Should all games have an "easy" mode?

[StaceyPowers]

With Sekiro having released, I’m seeing people debating everywhere as to whether all games should include an “easy” mode or not.

The arguments for it are essentially that everyone should have a chance to enjoy playing through a video game at their appropriate challenge level (seems reasonable to me).

The arguments against it seem to boil down to a sort of elitism, and the claim that one won’t “feel as accomplished” beating a hard game if it has an easy mode. This does not make sense to me, as it is the player’s choice whether to play on hard or easy. One may ignore the easy mode and experience the same level of challenge one would if it didn’t exist.

I don’t think I would demand that every developer make every game playable on every level (it may be impossible since there are so many subjective nuances to what makes a game “easy” or “hard” for any given person), but I don’t really understand why they wouldn’t try. I don’t feel making an experience more accessible to one person takes away another person’s fun.

What are your thoughts? Do you think every game should have an easy mode? What would be the best way on a technical level to broaden accessibility as much as possible?

[killamch89]

Everyone has a different difficulty level they prefer in a video game so some people may opt for the easy mode which they are within their rights to do. I'm an extremist so I'll max the difficulty from the get-go and not even bother to read the manual so I'll have to figure everything out on the fly and get my game on! But that's just my preference...

[UleTheVee]

No.

I am one of those people who think that a game that has a hard mode by default is often doing what they intend. Games like those are supposed tyo be a niche and they clearly don't need other players besides the niche they are trying to pander to. Same deal with games like Cuphead that doesn't allow players with low skills to play the game beyond a couple of stages in "Simple Mode"

[LadyDay]

2 hours ago, UleTheVee said:

No.

I am one of those people who think that a game that has a hard mode by default is often doing what they intend. Games like those are supposed tyo be a niche and they clearly don't need other players besides the niche they are trying to pander to. Same deal with games like Cuphead that doesn't allow players with low skills to play the game beyond a couple of stages in "Simple Mode"

I find that is the games you describe pander to the sort of elitism of people being so intend of being snowflakes that they suddenly don't like something anymore if it becomes too popular with a larger crowd, even if it's exactly the same game that they fell in love with in the beginning. Is it necessary to have games that force being a niche by only allowing people without f.ex. disabilities that lower reaction speed significantly (like me) to enjoy it. Why should I not be allowed to enjoy a niche game? Of course the game creators have a right to create games like this, but I don't think it's particularly something to be proud of. 

[LadyDay]

19 hours ago, StaceyPowers said:

What are your thoughts? Do you think every game should have an easy mode? What would be the best way on a technical level to broaden accessibility as much as possible?

I once again find myself agreeing with you. As you know, I have disorders that means I don't have the reaction speed, multitasking capabilities, concentration etc. of the average person. I don't like the idea of being excluded from enjoying good games because of this. I can't just "git gud".  

[The Blackangel]

I don't see why not. A lot of games have training modes, so why not easy/medium/hard selection? there are some games also that are so incredibly hard that most people just can't beat them without something like a Game Genie. I'll admit there's a couple like that for me. So I think you should have the option to set the difficulty lever on certain games and then as your skills improve you can increase the difficulty on new runs of the game.

[UleTheVee]

2 minutes ago, LadyDay said:

I find that is the games you describe pander to the sort of elitism of people being so intend of being snowflakes that they suddenly don't like something anymore if it becomes too popular with a larger crowd, even if it's exactly the same game that they fell in love with in the beginning. Is it necessary to have games that force being a niche by only allowing people without f.ex. disabilities that lower reaction speed significantly (like me) to enjoy it. Why should I not be allowed to enjoy a niche game? Of course the game creators have a right to create games like this, but I don't think it's particularly something to be proud of. 

Because that's exactly what it is. A niche game. Other gamers have plenty of options that allow players to play them however they feel like. It's not the developer's job to cater towards an audience they especifically didn't make a game for. I can understand disabilities and such but much like how there are hard games that pander towards the people who enjoy the high difficulty, there are also games that are made for diabled players.

Not only that, but you also misjudge the potential towards lowering the skill ceiling. For example, games like Overwatch started as being games with a high enough skill ceiling only for it to be lowered with each update just because it wasn't catering towards audiences that didn't know how to shoot in the shooter game.

I mean, I am certainly capable of playing games despite having ADHD and my arms no longer working properly due to being hit by two different vehicles. Of course, the harder the game is, the better I learn its mechanics and such. Not every game is supposed to be a breeze, with a lot of them being tests towards the capabilities pof your mind and motor actions. So yeah.

[UleTheVee]

I mean, if you want further examples just go and look at games like Kingdom Hearts 3, Mega Man 11, or Devil May Cry 5. Those games have shifted their difficulty to the point where the game's "Hard mode" is actually the "Normal Mode". We don't know what the balance will be when it comes to making different difficulties.

Edited April 8, 2019 by UleTheVee

[LadyDay]

8 minutes ago, UleTheVee said:

Because that's exactly what it is. A niche game. Other gamers have plenty of options that allow players to play them however they feel like. It's not the developer's job to cater towards an audience they especifically didn't make a game for. I can understand disabilities and such but much like how there are hard games that pander towards the people who enjoy the high difficulty, there are also games that are made for diabled players.

Not only that, but you also misjudge the potential towards lowering the skill ceiling. For example, games like Overwatch started as being games with a high enough skill ceiling only for it to be lowered with each update just because it wasn't catering towards audiences that didn't know how to shoot in the shooter game.

I mean, I am certainly capable of playing games despite having ADHD and my arms no longer working properly due to being hit by two different vehicles. Of course, the harder the game is, the better I learn its mechanics and such. Not every game is supposed to be a breeze, with a lot of them being tests towards the capabilities pof your mind and motor actions. So yeah.

I still don't see why a game shouldn't have an easier mode if it should have an extremely extra legendarily hard mode? You can make the "normal" setting hard and still have an easier mode. This is not the same as developers lowering difficulty across all settings. Of course the game should have an extra hard mode along with the easier mode.

Unless it's a fear of losing bragging rights because less skilled players beat the game too? That can be amended by pointing out that one used the extra hard mode while doing the bragging.

Edited April 8, 2019 by LadyDay

[UleTheVee]

Just now, LadyDay said:

I still don't see why a game shouldn't have an easier mode if it should have an extremely extra legendarily hard mode? You can make the "normal" setting hard and still have an easier mode. This is not the same as developers lowering difficulty across all settings. Of course the game should have an extra hard mode along with the easier mode.

Because, once again, the developer isn't held accountable for how they want people to play their game or who will get to play it. Simple as.

Hell, people are saying that Sekiro is easy as all hell and that an easy mode would be a dumb addition.

 

Let's not forget that adding an easy mode is often done as a punishment and not so much an experience enhancement. Remember Cuphead's Simple Mode where you basically got locked off from the rest of the game until you cleared the stages in Regular Mode? I wonder why that happened.

[UleTheVee]

See, you keep telling me that all of this stuff in terms of "Adding an Easy mode" would be optional.... Well.. So is getting the game itself, don't you think? If we boil it down to "Optional stuff" logic, you certainly don't even need to buy Sekiro or any other game that prides itself on its difficulty, do you?

[LadyDay]

1 minute ago, UleTheVee said:

Because, once again, the developer isn't held accountable for how they want people to play their game or who will get to play it. Simple as.

Hell, people are saying that Sekiro is easy as all hell and that an easy mode would be a dumb addition.

 

Let's not forget that adding an easy mode is often done as a punishment and not so much an experience enhancement. Remember Cuphead's Simple Mode where you basically got locked off from the rest of the game until you cleared the stages in Regular Mode? I wonder why that happened.

I am not questioning the developers right to create exactly the game they want, I am questioning the necessity of it. 

I can't say I know my gaming history enough to know about these games lowering difficulty or this game Cuphead. I'm a complete noob.

[LadyDay]

2 minutes ago, UleTheVee said:

See, you keep telling me that all of this stuff in terms of "Adding an Easy mode" would be optional.... Well.. So is getting the game itself, don't you think? If we boil it down to "Optional stuff" logic, you certainly don't even need to buy Sekiro or any other game that prides itself on its difficulty, do you?

I don't NEED TO, but I have many games I dream of playing, but fear I'm excluded from. 

[UleTheVee]

Just now, LadyDay said:

I am not questioning the developers right to create exactly the game they want, I am questioning the necessity of it. 

I can't say I know my gaming history enough to know about these games lowering difficulty or this game Cuphead. I'm a complete noob.

It HAS happened A LOT then over the course of history. Plenty of games "Easy modes" have condescended the players of the mode. From Twisted Metal 2 gating off Easy Players from playing the rest of the game to Valkyrie Profile's Easy Mode actually being THE HARDEST MODE IN THE GAME.

[UleTheVee]

So yeah, it's not Elitism, it's not "Need", it's simply a game that a developer wants certain players to play. Not everyone.