There's almost no reason to have a lives system and that especially applies to tons of console games today.

No.

The "playing" of playing games should be cut out too. I just want my games to play themselves. I don't have time to play them.

Puppeteer had lives... I remember because I reached the 99 cap right before beating the game.

I don't think a limited lives structures is necessarily a good idea for many modern games (especially story driven ones), but more incentive to not be awful would be nice :p

I love the system used in the R&C games. During your second run you gain a bolt (the games money) multiplier as you kill enemies, reaching as high as x20. However, if you get hit even once it resets to x0 and you have to start building it up again. The only way to afford the special second run weapon upgrades in a non-raging inducing amount of time is to maintain a decent multiplier.

It didn't necessarily make the game harder, but as a kid it sure as hell made me play more carefully. Such a simple feature that adds so much intense action to a story you've already completed.

If lives are gone then where is the consequence of failing?

Lives should be abolished in not very challenging games since most don't reach the game over screen. The additional penalty of a game over screen discourages lazy and poor gameplay when lives are low

A feeling of endless sadness and desperation as it dawns upon you that you lack the skills and determination to ever complete the game D:

These people become corrupted by this sadness, eventually going man. They become truly dark souls.

I never understood a game with 1 hit kills having 0 checkpoints or lives. If you did the section right once that means you did it perfectly, without taking a hit. I don't see the point in a game like Mario especially of making me go through 100 jumps that are easy only to make it to the 101st one that is tough (a boss or difficult area) and then making me do the 100 again if I fail there. Checkpoints AFTER easy sections are essential to not artificially extending the life of a game. I don't need to jump on the 20 goombas that offer no threat 20 times. I should only have to do that once so I can get down the section at the end of the level that I keep dying on. Don't make me redo the easy to get to the hard. Just let me start straight back at the hard and do away with those silly game over screens. Surely the honorable gentleman can appreciate this sentiment.

Kids love Ice Age or Scooby Doo games for the Wii, u fall in a hole you get more chances. Same with PS3 Move game Brave. it's a very smart game design for younger players/beginners. Give people the option in a game menu on the next Mario and people will turn off lives more than leave it on. Why? Because it' fun to not have to try over obsessively.