![\"Police](\"\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/Police_Quest_II_281753244.jpg\" "\\"Police")
<\/p>\nAnyone who grew up gaming and is older than about 20 years of age will remember that video games were a little more challenging “back in the day.” By “a little more challenging” I of course mean “childhood-destroying.”<\/p>\n
There was no Barbie Horse Adventures (which is highly underrated by the way) with which to while away the long hours; instead you were left hammering commands into Police Quest, trying to get that idiot cop to look at the damn blue pixel on the floor. Which has to be important, because there’s no way you’re going to play another two hours only to find that you can’t get through the iron gates because you didn’t look in the clown’s pocket when you passed the circus on your way to the crime scene where you spent four hours trying to find the right combination of buttons to unlock the shed before the clock ran out and you created a rip in space-time and lost the ga-<\/p>\n
Sorry. Flashbacks. The point is, when the video game industry was still in its infancy, developers were making games that were often extremely difficult and unforgiving. There was very little margin for error, and a lot of games required you to repeat the same sequences again and again until you mastered them.<\/p>\n
Before home video-games, there were arcades. Most of the popular arcade games had a common theme: simple, easy to understand concept, and a massive skill ceiling.<\/p>\n
Take the most iconic arcade-game in history – Pac-Man. Pac-Man has 256 levels (the last being a jumbled mass on one side due to a game error, and therefore unbeatable), and players’ success is measured using points. In its 31 years of life, only 6 people have ever achieved a perfect score. You probably have more than 6 friends who have every Modern Warfare 2 Achievement.<\/p>\n
Today, single-player campaigns can be finished in a single day of playing, and games are riddled with tutorials, easy modes and tips. Quick-save allows you to painstakingly move through a game, using the most efficient amount of ammunition, losing the least life, and never being afraid of losing any progress; many players hit the F6 key enough to make the Space bar jealous. All this has resulted in a generally lower skill ceiling. Take the most hardened, veteran Halo player and sit him down in front of King’s Quest, and within 3 hours you’ll find him in a blubbering heap under the table.<\/p>\n
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You don’t know this yet, but you’re about to lose. Guess you better backtrack until you find that bulletproof vest in the janitor’s closet at Seaworld.<\/em><\/p>\n But, why?<\/strong><\/p>\n There are many reasons why games may have been so much more challenging in the past. Technological constraints meant that developers had to rely on simplistic concepts and designs, and thus to create variety and a more engaging experience, they may have been forced to simply make games extremely challenging.<\/p>\n Another reason may simply be laziness. Many developers were rushing out games in the early video game boom in attempts to get their seat aboard the gravy train; artificially extending the game’s life by making it near-impossible to beat. This, however, doesn’t explain games such as Police Quest, which was incredibly unforgiving yet obviously had a lot of effort put into it.<\/p>\n The main reason for the shift may simply be developers moving in line with gamers’ demands. Gamers may simply have begun to crave an experience which was more fun than frustrating; one which didn’t make every level feel like a MENSA entrance examination.<\/p>\n Is it better?<\/strong><\/p>\n That of course, is up to you. People’s feelings about this are like people’s feelings about Marmite on toast – there’s no sitting on the fence. Personally, I think Single Player campaigns have become a little too easy, with a little too much hand-holding.<\/p>\n Developers have extended playtime and difficulty not through the actual difficulty of the game, but rather by introducing extra game modes, achievements, missions, etc.<\/p>\n While I love all the extra content, I do sometimes find myself missing having to type my way through space with Roger Wilco. These days, I find myself needing to head into online Multiplayer worlds for that sense of challenge and competition – see you there, scrubs.<\/p>\n What do you think? Are games easier? Has the change been for the better? Do you hate Marmite? Let us know in the MyGaming forums<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\t\t