to conquer. And I avoid (as much as possible) to look for walkthroughs and cheats online. If i feel that my brain is gonna explode, thats the time I look for walkthroughs for a specific task only.

 

[HornedDemoN]

The fun factor is definitely a lot more important to me than the challenge! Of course, everybody likes a good challenge, but some games have a bit too much of it (I'm looking at you, Super Meat Boy and Bit.Trip Runner), making the fun almost non-existent, because of the high levels of frustration induced by the game. It really depends on my mood, as well. Sometimes I can handle extremely hard games, while at other times I just get so annoyed, that I switch to a more easy and relaxing one. Games are, above all, supposed to be fun and enjoyable, so difficulty should not be the most important factor when deciding what to play.

 

[thepostman]

I think it is about finding a balance. Some games I will play on hard while others I would play on normal and I never play a game on easy. But, in the end, it really comes down to how the game is designed. I enjoy some games just because of the difficulty, while others I want a challenge but do not want it to hinder my progress.

 

[dagscot]

I play for fun and to get a sense of victory when I finish a level. I'm probably guilty of turning down the difficulty level if I get really stuck. I can't help it, I'm easily frustrated and it's safer to turn the difficulty down to Medium and finish the level rather than throw the controller at the wall.

 

[Smokey]

I'm kinda in between. I usually keep it on the default difficulty it's set to and play the game that way. If i beat the game and revisit it, then i crank up the difficulty on the 2nd playthrough.

 

[Esperahol]

Difficulty can be fun, but not all fun depends on difficulty. I like playing on hard or extreme, but honestly I like achievements more and several games make the point of having you play through on all the difficulties at least once. So I've got in the habit of doing the first play through (or the achievement run) on easy. I do clean up there after on the various other difficulties, but honestly that first run is just for fun and lots of achievements.

 

[Obi]

My priority is fun, but it's much worse to be playing something too easy than too hard. I don't want to race through a game and wonder what I actually did, I enjoy having to figure out techniques and methods of getting past problems. In my case, learning these techniques mostly involves dying or losing, but I don't mind as long as the game is good.

 

[Patrick]

I need a good mix of them both to truly enjoy a game. If it's way too difficult and complex, I'm likely to drop it whereas if it's too simple and easy I'd get bored very quickly. That happy medium is what keeps my attention. A good example would be the Contra series. The game is pretty hard, yet still rewarding and fun to play.

 

[Ryu]

I like a mix of both, because even if you suck at the game at first, you keep trying until you get better.

For example, when I first got SimCity 4, all my cities would go bankrupt at first, but then I got better about budgets, zoning and what not, and now I rarely have a city that goes bankrupt.

 

[deadbroke]

I would say both actually. With difficulty I guess you're saying that for playing the game we take in consideration a good amount of skill is needed right? If so yes, I mostly play games that have this requirement but I don't regret playing also some "fun" game that maybe as a really good graphics. Just an example could be ArcheAge, the game I've been playing now. It's not really skill based but still a really good game to have fun with.

 

[burtpovski]

I like a mix of both. A game that's too easy isn't fun, but a game that's too hard isn't fun either. A game that has a difficult, but play-able difficulty is fun in ym opinion. As long as the game is possible and doesn't require a million repeats to win, then the game would be considered fun in my terms.

 

[niightwind]

I definitely go for fun over difficulty. A mix between the two is great, but if the game is too difficult to get through without at least some degree of ease I can't enjoy the other elements of it, and I find myself getting frustrated. Usually I play games with difficulty level on either low difficulty or standard/mid difficulty, to keep it at a decent level. If I like the game and it has good replay value though, then I'll play the game over again in a harder difficulty mode. For first play throughs though I like to be able to take in the characters and story as a big part of the experience.