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(i should really be pitching this to EA or Activision, but here goes) I started thinking recently about the current state of video game difficulty, and how big budget titles are way behind the curve AAA developers are so scared they'll upset or turn off the casual gamer that we end up with games like Far Cry 3 that are dumbed down and awash with pop-up hints and on screen prompts. But then we have on the over side of the scale games like 'Dark Souls' which are unapologetically hard, but everyone laps it up. My personal preference is that i want to experience a game the way the creator intended it to be played, which includes the games difficulty. I don't want a creator to sacrifice their intent through fears of losing a casual gamer and vicariously their word of mouth marketing of the game. Example: New Devil May Cry will teach casuals the "magic" of pro gaming, entry bar "is very low" Nobody was holding our hands when we played our very first games 20 years ago, and actually nothing has changed... Peoples first venture in to gaming these days tends to be through mobile or browser based games, games where there is no difficulty setting BUT there is quite often the option to pay to skip a level or make the game easier. I remember reading an article a year or two ago (i can't find it now) about how Angry Birds makes more money from the 'Might Eagle level skip' in app purchase then they do from people buying the game The current business model these days for casual games tends to be you pay to make the game easier, and the casual gamer has grown to except it and embraced it. Why not implement this into big budget console games? Remove the Easy difficulty option and add a similar paid to skip feature. After you've died 3 times at the same check point a message would pop up: Would you like to purchase '10mins of GOD MODE' for $1? Yes/No A simple one click purchase that will enable Infinite health for the next 10 minutes of game play, so people can skip through the section they're finding difficult. This would be a very simple method to boost a game developers revenue. And why stop there. Day one DLC for Bioshock Infinite Infinite Ammo Mode $1.99 Infinite Magic Mode $1.99 Infinite Health Mode $2.99 Make these early access purchases to unlockables/modes that became available upon completing the game. The vocal minority hardcore gamer wont have a problem with it as it wont effect them, so no internet shit storm. These are just an optional paid extra to cheat. And here's the kicker, I believe the type of people who would play through a game with 'Infinite ammo or health' turned on are the type of people who would happily pay for it. Make finely tuned interactive experiences, and if people can't handle the difficulty, let them pay for easy mode