When it comes to difficulty in video games there are many who claim that a game absolutely has to include a level of challenge in order for it to even be considered a member of the industry as otherwise it is simply an exercise that doesn’t stimulate or deserve to be called a video game. This mindset has been ever present in many corners of the world and yet despite this there are many games that tend to buck this trend.
I bring this up as Double Fine have released a statement claiming that their upcoming game Psychonauts 2 will include an ‘invincibility mode’ to allow players to breeze through the story without the threat of death to interrupt them. This is a massive change from the previous entry that never had something like this and has had many people in uproar about it’s inclusion with the developers standing by their decision in an effort to make the game more accessible to those who are less experienced with gaming. To this I would say that gaming is an inherently multi-faceted genre that caters to different people and tastes and thus having simply another option within a game isn’t degrading anyone’s artistic integrity or robbing someone of an experience, it is simply offering another way to play.
From living with my partner who is not a gamer at all I can tell you that something such as this would be greatly appreciated in many titles as she absolutely hates dying and gets frustrated easily in many games due to this. As such allowing her to enjoy the experience is fantastic and she can still love the game for it’s visuals, story, characters and even gameplay to a degree as none of this is taken away from having a safety net and lack of failure. Some developers create difficult games and stick by their decisions and something like that is absolutely fine. It is how the developers intended for their game to be experienced and as such that is entirely their choice. However getting upset about the inclusion of an easier mode in a game that is created purely to allow more people to experience their creation is a silly notion as you can simply ignore it yourself and play it in the difficult way you intended. Offering more options is not taking away from the game, it is simply giving more people the opportunity to experience it.
What do you all think about this issue? Comment below and tell me what you think. That’s all for now, and as always. It’s not just a game, It’s a Life.