I’m stressy. I never used to be a stressy person. My mother used to say sometimes she was amazed I could be bothered to keep breathing in and out, that’s how relaxed I always seemed. “Water off a duck’s back.” she’d shout. “Everything! Like water off a duck’s back.” When I first became a gamer I could be completely absorbed by games for whole nights. A Sunday morning was a sublime, sunlit couch vigil as I allowed a fantasy world to wash over me and I’d float away on my own imagination. Theses days I’m more spongey. Life does not roll off my back quite so easily. There are no particularly stressful elements to my life. In fact it may be that an increasingly comfortable existence has led to a situation where little things upset the balance. Essentially – my diamond shoes are too tight. During the slow creeping transition from one mental state to the other, over many years, gaming remained a safe haven, a way to take me out of myself. Even when up against a deadline for a review I never associated gaming with hassle. In the last few years though my brow has started to furrow, my teeth press into each other in a clench while playing. The source of my disquiet? Gamerscore, bosses, getting stuck, twitch gaming moments – all the things designed to offer challenge and, dare I use the word, achievement. And so I faced a choice – do I allow gaming to become a source of consternation or do I let go of the challenge?
I’ve chosen to let go.
Many gamers are bemused, confused, bewildered, or, in the most extreme cases, angered by the increasing amount of low or no challenge games being sneaked into what are traditionally hardcore platforms and genres. The chapter skip ability in Alone in the Dark meant should you get remotely stuck, annoyed or bored with a boss battle you could just move on to the next bit. Prince of Persia took a well loved series with an adult fan following in a completely traditional paltforming genre and turned it into Lego Star Wars, removing the concept of death and having to redo sections completely from the experience. With Nintendo about to launch Demo-Play where games will allow you to set them to play through levels by themselves the concept of non-challenging play reaches its ultimate conclusion.
For me though moderation is the key to everything. I liked Prince of Persia. I welcomed the chapter skip in Alone in the Dark. Games are more than challenge. Games are more than repetition and memorising of button sequences. I don’t want the game to “play itself” and my experience isn’t ‘pointless’. It’s exploration and imagination. On Easy, Batman: Arkham Asylum was a wonderful stroll through a fascinating world, collecting secret little stories hidden in the darkness. I didn’t do the challenge levels, I don’t need those ‘achievements’. I achieved a relaxing treasure hunt, thanks very much. On Easy, Shadow Complex removes an entire game element with the combat becoming merely fly-swatting moments between my puzzling adventure through a beautifully realised warren. I’m taking it easy these days. Easy like Sunday morning.
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