Hard Games - Part 2

If my last post succeeded in encouraging you to move outside your gaming comfort zone, here are some tips on how to approach tough games.  What follows applies mostly to action games.*

1.  Find the right game for your skill level.

Pointlessly debating what constitutes a truly difficult game is one of the pernicious ways that even well-intentioned game players fail to welcome newcomers.  The truth is that most games will be hard to certain people, and that's unavoidable.  I've read many game critics say that Super Mario Bros was expertly crafted to be fun and inviting, but to my wife, who didn't grow up with a controller in her hand, it can be extremely frustrating to beat the first level.

So find that game that's right for you.  If you think it's hard, then don't let anyone tell you you're a wuss.  If you're feeling unskilled, and you want to get some perspective, then read forums about shoot-em-ups, where no matter what obscure, brutally difficult Japanese game someone brings up, there's always someone who's beaten it on one credit and doesn't understand what the big deal is.  Ah well.

2.  Make a commitment.

Games are long, and they've got lots of stuff in them.  So decide early on how much you want to do.  If it's a real toughie, then there might be plenty of satisfaction in just beating the game.  Or maybe the challenge is in the bonus levels. 

An important question to ask yourself early on is how much online help you want to allow yourself.  Certainly, it's a bit artificial to isolate yourself from all help, especially since most modern games are designed to support a community of active players.  But be careful.  While it's true that knowing tips about a game like Castlevania doesn't make it that much easier, there were exceptions.  I certainly would've preferred to find out the trick about using holy water on the Grim Reaper on my own.  (However, without knowing that trick I might've given up, so who knows.)

In any case, once you've set your main goal, really commit yourself to playing the game until you accomplish it.  Try to play it a little bit every day, if you can.  Most importantly:

3.  Manage your expectations.

I can't stress this one enough.  While an overarching goal is important, giving yourself timed goals is a recipe for disaster.

An example may be necessary.  When I was playing Contra, most days I found myself making a little bit more progress in the game than the day before.  However, there'd be days when I wouldn't make any at all, and it would be hard to justify picking up the controller at all.  But without even realizing it, I was always getting better at the game, and when I did finally beat the game I could be sure that luck didn't have anything to do with it.

So the trick is being really easy to please.  If I laid out for myself a plan, say to beat one level a day, or even to get farther today than yesterday, frustration would quickly mount.  And whenever you find yourself really getting flustered, it's time to turn the console off. 

Well that's it.  Last tip:  don't forget to have fun!

*Of course some of the more obtuse adventure games from the 90's (Sierra Online being the primary offender) can be just as or more difficult as action games, at least if you want to avoid online help.  Perhaps one day I'll write a version of this post for adventure games, but for now I'll just say that even having played many, many adventure games over the years, I still get hopelessly stuck from time to time.  That feeling's the worst.