A Difficulty Decision

A Difficulty Decision - Part 2

The Gap
I must first thank you, the thoughtful reader, for sticking with us thus far. The next topic is perhaps one that requires a bit more of a generalization than is standard in such observations. It is not intended to single out any one individual, but rather talk generally about generations on the whole. The topic has to do with a difference in behaviour for various generations.

One must wonder what kind of a gap could exist with such a small period of time between gaming populations. The most notable gap is the difference between young people today (as in the 6-15 type of crowd) and the mass of old-school gamers that will be reaching twenty years of age soon, or have already reached it. The first respective generation is usually comprised of players that picked up games within the last 2-6 years and are still a bit younger. Typically they have started sometime after the death of the 16 bit consoles. The older generation began many years prior to that with either the first archaic computer style machines, or even just the NES. These gamers are typically the veterans that played those games in the arcades that we talked about earlier. So, what makes these two generations so different?

Well this is where things start rolling into the realm of non-conclusiveness. The most we have to work off of are the trifle amounts of research available, and some first-hand experiences. To be blunt: the two generations differ in that one wants to win regardless, while the other wants to win but after overcoming a rewarding challenge. Through some research I have found that the younger gamers today do not reflect the same attitude that was held by the younger gamers 15 years ago. The older generation however, strives to be either beaten in a game, or be forced to fight a difficult battle. Lets take a closer look towards the reasoning for this:

It all began about three months ago. While taking care of my fiances young nephew, who is an admitted Nintendoholic, we decided to start a game of the beloved Super Smash Brothers: Melee. Being more than ten years younger than myself, he was definitely putting up a good fight in the ring. After about a half hours worth of smashing it out, we came to a particular battle where I was undeniably winning. At this point he looked at me and asked, Can you let me win? I let out a good chuckle at his joke and continued to play. Ten seconds later he asked more urgently than the last Please, cant you let me win? At this point I was stunned that he was actually one hundred percent serious. In response I managed to get out Are you serious? You mean you want me to just drop the controller? He nodded his head. I replied with I dont understand. You actually want me to just let you win and you will be perfectly happy with that? Once again nodded eagerly. Just as an experiment I let him have his way and put down the controller. He smiled and finished me off quickly, following the whole deal with a delighted squeal. Thinking this was the only time it would ever happen, I just kind shrugged it off. Sure enough, the next time I won he demanded I let him win. I asked him courteously if he would rather just play the computer, but he refused. He physically wanted me to pick up the controller and act as if I am horrible at the game.

If this was the only kid in the world to be like this, it would never have made it into this study of sorts. The next day however, he invited his three cousins over to play with him. Now with a total of four kids under my command, I booted up Smash Brothers again since it was supposedly their favorite game. Within five minutes of playing, every single kid was shouting that they never get to win. I quickly tried to explain to them that winning was more than just a trophy to hold over your head. Its closer to a feeling of accomplishment or satisfaction. Of course, all I got out of this was four completely blank expressions. I suppose we can assume that trying to be more than skin-deep with younger people is not likely to be successful. For some reason it was a feeling as though a code of honor had just been violated. Do people actually play games like this? Is this what videogames have turned into? More importantly, are there more people like this? The truth would soon be uncovered.

Talking to close friends, it was quickly apparent that this was definitely the case for most of the younger generation, at least in the cases we studied. Some said that almost any younger gamer they knew didnt even want to play a game that they would lose at. Others would download a walkthrough the millisecond they were stuck in even the simplest puzzle. It was also coming to my attention that as a stark contrast to the younger players, the older gamers displayed similar emotions towards this issue as I did. Although we cannot say that this is the case for all younger players (you can stop typing the hate mail now), it is rather evident that the younger generation on a whole is playing with winning as the highest priority.

After lengthy conversations with others about the subject, we believe that some interesting speculation about this phenomena can be discussed. The psychology of such an issue is an interesting beast indeed. For instance, we could derive a simple middle child syndrome from this whole ordeal and it would almost fit perfectly. Like a middle child, perhaps younger gamers do not know their place within the scheme of the hierarchy, and additionally, can feel threatened by the older siblings. With this idea, younger gamers will feel that the end does indeed justify the means. If a code or walkthrough is needed to finish the game then the trophy of completion can still be held high. Older gamers in this setup would be oblivious to any such problem and continue their normal gaming habits the way theyve always done. Psychologically this seems like sound reasoning. Though perhaps we will never know for sure.

Should older gamers stand up on their collective soap boxes and preach the good word of videogames? Perhaps. Or perhaps it wouldnt be worth trying. To try and change the perception of millions of younger gamers and cheaters alike would most probably be a war of attrition (that is, neither side would get anywhere doing so). So what can be done about this situation? Not much from an older gamers standpoint. To shun all that is wrong in the videogame world would hardly create a dent in the armor. The only viable solution would be to wait the storm out, so to speak. However, there are reasons why this is potentially never going to work. Heres why:

When you see sex on television for long enough, with sexual innuendos and showing sex as the in thing, people will begin to believe it. Not one sitcom can run for twenty minutes now without throwing out a joke about sex. This creates a mentality in the masses that sex is okay (note: I do not condone or reject such actions) and that you arent healthy unless you are with someone of the opposite sex or are in hot pursuit. In the videogame world, the younger gamers today have much more potential pressure on them to succeed. Presumably in their minds they will never be able to catch up to the older generation in skill. Today there is more access to walkthroughs, codes, guides and cheat peripherals than ever before. If the younger players see this so often, it would only seem natural to make use of it. Sure sometimes it is okay, but were talking about abuse of the medium here. Being able to complete a game like Turok 2 in twenty minutes because of cheats should be a crime.

So once again we have arrived at the crossroads of decision. What should be done about this uprising to destroy any challenge in games? To you, the dedicated reader, I can offer little resolution. However, as every flake of snow is different from one another, so are people. Perhaps if you can begin to put some sense into the collective minds of these younger gamers they will learn a life lesson in gaming. One thing is for certain though: The challenge in games is making a huge comeback, and these gamers will have trouble keeping up with the ever-increasing difficulty. I want people to write in their thoughts about the entire situation of game difficulty, and the "generation gap". Once we get enough mail, we'll do a follow up questions and comments period. Click my name at the bottom to send a message. I hope you enjoyed this two day special as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Jason Nuyens