Does playing games on easy defeat the point?

OPM: It’s an age old question: is playing games on easy cheating, or in someway missing the point? We ask four of the Official PlayStation Magazine time what they think of ducking under the default setting. Playing smart or defeating the object of the challenge in the first place?

[GarrusVakarian]

Ive found that i actually like the game more if i have a little bit of a challenge.

Playing The Last Of Us for a second time on normal difficulty and its just not as rewarding or as engaging as it was on hard due to less enemies and more supplies found, ive had the same experiences for other games too.

[ArchangelMike]

Playing TLOU on Survivor is where the game really shines. I got friends that just breeze through games, skipping the cutscenes, and playing on the easiest difficulty. TBH I don't get why they even bother sometimes... am I just too hardcore ;)

[GarrusVakarian]

Why the hell would they skip cutscenes and play on easy?! That's crazy, you would miss out on so much story. Unless that's the point, in which case why are they playing videogames?

[Zichu]

I couldn't do that... My brother skips cutscenes... I have to watch them and play on the hardest difficulty possible.

[ravinash]

Some people just like to skip to the end just so they can say they have completed it.
Either that or they just don't have the time.

But I agree, you really do miss something if you pay it on easy.
It's just like these people who complain that dark souls is to hard. Thats the point!

[_QQ_]

@lukas, well i'm guessing they are playing to have fun,after all these are games.I do agree skipping cutscenes in a game like TLOU is beyond stupid, but wanting a game just to play and no story doesn't bring up the question " why are they even playing games" like you stated.

[Gster]

It definitely defeats the purpose if you are a gamer who has the ability to defeat the game on a higher difficulty setting. If you can beat the game on hardcore, you'll get very very little reward for beating the game on easy, or even normal for that matter.

On the other hand, depending on the type of person you are, if normal or easy mode presents a really good challenge for you, then it will be a meaningful undertaking.

Personally, I nearly always try a game on hard first, then after completing it move onto the next difficulty if there is one. I'm speaking from an experienced gamers point of view. For me it would be pointless to play on easy mode. I would get bored very quickly.

[Ezz2013]

i know they might do this just to have fun with the gameplay which i understand
but still don't make sense to skip the cutscenes in a story driven game like TLOU ?!

also i have a question
i finished TLOU on both hard and normal but only got normal trophy ...is that a trophy glitch or i'm doing something wrong here ?!

[UltimateMaster]

Not everyone is an expert gamer and some of them needs the easy mode.

Easy mode is also good if you just want to engage into the story rather than having a difficult play trough.

[3-4-5]

Games on easy or easier settings allow you to play through and experience the entire game and enjoy it without being too frustrated.

I usually go with Normal difficulty.

A really hard game is almost always NOT fun, because the way difficulty scales in games still has yet to be perfected.

At least with easy people get to experience everything the dev's have to offer.

[BLAKHOODe]

I tried playing Dead Pool on hard and had to drop it down to normal after so many cheap deaths. WAY frustrating!

[ABizzel1]

Answer No. Gamers come in all skill levels, and while most of us here are sure to play on Normal / Hard that doesn't mean there shouldn't be an easy mode for gamers who aren't as skilled or worse have a handicap that prevents them from being able to play on higher difficulties.

It's rare that I ever play a game on anything less than Normal (Hard if it's a genre I've mastered), but there are times when I need to rush through a game for a review or I'm renting it so I drop it down to easy just to get through it and enjoy the story.

But if it's something like a action game, shooter, etc... then I'm playing Hard or Normal.

If it's an RPG or Platformer that I need to get through then I might drop it down to easy since the enemy difficulty rarely affects the experience of these genres.

[NYC_Gamer]

I have no problem with people who just wanna pick up and play without any kind of road blocks playing on easy

[guitarded77]

Agreed... it's their decision. I typically play on normal, and if the game is good, I'll reply on a higher difficulty. In some games, I'll replay on easy if there are hidden items I need to look for while getting shot at (ex Uncharted, CoD, etc).

[grailly]

easy mode is really good for sand-boxy games. I had so much more fun playing red faction: guerrilla in easy, not worrying to much about dying just lets you have fun with the game mechanics.

[ArchangelMike]

Seeing that I'm abit of a trophy whore, I always start a new game of Hard. 2 reasons,
1) games these day are really dumbed down for teh casual crowd. Todays' 'Hard' is yesterdays 'Normal'.
2) It saves me having to play the game through twice just to get the trophy for 'Hard'.

[user7402931]

if its a renter and you need to return it in a week then yes for me.

[hankmoody]

I never play a game the first time through on anything lower than the default difficulty. In a lot of cases, it's better to set it higher on the first play through actually, that way you can kill several achievements/trophies with one stone.

[fsfsxii]

The point is to have fun.

[despair]

Isn't the point of gaming enjoyment and entertainment? If playing on easy gives you more satisfaction than playing on other difficulty levels then no, it doesn't defeat the purpose.

I for one never play a game below Hard level as long as they let me. I have played every game for the last 18 years like that and I don't see the need to change.

[MasterofMagnetism]

Exactly. Not everybody wants a challenge.

[GmIsOnPt360]

If the easy level matches your skill level then no, if your doing it just to breeze through the game then yes

[_QQ_]

Some people may genuinely need easy mode to beat the game, but easy mode now days is like baby mode.The standard for what is considered a "really hard game" is allot lower now.

[Statix]

Even the supposed "Hard" modes of many games nowadays seem to hold your hands in so many ways. The surfeit of checkpoints is partly the problem. There are oftentimes massive difficulty spikes as well (not by design) in certain areas or bosses, even though the game as a whole isn't challenging.

[Statix]

No, because some people may like to play games just to go through the narrative, take in the visuals, and/or just otherwise enjoy the experience.

I personally like my games to have a challenge, so I usually play on harder difficulties. I appreciate tense, challenging, edge-of-your-seat gameplay that requires a lot of tactical thinking on my part, or makes my palms a little sweaty.

[ZBlacktt]

No gamer rage!

[GiantEnemyCrab]

I usually play on Easy when doing fetch type quests or looking for hidden items. Sometimes it's nice to just enjoy the story and environments and not have to worry about staying alive. Usually my first play through is on Hard.

[ilovefatgirls]

depends on the game i tend to find myself turning difficulty up gradually, however i feel no shame in bringing it back down though in some cases, skyrims malkoran for example

[I_am_Batman]

Everybody can play a game on the difficulty he or she wants to play on. That's why there are difficulty options. The only thing I hate is when people play on normal only or even on easy and then rant about a game's AI or something like that.

[DFray919]

I play my 1st go threw on normal. then if I want to trophy hunt then I do the hardest.

playing on easy. creating a 99 overall player in sports games. or trading all the good players to one team.
is wack!!!!I feel kinda pointless.

[hazardman]

I play most games I know on hardest difficulty. I might leave on normal if its something new I'm getting into. And even then once I learn it I crank up the difficulty.

If your a trophy or achievement whore hardest default difficulty is where its at you unlock more that way.

[Z501]

umm, how about just playing video games for FUN.

[Mr_Danski]

The older i got, the more i played games on the hard difficulty, there's no point playing a game on easy, I like the sense of accomplishment you get from a harder mode.

[Sadist3]

The problem is mostly all games are easy nowadays, even on the hardest level. Dark souls, Ninja Gaiden 2 are great examples of how games should be created. They have great difficultly levels and great gameplay, but it's like developers make games for idiots now. Every game is too easy. With these next gen systems, we should be getting advanced enemy AI close to hitman like experiences. I want to die a lot not because the game is cheap, but because the AI is excellent. But instead of that, all we're getting with next gen are stupid weird games like freaking Octodad. Great, next gen system and I'm getting an ipad game. Cool.

[BLAKHOODe]

I usually only play rentals on Easy, because I'm limited on time playing them and want to get as far through them as I can before I have to return the game. It's not that big a deal to me, because me renting a game means it interested me enough to want to try it, but not enough to buy it.