Dr. Wylie’s Revenge
It’s Not Easy Beating Games
By David Wylie - June 1st, 2008
I was surfing the Internet on the weekend when I spotted a columnist arguing video games have become too easy. The article featured a picture of someone’s grandma, with her tongue hanging out the side of her mouth in concentration. She’s holding a Wii controller.
It was then that I thought to myself in desperation, “Perhaps I have fallen prey to game developers morphing me into a (gasp) ‘casual gamer.’” After all, I did buy Viva Pinata last week. And I did finish Halo 3 on normal. And I did buy NHL 07 for the easy achievements. And I do play Guitar Hero on medium.
Still, I can confidently answer the question posed by the Blend Games columnist — “Do gamers have it too easy these days.” No, gamers are not being catered to as drooling buffoons who can’t find the ‘start’ button without a tutor.
Sure I beat Halo 3 on normal. Then I beat it on legendary, with a little help from my friends. And it was hard. And if that’s too easy, try doing it on Legendary with the iron skull activated, a setting that forces you to start from the beginning of a level if you die. I also beat Gears of War on casual because insane is too, well, insane for me. But I’ve recently started playing it on hardcore. I started playing Rock Band on medium to get the hang of the drums, now I play it on hard. I can only beat a handful of songs on expert.
You see, game developers are allowing gamers to play at their comfort level — in some cases, to ease into the game. That’s not making it too easy. It’s simply a sign of the times.
Back in the olden days of gaming, before Nintendo, before Atari, waaayyyyy back to the arcade days, when there was Donkey Kong and Pac-Man, games were designed for one purpose: to eat as many of your quarters as possible in as little time as possible. That’s when games were hard . . . because hard was profitable. Then along came Atari, then the Nintendo Entertainment System, and games became much easier because the game developers wanted you to take your time. They wanted you to become immersed. There was no longer a burning need to part you penniless from the arcade so some other chump could plunk money into the machine.
That’s the natural direction games have evolved; developers want you to spend time in front of the television living in their game world because then you’ll buy the downloadable content, not to mention the sequels. If you frustrate the gamer by making the tasks too difficult, repetitive or meaningless, you lose him.
And that’s why games have become, in some ways, even more challenging. You can now play online against other people who play as much as you do — maybe even more. There’s challenge in not getting your bum handed to you by a 12-year-old whose thumbs have become one with the analog sticks on his Xbox controller.
Thankfully, when I’ve been humbled by my online foes, I can turn on Guitar Hero and rock away to my favourite tunes on medium. And oh yeah, where is that start button again?
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You’re right about the need for easing people into games – particularly these days where there are so many things one can do in-game. Oftentimes I’ll feel like a wuss for trying a game on an easier setting the first time through, and therefore start off on a hard setting. Some way into the third level, however, I realize the error in my ways and have to start over on easy until I get used to things. No shame in starting off with baby steps – some games force it upon you, anyway!
I forgot that I had actually beat Gears of War on hardcore; I’m playing it now on insane… so frustrating.
But boy do I stink at the music games on expert and hard.
Don’t look at me. I’m still working my way through the last level of Portal, which is awesome but which had me stuck at that one part for a frustratingly long time. Until I got wise and asked Mr. Shatton about it.
So remember, kids, if you get stuck, now you know who to turn to! And knowing is half the battle! (Figuring out that you’re supposed to momentum-jump to get up there is the second half…)