Usualy normal but for some games like MP3 C i choose verteran.

I always go normal first, since that's the standard design for the game. Then I'll play the next highest or highest difficulty, depending on the game I suppose.

Left 4 Dead I'll surely play through the campaigns on normal first...and as long as I'm not getting my ass kicked, I'll jump to hard after that.

First time through I always play at the default level. As that is generally what the developers intended the game to be played at. Then if it was worth going through more than once, I will increase to max level.

Normal, usually. I hate getting a bad ending because of Easy mode. And Hard mode, as much as I like a challenge, can be a little frustrating at times, and if any of my friends are watching me play just to see the story, those moments are frustrating for them, too.

Start on Normal if the games pacing is good I stay with it...

If the game becomes frustrating or just too difficult I switch difficulty levels to easy.

I can of course keep it on Normal and eventually get there but I dont really have the time to do this.

Some of us have to work.. In my younger years it would have been normal all the way and once completed a run thru on Hard....

Normal or easy depending on the game.

Hard only if it's not "cheap hard". I think Hitman: Blood Money is one of the best examples of good difficulty design. Crysis does it well too. Of course, some games are limited regarding this, but overall I don't like hard modes where the difficulty is around an exaggerated number of enemies or it changes the damage the enemy does to you and vice-versa.

Normal is my default, however I use the following to change that:

If I just want to play through the game really quick: Easy
If I get something special for harder difficulties (trophy, etc): Hardest (or whatever is required)
FPS: Easy because I tend to suck at them and don't care that much.

Every game's normal mode isn't going to be the same as another game's normal mode....and the same goes for easy, hard, very hard, etc. Personally, I like to test myself from the very beginning, so I begin most games at the hardest most possible.  Sometimes I beat the game, sometimes I don't, and when that happens, that's when I decide to just start a new game at an easier level.  I find I appreciate the game more this way too.  Otherwise, if I started the game on easy or normal without ever knowing what hard mode was like, I'll go through the game wondering "I wonder if I'm just wasting my time playing this mode, maybe I CAN handle harder modes..." cuz I don't wanna beat it on normal and have to go through it again on hard, I'm not that patient ;P

But ya, interesting topic, but also really subjective.  To each his own.

Always play on the hardest mode when i play a new game cuz, it enhances my skills during single player then kick some *** online

PSN: Cobertnation

Always start on easy and work my way up.