Don't mind difficult games, but that should be determined via AI and not mere bullet sponges. Dark souls has a strange interpretation of difficulty, therefore they are not fun at all.

Cheat codes are fun.

They can also serve as an additional point of entry to the 'true' game, by allowing an unskilled player the chance to learn the game mechanics at their own pace without the stress of dying.

Or just let players break the game for their own amusement.

None of this affects you, let everyone enjoy games as they please.

If a game is supposed to be hard, then so be it.

If a game is supposed to be easy, then so be it.

I mean, everyone is entitled to complain.I certainly wished many games were harder, but it is what it is.It's just that simple.

But if a developer dont want to, because that's how they designed their game, why should it have cheat codes or an easy mode?

It's not a matter of having fun or not;Clearly people are having fun with those games.With each new entry, From is selling more and more.Code Vein just reported that it sold more than 1 million units, and Dead Cells is a huge success.

Its a matter of just the game itself not being appealing to these gamers in particular.Much like I dont like racing game in general and I can do nothing about this, nothing can be done to tailor these games to people that dont like the challenge.That's all.

Celeste is a great example of a game that mixed difficulty and accessibility in a perfect way. There's readily available options from the get-go that allows you to tweak some parameters of the game: infinite stamina, invincibility, slowing the game down, etc... Even without using those options, the game makes dying more part of the experience than a punishment for screwing up, every new screen is a check point and when you die, you respawn instantly ready to try again. This makes even the craziest of sequences appear doable since you know you get unlimited tries and that you only have to succeed once.

First of all, this is a great topic and a case well-made!

As someone who really likes many games that people tend to find very challenging (like Crypt of the NecroDancer, Diaries of a Spaceport Janitor, etc.) and also of many that are literally impossible to fail (like the interactive novel Butterfly Soup), to me the measure of a game's greatness isn't in whether it's easy or difficult, but in whether it sets out to do something that resonates with me and accomplishes that goal.

(I also enjoy Dark Souls!)

This was a weak ass response. You just should put more effort into engaging in your own thread. At the very least you can address the part about you being a hypocrite.

If you want a better response, then read the OP.Its all there.

And I wasnt giving you a "pretty weak ass response".I mean it.If the developer wants its game to be more easy in nature, to be more lighthearted, go for it.That game shouldnt have a harder difficulty option, no matter if I think otherwise.The same stands true for difficult games.If I or you end buying it, well thats a different story.

Truck gave a nice example for games that can soften the blow, so to say, with more constant checkpoints like Celeste for example, but not only that dosent work for all games, but also not all games need to cater to you.Simple as that.

I think it's fine when developers introduce cheat codes to let the player explore at their own pace. For example, there is original DOOM's God mode. You still have the main game, the way is meant to be played, and the cheat mode, which allows you to be engaged with the game in different ways.

I agree that the devs should make whatever game they want to make, or whatever the investors are willing to pay for. That's really the only thing that matters. Nobody except those who fund the development and make the game should have any direct say in anything about the game. Players will, of course, have a lot of indirect impact as they vote with their wallets. But, if the devs and investors want to ignore market forces and make a game that is easier or harder than potential buyers want, or includes modes that piss them off, that's their prerogative.