video game difficulties

[colours]

so! vg difficulties. sometimes when you play certain games, you're given a list of difficulties to choose from that can impact the individual gaming experience. it can range from very easy for casual players, to extremely difficult for those who crave more of a challenge. there's also a "normal" setting to play the game at its intended (?) difficulty without any adjustments.

which difficulty do you typically choose when presented these options, easier or harder?

 

[Juliyet]

Usually when I first play a game I start with easy, just to get the general hang of things. On repeat playthroughs though I may bump it up back to normal.

 

[guzmania]

usually i go for the easier ones (i try to avoid the easiest though) bc i usually play games more for the characters and stories than the challenge and i don't want to stress myself out over something that's supposed to be a fun pastime for me ig, and on occasion i'm kind of pressed for gaming time anyway and don't want to purposefully prolong the story any further than necessary
but sometimes i like harder modes, especially on games i've played several times before or if i choose to do a challenge run or if the gameplay/strategizing is actively something that appeals to me and thus i'd want an increased difficulty
i always really love it when games present difficulty options; that way it's accessible to anyone who wants to play it and they can choose the mode that they are most comfortable with :)

 

[Salmancer]

By default I pick normal, and then swing up or down if need be. If I am playing a game where I know approximately what I'm dealing with, I use that prior knowledge to make an informed decision. If I've played a game from that series before and I know that I know what I'm doing, using hard mode makes sense. If it's a series infamous for being overly difficult, then I'll pick easy mode.

If a game only allows for difficulty selection when creating a save file, I lean toward picking the easier mode more than I otherwise would. Otherwise, I might get caught at the end of the game when things get too difficult and have no choice other than to start fresh at a lower difficulty. This almost happened in Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D and I'm glad I made the call for easy mode (called New Mode because it involved new features) there.

 

[Princess Viola]

I always default to playing games on the normal difficulty level when I'm playing them for the first time ever (or when going back to a game after a long ass time) because I just assume that 'normal' is the standard difficulty level that the game is balanced around.

I don't usually play games on easy mode unless I am absolutely 100% stuck and cannot get past something due to difficulty and even then I will still try my damnedest to get past it on normal difficulty before changing to easy mode. (Or if it's a game where there's unlockables when you beat the game on different difficulty levels and you have to beat the game on a certain difficulty level to get the unlockable - like it doesn't go 'Oh you beat Normal difficulty, so here's the rewards from Normal and Easy', you HAVE to play and beat the game on Easy to get those unlockables)

I only go for harder difficulties if I find the normal difficulty too easy for my tastes. Like I want to at least be challenged somewhat when playing (usually, it depends on the game), y'know?

 

[carpology]

i always go for easier. i like playing games but i'm not particularly good at them, so i usually choose the easier ones because i'm less likely to get stuck and then drop the game forever if i do that. i just don't really enjoy struggling through difficult game levels or such things; i get really bored really quickly, so if i get stuck on something, it's more likely that i just give up on the game forever than keep going back and trying it again and again. (for example, i loved explorers of sky to death, but i was way too underlevelled when i got to dialga, so i just completely stopped playing instead of trying over and over to defeat them...) i infinitely prefer story-based games in the first place, because i like getting through stories, so i don't want to get stuck in random places and never be able to progress the story i'm invested in. the only game i can think of that i actively choose more difficult gameplay in is, like, mario kart...

 

[Catz]

Normally go through just normal difficulty, unless it seems too easy for me, then I bump it up to hard for a bit of a challenge. After all, no game is fun without a little challenge involved, right?

 

[MelodicCharm]

i usually do normal because while i am experienced, i'm not actually that good at video games. exceptions for this are when i know normal would just be too easy.

 

[mastermind lissi]

I usually do normal, but I used to use easy

I played through yoshis wooly and crafted world in easy mode with my mom

In wonder I avoid easy mode like the plague except my brother uses it so idk (he’s actually kind of good at it so I don’t get why he’s using easy… don’t tell him I said that)

 

[colours]

99% of the time i stick with the "normal" difficulty, and that tends to be plenty difficult for me. i used to have some fomo when it comes to playing on harder difficulties, just because i want to see what it's like, but these days not so much. i play to experience the game and the characters and the world, not to become overly frustrated at parts i can't beat.

 

[StormyStinger]

I typically go for hard modes since I don't mind a little bit of being thrown around by the enemies until I come up with a good battle plan.
Although I dislike difficulty modes being present without due care to make them different experiences or an effort to convey to a new player how difficult each option is from the last. Mostly because I don't want to have to be responsible on whether the game is too hard/easy because I chose the wrong option at the start before I even knew what the game is like.

 

[Sheep]

Easy! I don't typically enjoy struggling in games and almost always prefer a cozy experience. So dying multiple times or having to be too strategic is not for me - if there's an easy mode I'll almost always choose it.

if i get stuck on something, it's more likely that i just give up on the game forever than keep going back and trying it again and again

lol same ):

 

[FinalArcadia]

Whatever the standard difficulty is is usually what I go with. Sometimes if I want to get a game over with I'll drop down to easy, but I prefer standard.

Occasionally I'll play on hard too, depending on the game. I LOVED playing Bug Fables with the hard mode badge on. Made it so much more fun with having to actually think and strategize in battles. It was really cool to play a Paper Mario-style game that actually required more thought.

 

[TheCapsFan]

On a first playthrough, I'll almost always play on whatever difficulty is default. Reason for that is because I imagine that is kind of how the devs "intended" you to play it, and thus is as close to the intended experience as possible.

The only exception to this rule is with shooters, since I'm far worse at them. I'll typically go one level easier when I first pick up a shooter.

On a repeat playthrough, I'll typically go for a tougher difficulty than normal, especially if I'm familiar with the series. Most of the legacy Fire Emblem games, in particular, I'll play on hard difficulty.

 

[mastermind lissi]

If it counts, I’ll usually do a nuzlocke for a second playthrough on the other paired Pokémon game

 

[Zerito]

Usually when playing for the first time, I play one level higher than the normal difficulty, since I do like a bit challenge and to overcome struggles when stuck, having to change my strategy or learning a new thing in the game. And if I feel that one level higher it's still easy, I will increase the difficulty

 

[Trainer Gabriel]

I generally start my first playthrough of a game on the Normal or 'default' difficulty, unless it's an unfamiliar style of game of which I have little to no experience. On replays, I may try to bump up the difficulty setting for a bit more challenge once I am more familiar with the mechanics.

 

[CynthiaLover]

I generally prefer the "normal" or "default" difficulty, especially if a game is decently grind-heavy or the AI is too rubber band-y to trust on anything higher. Examples include Digimon World Next 0rder and Crash Team Racing Nitro Fueled, as the former requires grinding on enemies to get decent stats (and only if your Mons are at a lower level, like Rookies against Champions) because the gym becomes pretty much useless on "hard" and in-game time is precious, while the latter AI goes bonkers if it's any higher than "normal", becoming too skilled and can easily overtake the player unless they're extremely good (like knowing how to exploit Sacred Fire and certain shortcuts, something that I cannot do for the life of me, plus I suck at racing games). So if given the chance, I prefer the normal difficulty since anything higher will stress me out, and I play games to relieve stress, not create stress. Plus, as a causal player I generally play games for fun and to pass the time, helping me relax and just ease on through the day. If a game stresses me out by being too difficult then it's not doing the job I need it for. So I prefer to use the "normal" or "default" settings, as it tends to be just right (plus, as someone else said, the game is generally balanced around that setting, which is just more of an incentive to play on the default setting than going too easy or too hard).

 

[FelipePR]

which difficulty do you typically choose when presented these options, easier or harder?

I almost always start the game on the default difficulty, but if the game proves to be difficult for me, I lower it. However, if the game proves to be too easy, I can increase it.

In very few games, where I believe I am already familiar with the genre and the style, if not with the franchise itself, I may already start at a higher difficulty level.