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Easy mode on or off?

Blog entry posted by AirmidCecht, May 29, 2012.

Life is hard anymore. The economy pretty much sucks where any company lay off is another reminder that, yeah, life is hard. Things should be easier. In life. In game. I mean we work hard "out there," why should we have to work hard for our MMO prizes?

Should things be as easy as a Cracker Jack box prize? Open. Munch. OOOOh a decoder ring!

In this FTP age of gaming, it seems more can be bought than earned in game. Nothing that gives out significant skill changes so that doesn't seem too bad of an issue. Is this really the direction we want to go though?

What about the rest?

If I play a certain amount of time towards a certain goal it should be achievable in a reasonable amount of time or you've lost me. The days of hardcore gamer are evolving into the "hardcore when I don't have kids tugging at my arm, spouse giving me the evil eye, 2nd job needs getting to," sort of lifestyle.

This has been swinging the pendulum a bit the other way now due to lack of time to put in all the effort. Gaming is trying to evolve with it. We don't want EASY mode do we? I want to feel a sense of accomplishment and reward for my effort, not stand in line at the dungeon door while an ancient liche stamps my hand with a 'redeem this code for your ancient liche uber reward staff at your nearest NPC.'

I may not have the amount of time I used to but I would gladly stay up til the wee hours unlocking achievements that allow me to push pause until I can return to it. Is that possible?

Somewhere in there lies the balance. I hope we find it soon.
AirmidCecht, May 29, 2012
 
Petra Fyde, eve, Coldren and 2 others like this.
AirmidCecht

About the Author

My characters are an extension of me. The fun, compassionate, dark side of me.
  1. Petra Fyde
    The idiom may be old, but it still holds true - easy come, easy go. What we gain too easily we rarely value and often lose as easily as we gained it.
    Petra Fyde, Jun 5, 2012
    Syrus and AirmidCecht like this.
  2. AirmidCecht
    Ha!
    AirmidCecht, Jun 2, 2012
  3. Zosimus
    lol well you wanted examples of easy mode and hard mode. I just take it a step farther :)

    I'm crazy like that.
    Zosimus, Jun 2, 2012
    AirmidCecht likes this.
  4. AirmidCecht
    I will hurt you before any accident can if you really are doing that :D
    AirmidCecht, May 31, 2012
  5. Zosimus
    Oh I should add. I dont text and drive. i just play Tetris and drive :p Thats easy mode for me while driving. Hard mode would be doing a crossword puzzle with a white marker and driving.

    So the lesson of the story.......... Just drive :p
    Zosimus, May 31, 2012
  6. Zosimus
    Eh. I play Super Smash Brothers Brawl while I am my office :p
    Zosimus, May 31, 2012
    AirmidCecht likes this.
  7. Vlaude
    Similar to what Syrus said I also have multiple games for different styles of play. When I'm in the mood for something competitive with friends I put on Call of Duty or Battlefield. When I'm in the mood for something a little more casual that I can mess around and not worry about performance I go with Halo or TF2. And for those strange moments when I feel like getting my ass kicked and running back home to mother crying with my tail tucked between my legs I put on Dark Souls or UO PvP. All in all I try to make sure I'm being entertained while gaming with a nice mix to fit the mood I'm in. It's fun to be challenged sometimes with a tough game but there are definitely times when I'd rather fly around with jetpacks and spartan lasers and just blow **** up.
    Vlaude, May 30, 2012
    AirmidCecht likes this.
  8. Taylor
    While I do like goals to work toward, there are other times when I want to play casually. That's why I play several different games. In Combat Arms, I'm a huge try-hard. I'm known in the community, so I feel a sense of responsibility to perform well. Usually, this is a fun challenge, but sometimes it gets exhausting or discouraging. When that happens, I hop on Team Fortress 2 or Alliance of Valiant Arms (AVA). I'm never one of the best in TF2, but nobody cares (myself included). It's fun, because I don't have to worry about being bad. I'm always one of the best in AVA, because most players aren't on par with Combat Arms players. It's fun, because it's like "easy mode."

    A balance is ideal. If a balance can't be achieved in a single game, maybe having a couple plan B's is the answer.
    Taylor, May 29, 2012
    AirmidCecht likes this.