A Hypocritical Look at Beginner Mode

It seems there's a new trend gaining popularity with developers; including a super-easy mode in their games. It differs from your typical very easy difficulty setting, which makes enemy attacks weaker, the player's attacks stronger, etc. This beginner's mode, for lack of a better universal name, encourages and rewards button mashing.

Previously found in Bayonetta, currently gracing BlazBlue: Continuum Shift, and soon to inhabit Vanquish, the easier-than-easy mode allows the player to get away with not knowing button schemes, combos, attack patterns, and strategies. Core gaming elements are foregone in favor of the beleaguered art of the button mash, which consists of swirling the analog sticks maniacally, and blindly hitting every button on your controller in rapid succession. This technique more often than not leads to an easy win! Not really. In fact, hardcore gamers will suck their yellow teeth and wrinkle a zit-marked brow at button mashing tactics. Don't try this at your local arcade, folks.

My Mother Brain knows that anyone other than the casual gamer wants to learn the game's system and master it, which is good enough for me. Though my Contra heart has a feeling that games with unforgiving difficulty levels, if imbued with the beginner's mode, could be quickly mastered and defeated by a casual, which doesn't sit well with me. It's like going through the school system without learning how to write, yet graduating with a degree in journalism. What the fuck, that ain't fair!

On the other hand, my lady sometimes watches me play fast action games and says they're too stressful for her to play. I'd love to get her into games, but I can't blame her for not wanting to be overwhelmed and easily defeated. No one likes getting their ass kicked. Enter beginner mode. Wow babe, you're really good at this game. A little positive reinforcement along with a whole 'lotta button mashing could possibly turn the most condescending gamer girlfriend into the best gamer you'll ever make love to. 

So, my stance on beginner-easy-automatic-casual mode is still undefined. I want an even playing field for gamers, but I want gamer girlfriends to have an easy in. What does the interwebs think, yay or nay?

Comments

[Iris]

I like the analogy of getting a degree without learning to write. Never thought about it that way! As someone who totally sucks at games, I obviously would like an easy mode so I can still play without dying every two seconds, cos that's boring. But I guess it's like, why should I get to enjoy the rewards without putting in the work gamers have (ie playing their whole lives and getting good at it).

But does easy mode really change anything for serious gamers? You would never compare yourself to someone who won on easy mode, right?