Most Modern Games too Easy?

[DreamsDied13101]

I was curious what people thought about modern games being too easy.

1. Is this a true statement?
2. If so, does this make a statement about current gamers?
3. Are games that are more difficult passed over in our current environment, or altered to achieve universal success?

[marvelvscapcom2]

 I always ask myself this from time to time especially when I beat a newer game.  I'm not so sure as I used to be about video games getting easier. It seems like modern games are really disposable but I think we overlook the difficulty system and the side objectives and depth they have. 

 I always used to lean towards them being redundantly easy and simple because of how effortlessly I can beat most new games but certainly can't just walk up to a Silver Surfer for NES and beat it casually. 

But than I thought about how the difficulty system in games works and how almost every new game I always play on hard difficulty.  Never expert or insane.  But once you put it up to the highest difficulty level it goes.  these modern games can really humble you.   A lot of old games didn't have that feature or the capabilities to do so, so they threw you into the expert by force which made them feel so much harder.  Some were expert from the beggining.

But Like COD for example.  Many consider COD to be the poster child for disposable, easy, 2 hours games.  But once you beat World At War on veteran difficulty that sure will change that notion .   Truly one of the harder games ive beat.  Endless strands of grenades, awful checkpoint layout and like 2 shots to die.   It's truly madness for the insane.   But we just pass a game like that off as easy because we beat it on normal or hard.  I think the thrill seekers looking for hard can still find it in most games if they look hard and push it to the limits .   


But than come games like Mario Oddysey with set difficulties that I found personally too easy .  Those definitely make a valid point for games getting easier because games like Sunshine, Galaxy and 64 were so much harder.  Oddysey can be beaten by the average infant 


In total i'd say games are certainly easier but how much easier?  It's tough to gauge because of how much they have evolved.  I think on average the NES game would be a tougher time but I do think depth and being a completionist can make modern games harder due to the endless amount of side hunting you have to do. 

[ignition365]

1. Yes.  Don't misunderstand, I'm not saying games now are made to be easy.  Back then, there were several limitations that just caused games to be harder because they couldn't implement such things to be more "natural".

2.  Sure.  But the current state of gamers could also be attributed to several other factors.  I like to include the internet in that one.  But you might remember playing a game like Super Mario Bros and being really good, not play it for like 10 years, and it suddenly be harder than you remember.  It isn't, you're just used to a different age of design principles.  Also, since games were "shorter" back then, the games had to have high difficulty, otherwise you'd beat it and move on.  Having to return and start over and over and over would leave an impression.  These days folks don't have the patience for that.

3. Sure.  Soulsborne games get passed over by tons of folks who deem them too hard for difficulty's sake.  A lot of games have content that are "nerfed" to be easier to complete.  I can't think of specific scenarios where such things have occurred, but it happens a lot.  And from a programming prospective, it's not too difficult to change a couple of variables by not much and turn what was a simple enemy into the bane of your existence.  But by that same point, as mentioned earlier, shorter games had the difficulty amped up to make the game seem longer.

[badATchaos]

Depends on where you look. There's still really difficult stuff to be found.

[cirno]

I kinda disagree with that whole concept tbh. Old games were always hard for all the wrong reasons; they were designed to fight against the player in order to artificially increase the runtime of a game.

Nowadays folks just have way less tolerance for that kind of thing. Rather than dedicate themselves to beating a game designed to frusterate them in every way possible, they're more likely to be like "screw this, I'm getting out Kirby"

[kamikazekeeg]

"Too Easy"? No, but easier for sure, just by virtue of better quality game design most of the time.  Saving where you want, no more need for continues and lives, games built around being more cinematic, well designed gameplay.  There's still challenging games, but a lot of it I'd say is designed to have a more genuine challenge, like Cuphead, Super Meatboy, Monster Hunter, Soulsborne games.  The rest has been said I think already.

[turf]

It really depends on what you want.  If I have a good, long, story-driven game; I don't want to spend hours and hours beating a boss.  It takes the fun out of it.  Let's keep things moving. 

Now, I do like a good game with solid difficulty.  I love Cuphead.  That shit is hard!  It was made to be a old school hard game though. 

I'm rambling now.  So, games are easier now days; but they need to be.

[pizzasafari]

1. Depends on your definition of easy. In terms of difficulty, I wouldn't say so, but definitely more so than the NES days or so. But there are outliers of course. In terms of how much hand-holding hey do though, definitely yes.
2. No, it makes more of a statement about the industry. I've found that the games on the market shape the mainstream gamers rather than the other way round, which is so backwards it hurts.
3. I wouldn't say so. Dark Souls was a success because of its difficulty for example. AAA devs definitely make their games deliberately simple or fill them with tutorials for fear of difficulty, but it isn't needed whatsoever. Games are successful because they're fun or gratifying, not because they're easy.

[oldgamerz]

lets not forget the controller lag and cheap unfairness some older games had. As said before here some older games that are extremely hard. Are due to the constant failure to have spot on controls or bad landing detection on some of the platforms. Arcade ports were generally harder due to the fact that the original game (being in the arcade) was made to spend your quarters.

Some older games are just harder because of design problems

[burningdoom]

No. There are a lot more easy games, sure. But at the same time, there are plenty of hard games. The Ninja Gaidens, Dark Souls, Cuphead, Wolfensteins, and a bunch of bullet-hell shoot-em ups are all good examples of hard, modern games.

[dharmajones93]

When I think of hard games form the past I think of Castlevania and Mega Man. Just as examples, I've yet to finish either, and I put about an hour or so into them every now and again, but never dedicate an afternoon to one. I get a bit further every time, and I enjoy the pain, until I don't, then I move on. Probably to Stardew Valley...

In terms of complexity, there isn't much here, just a couple buttons, run jump shoot. It seems it's more about muscle memory and twitch maneuvers, with evolving scenarios that test your ability and train you to break/manipulate the rules in order to progress.

Games I find easier are a more Laissez Faire affair, a'la Mario Odyssey. Games that don't pressure you to get better.

It's a strange juxtaposition but the simplest games to me are the most difficult, while modern games are difficult by virtue of quantity. By quantity I mean games with complex systems, strategies, and other mechanics.

Things like Souls are "hard" because, if you were to strip away the RPG fluff, it is ultimately down to your ability, while Meatboy makes no apologies.

I think new games aren't easier there are just more easy games, fewer hard games, and the games that are inherently hard (not made harder by balance adjustment) are not as popular to the average gamer.