Do You Need To Beat Video Games To Enjoy Them!?

Since it's conception, the idea behind a video game has been to bring enjoyment. Usually, this entertainment comes in the form of some kind of sense of accomplishment either against players or AI. When the original program writers only had access to the mainframe's at colleges(and usually they were college students themselves), the games they created were designed to be shared and enjoyed. To me, this act of sharing games you have personally created is an artistic expression. While some games are more challenging than others, the bulk majority of these first-run games all the way through the early console war era between NES and Genesis all consisted of one major factor: Easy to pick-up, hard to master. Not all games were designed with this particular mythos, but the vast majority of platformers that greatly marred the landscape seemed to dwell around this simple principle. Somewhere down the rabbit hole of time, developers(usually of the Triple A variety) have stepped further away from this simple principle. In some sense, it is the act of storytelling that has greatly improved but the actual gameplay or craft of the game usually suffers. Has it been for the worse or the betterment of gamer's across the board?

The first thing we have to look at is what type of game is being produced and for what reason? In the very saturated video game market, it is easy as a gamer to select and choose the experience they want to get either by it being a rogue-like or a story-rich walking simulator. Also, the broad market appeal to almost all walk of life means that the game's offered can have just as much an abundance of diversity as the player's themselves. There are problems that do exist when developers, usually of the triple A variety do these massive sprawling open-world games; they try to appeal to all audiences. As a gamer, you can leaf through open-world after open-world and the one thing missing is challenges involved inside the gameplay itself. Now, the competitive nature can exist with players and usually mmo-stylized multiplayer games offer it in player versus environment as well(take Destiny 2 for example), this usually isn't the case for those shorter 6-12 hour pricey blockbuster titles we see popping out sometimes twice a month now.

DESTINY 2

So, let's get to the root of the question at hand. Do you need to beat a video game to get enjoyment out of it? The simple answer is no. If anything the arcade era has taught us, it is that highly difficult games can be as rewarding beating them incrementally just as much as a simple playthrough with no worries. It does seem that developers are hesitant to deliver this kind of content and one way we could remedy the situation is encourage these developers and praise them when they nail these type of games just right(e.g. Cuphead). Worrying about dying and not completing the game is something that usually never happens to a true gamer. For the most part, if frustrated, they walk away for a little while and then come up with a plan and strike back with a vengeance.

Lastly, as a gamer, encouraging the developers to explore higher difficulty settings or to base the game off those settings and tune it backwards for easier play, allows for a more complete feeling in the highest possible settings. Which, in the end, is what a gamer is truly seeking if they want to challenge themselves. Diverse and hard content not only is rewarding but in some ways educational and helpful in honing skills that can benefit you in other aspects of life. Quick decision making, precision shooting and a little forethought can go a long way in any setting and that doesn't have to include gaming.

I, honestly, believe that the game market is shifting in this direction once again. And, I can't be more pleased. I think people are beginning to realize the joy of accomplishment that comes with difficulty in gameplay better than trophy seeking achievements that are already gated in easy content. If anything else, developers seem to be listening and if you spend a little time and research on a title, it is becoming easier to find that particular niche of whatever style of game you want to spend time playing.

As always, this is Dungeonjay signing out. Have a great day gaming!