It's a frequent criticism by bitter, senile old gamers. "Games are too easy," they moan. "Back in my day I had to play Space Invaders until my fingers were bloody." Alright, perhaps they're not that hyperbolic. But still. It's like listening to a grumpy old war veteran, complaining about the price of, well, everything really. Still, they may have a point.

Are games getting too easy?

Freddy: Either that, or I'm constantly getting better. I think developers are rushing titles out, and I think Nintendo themselves are also guilty of this crime. Games are getting shorter and easier, for me at least, and all I really want is a game that will last me more than a week.

Dan: I definitely agree with that statement...at least it seems that way. I really might just be that I am getting better, but I don't think that that is really the case. I've recently gone back to such classics as Final Fantasy II and III, and they are still just as hard as I remember them being. Maybe a bit easier because I know of some tricks, and I have played them before, but nowadays games seem to be easy right off the bat. I get everything downpat very easily and seem to be beating them in much shorter time periods. Its not like I play games more, it is quite the opposite infact. I play much less then when I was a kid, yet I now churn out games much quicker.

I think that many game producers just are churning out games at an astonishing rate because people WANT MORE! But this creates games that just seem to be too darn short.

Another reason for this might be the fact that you can look up walkthroughs and codes on the internet for free, and in very little time. This cuts down play time, for you don't have to ponder through the frustrating parts of games without some help from someone who has already done it.

All in all, I think games are easier now, I'm not sure why exactly, it is hard to put your finger on it, but they are just easier.

zilver: Games are getting easier because the developers/publishers want their games to be appealing to a mass audience.

The vast majority of gamers these days are casual gamers and want entertainment over challenge. Games with a simple control system, easy learning curve and a user-friendly difficulty level.

And the companies cannot ignore these facts simply because they have to survive in this hectic business

Matt: Are you crazy?

Ikaruga, Viewtiful Joe, Resident Evil, Super Monkey Ball 2.

These are but a few of the hardest games I've ever played. As for ones to be released... I died endless times on the MGS Twin snakes demo as well as myself, Tim and er-no being constantly wiped out on FF: Crystal Chronicles.

Games are not getting easier, players are getting better and people are buying easy games, that is all.

Freddy: Sorry, but Viewtiful Joe and Resident Evil I didn't find hard at all. I can't pass judgement on Ikaruga and SMB2 as I'm yet to play them, but the former games do not fall under my definition of hard.

Falco Lombardi: Some games are too easy while others are just ridiculous in difficulty. For example The Wind Waker was a great game, the only thing is, to me, it was too easy. Same with Super Mario Sunshine and Mario Kart Double Dash. Games that I thought were extremely difficult would be Ikaruga and Metroid Prime, though both were good games. Some people say that Metal Arms: Glitch in the System and F-Zero GX are too hard, but for me they are some of the easiest games I've played. For Christmas my parents (or Santa) got me NHL 2004, 1080 Avalanche, and Viewtiful Joe. Two out of three of those games are extremely easy, but for me Viewtiful Joe is just the opposite, extremely difficult. I just think it depends on what games you have already played and what games you tend to stay away from because so many genres are merging together because that determines how hard some games will be for you.

Hard. Very

Pesten: Easy? Yes indeed. The Wind Waker is a darn good example on that. But I don't really mind tough. It's actually the length that bothers me. Games are getting to short. If games were longer (but still easy) the easiness would have been more easily accepted. If the games get to difficult they are getting boring. For me that last boss on Metroid were absurdly difficult. I hadn't collected enough of those life-thingies and therefore was doomed even before I started at the fight.

Personally, I like games where there is possible to use tactics to fight off any enemy without having to loose most of your life. Take Zelda games. If you know the tactics, you really don't need all powerups in the world.

Bas: Are games getting too easy?

It's a good question, and as I don't have much better things to do during the holidays, I gave the matter some thought. The result of a couple of hours intellectual labour: In general, games have become somewhat easier for experienced players, while for newcomers games now seem to be more difficult.

Three types of difficulty

Games are difficult for different reasons. I think there are three types of difficulty in games: First, there is the degree in which a game challenges your intelligence, often through puzzles. Secondly, games can be hard because of the skill it requires to navigate through them, sometimes referred to as pure gaming skill. The last category contains games that are difficult because of their complexity, for instance because of an elaborate control system. In terms of accessibility, Super Monkey Ball is an easy game, while Microsoft Flight Simulator is one of the hardest games imaginable. I know a clumsy control system or sudden drops in framerate can also make a game insanely difficult if not unplayable, but as they're technical imperfections � and not intended as a difficulty factor � I'll leave them out of account.

An insult to the intelligence

Many games have some kind of puzzle element, but in most cases it's an insult to the intelligence. Many puzzles can be solved in no time - that is if some annoying character hasn't given away half the solution before you started to think about it. And if you're stuck, it's often because of the game is being unclear about your objectives � and no, searching for hours to find a key hidden between some crates is not a puzzle.

From a developer's point of view this is understandable. Most people don't want to be stuck all the time, and the game has to be playable for buyers of different age and education. Changing the difficulty setting has often no effect on the difficulty of puzzles and good hint systems are rare. Besides, pure thinking games like The 11th Hour (PC) seem to be out of fashion.

Experienced gamers have to use their grey cells even less. Many videogame puzzles are alike: just see how little effort it usually takes to identify a boss' weak spot. Just the fact that you search for one is part of the solution. Another reason why games seem easier also lies within us. Most of us started gaming as a child, but as you get older you get smarter (at least I hope you did) and puzzles are easier to solve.

Easy. Rather

Chill, not skill

For the same reasons developers have not to make their games intellectually challenging, they're not making them hard to play as well. Some lament that this is because of the rise of the casual gamer, but is also has a bright side: who wants more games like Ghosts 'n' Goblins (NES), which is probably left unfinished by 99% of the buyers.

I think there still is enough challenge for everyone though. Increasing the difficulty setting can prevent you from rushing through a game, though I hate games that illogically just make the same gun twice as deadly in the hands of an enemy. And if completing Halo on legendary, scoring over 10 million in Ikaruga or completing Super Monkey Ball 2's last stages is still to easy for you, you can still always find someone that's better than you online. Only problem is that we're still waiting for a GameCube equivalent of Counter-Strike.

Besides the fact that long-time players find games easier because of their experience, they're also easier because the nature of games has changed. The introduction of passwords and savegames took away the challenge of completing a game in one go. Along with the growing importance of narrative and visual style, savegames made the emphasis shift from the challenge to the experience itself.

Awaiting the P and Q buttons�

The way gamepads have evolved is a good indication that games have become less accessible for the layman. There is huge difference in starting with Super Mario Bros. (just A for jumping and B for running) or Super Mario Sunshine. In spite of some wonderful tutorials, gaming has become more difficult, especially after three-dimensional games became the standard. Controlling a first person shooter with dual stick control may become second nature to most of us, seeing a non-gamer friend looking at his feet or the sky all the time (though I must admit he hasn't got much talent for gaming) proves that games have become more complex and therefore more difficult.

From challenge to experience

Though there still challenge enough for everyone, developers have a tendency of making games easier. On the other hand, growing complexity has made game more difficult, especially for newcomers.

Long-time gamers have criticized the latest Zelda for being to easy, while it may still be quite difficult for those new to gaming. This gap between gamers makes Miyamoto's philosophy that everyone should be able to pick up and enjoy his games a near-impossible task, for there will always be one group that finds it either to hard or too easy. Developers tend to prevent the first from happening, which leaves us with an easier Zelda. Whether this is a problem remains to be seen, because even if Zelda has become less challenging, it has also become a much more distinguished experience, which may well compensate for the lack of skill required.

Conor: It's going to be difficult topping that one, Bas. Just give me a day to think about it.