If I'm playing a game for the first time in my life, I play it in normal... and then Hard to unlock Very Hard and then I play on Very Hard over and over again (asuming very hard is the hardest difficulty of the game and that there's nothing harder than very hard).

So... I voted Very Hard because that's the difficulty I usually play on... and it doesn't vary from game to game :P I always play on the hardest difficulty.

Poll works fine for me.

Current results for anyone who can't see them:

Usually normal...but if its a FPS I will usually start on the next difficulty up.

I let the game decide at first. It tells me that I will at least experience most of the stuff the devs wanted me to experience in their game so I don't miss a single thing.

Then, the harder difficulties are just a very nice bonus. Nowadays, with achievements and trophies it's even more worth it to play these difficulties. Sure, bragging rights are still important...!

If I just want to have fun and not worry about dying on bastard enemies, I'll just play the difficulty that still gives me all the game's features, but with dumbed down enemy health or death traps, etc.

The highest available. When I'm going for trophies I beat it on the highest available, then play on the easiest for stuff like collecting items, performing special actions, etc. Then I go to the hardest for the final trophy. 

Atleast that's how it usually works.

I need to play on harder difficulties. Otherwise the game gets to boring and will not present a challenge. Seriously I see people play Mass Effect 2 on normal and then say some stuff is hard. That makes me want to DIE with laughter.

I start off on hard and go to very hard.

easy =(

Medium.

I don't like to play on Easy, because there's usually no challenge in it, and little satisfaction when I beat the game, because none of it has been remotely difficult.

I don't like to play on Hard to begin with, because I like to get acquainted with the game, and enjoy the story and gameplay, on my first playthrough. If it's a good game, I'll go back and play on Hard, partly because of trophies, and partly because I can see what it's like on a higher difficulty.

last gen I was always on easy using as many cheats as I could find. this gen people who I talk to about video games, convinced me that was a waste of a game, and I don't improve any.  so this gen I refuse to take it of the highest difficulty setting it will let me.  I am stuck on the train in killzone 2 and at the very start of gow3 and I refuse to lower the difficulty setting.  so very hard, and nothing else.