Gamers, Submit to your Games

Video games are all about providing players with amazing experiences and giving them a sense of power and significance. So, it would make sense for games to give players the opposite of that, right?

The trend of really difficult games has made a bit of a comeback. Games like Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Super Meat Boy have all been examples of absolutely crushing players. Back in the day of NES, and the arcade, games were crazy difficult. However, when a player would overcome the challenge, it felt a lot more rewarding.

Games still provide a challenge to present the player with, yet there is more of a focus on the overall experience of the game. With new consoles and technology, games can do a lot more than they used to. The Last of Us, Mass Effect, Red Dead Redemption and many more games are all examples of this. Telltale Games has carved out a very profitable niche based entirely around storytelling and providing an experience for the player. The thing is, though, these games are kind of easy.

All of these games have a certain kind of flow, and they allow players to go through the story mode at a decent pace. There are still roadblocks and choke-points that the player still comes across, yet they seem to be few and far between. Even when playing on the hardest difficulty, players can still find a rhythm and relearn how to play to the game's rules. All of those games still provide the player with a sense of awesomeness and agency where they are the focal point, and make them feel good about themselves and the overall experience. However, there is something to be admired in a game that absolutely crushes the players confidence.

Super Meat Boy was a good experience for me, because it was really difficult. Sure, I have years of video game playing experience, but nothing I had done would prepare me for what Super Meat Boy is. I had do take a deep breath and humble myself before the game. I knew that I was going to die a lot when playing the game. I think that's why gamers get so frustrated and angry when they die in a video game.

Gamers lack humility because most games build them up as being unstoppable badasses. When they come to a point that they can't get through with ease; to them, it doesn't make any sense. It's also why gamers get so frustrated when they lost in multiplayer games. It isn't fun to lose, but you should be able to accept that you're not the greatest gamer ever. It's important to be able to recognize where you are, and be humble about it. Do not doubt yourself just because you are not where you want to be, but instead; realize that you have a ways to climb and that the only way to go is up.