First I was the bottom, now I am the top. Think I'm devolving hehe

There are two types of games:

• Simple, straightforward mechanics that get progressively more complex and intricate, raising the difficulty while training the player to approach the game from new angles and perspectives
• Confusing and obscured mechanics (often riddled with bugs) that often require a user to have specialty controllers or exceptionally high speed internet to participate in competitively.

The amount I want a game to be challenging is inversely proportional to the amount of work and responsibility I have in my life. When you only get a couple hours a week to game, you don't want them to be wasted on frustration.

Or as I like to put it, "I already have a job."

The game is hard

"The game is BULLSHIT!"

I still want to make my game idea: The Hardest Game Ever Made; committed to being truthful about that fact and little else, and simply state that the developer has beaten it.

You’d quickly discover that hundreds of forms of difficulty are bullshit, cryptic, and not fun.

I genuinely don't know why I enjoy being ruthlessly punished over and over again until my actions are molded to perfection. Hm. There's just something inherently satisfying about it.

La Mulana

Your welcome

Dark Souls vs Elden Ring

ER's difficulty is more bullshit than fair. So many enemies with basically no windows to fight back. A ton of them can zip across the room (some even literally teleporting) so spacing is impossible. They very often have spastic animations that are hard to read even after 1000 hours, and do a billion attack combos that seemingly never end.

It still feels good to win, but not in the same way. A well designed boss fight, you feel accomplished. A ton of ER bosses just make me feel relieved it's finally over.

Top or bottom is a preference, not a competition. The important thing is to enjoy it.

Very much agree (though I still enjoy Elden Ring). ER seems like it was specifically tuned to troll people who got really good at the Souls games, and to ensure major bosses couldn't be defeated in the first attempt. (Vis a vis: Long, delayed wind-ups where the boss waits for you to commit to an action and then insta-attacks before your hurtbox comes out). Though I guess this has been toned down since release, somewhat.

Another type is games that start off as the first type but then turn into fucking hell with no warning. Nuclear Throne, I'm looking at YOU!

That's just it, I used to enjoy the frustration and exultation of the defeating/being defeated by the hardest mode, now I really enjoy just playing the games stress free. Main thing, I adapted to continue enjoying the games I play. Where ever you fall make sure you enjoy the time spent

Factorio. This game is, wait, is that the sunrise?

I'm with you. I'm not really one for story-driven or grindy games, but give me a game that feels impossible at first, and I'll be hooked.

I love feeling myself steadily improve.

Someone hinted at souls games...
aaaaaand here we see someone basically define non-sexual submissive masochism as their reason for playing.

The cycle continues.

Currently playing Silksong, this has been my mantra. The boss fights are all ridiculously hard, the platforming is never ending, and I just reached a boss fight (bilewater) that has platforming up to the arena, multiple waves of enemies in the arena, and then the bullshit acid spitting boss, oh and the arena has swinging hazards and disappearing platforms. God this game is so frustrating but I can't stop playing it.

My brother: excitedly “The game makes you go to the bathroom regularly, and if your armor is too thick you overheat and there’s a hidden stat that makes you run slower. Greatest game ever made!”

Me: “Why?!”

pre- nerf radahn was wild. but the bliss when he finally fell. or the moment you realise that malenia has a second phase really got me.

I'm the third type

\cheats: on

Someone ruined soulslikes for me once when it was said they're just Dance Dance Revolution with a grim gui and obscure rhythm indicators...

Of course it's hard...I ain't got rhythm.