电子游戏简单化趋势编辑本段回目录
如果你仍停留在20世纪80年代任天堂发起的原创电子游戏革命（或追溯到我们还未出生的岁月），你可能会认为当时某些最具难度的游戏值得最高嘉奖。其实，采取这种挑战模式是种稳妥做法，它不仅将我们引入游戏世界，还保持我们的游戏激情。《Battletoads》、《魂斗罗》，甚至是《超级马里奥兄弟》初作便足以令我们紧盯电视不放，坚决打赢这场生死攸关的战役。
在最近10多年来，电子游戏整体上已进入一种全新局面，其挑战性（即困难程度）有可能会逐渐转化为一种更加友好的体验。随着这种媒介越发盛行，此类模式能够吸引更多用户吗？请别误会，没有人可以不费吹灰之力地完成现代AAA游戏，但在同过去众多经典佳作对比时，我们不能否认两者在难度方面的明显差异。有些玩家可能认为这是纯粹只是一种臆测，而有些则会指出近年来大量游戏难度降低的实例。显然，对于那些渴望获得出色挑战的玩家来说，这些电子游戏并不能满足他们的需求。
教程=规则
Catan-Tutorial(from androidtapp.com)
你想要获得真正挑战？你可以试着启动5年多前，还未在第一小时内设置详尽教程的游戏。如今，基本上所有游戏均采用教程模式，为玩家提供一定辅助。
虽然这种模式最先是以有别于主要活动的可选任务形式出现，但最近已添加到我们钟爱之作的初始关卡中。现在它们不再是种选项。值得注意的，在某些意义上，这可能不是坏事。事实上，它有时能为玩家带来方便，帮助他们在进入危险区域前，了解游戏的基本内容。
要知道，大多数过去游戏中并未设置教程模式。我们需依靠纸式手册（游戏邦注：后来为了支持游戏内置教程便取消这种模式），但除非我们乐意花时间阅读相关内容（而事实是我们不会这样做），我们必须依靠自己力量找出所有重点。而教程本身便是游戏的最佳事例，也许它最能代表电子游戏玩法如何趋向简单。记住，目前许多现代游戏在背景中设有关闭教程信息的选项。
脚本事件
无论如何，我们都不能忽略目前众多大型游戏有时会持续使用脚本事件这一事实。不仅如此，而且过去6-12小时的游戏时长已缩减到现在的3-5小时。
虽然脚本事件的存在已有很长时间，但先前它们毫无作用。如果从始至终，脚本事件都会手把手地指导游戏进程，那么游戏对玩家有多大难度可言？当然不会出现这种情况。我们仍会失败，但我们无需战略意识，也不必掌握如同体验初始任天堂、超级任天堂、世嘉五代或PlayStation游戏的高超技能。
接着是长度方面问题。毫无疑问，目前许多游戏的时长比先前作品有所缩短，许多玩家均对此感到十分失望。而且，如果脚本事件引导你快速通关，那么完胜一款4小时的游戏又有多大困难？有些玩家可能认为这并不具有负面影响——但一款内容可能多达12-48小时却仍能够获得大量赞誉的游戏，必然存在其可取之处、
video game(from venturebeat)
整体玩法
还记得吗，在过去的游戏中我们曾需要艰难地完成一个如越过死亡深渊般容易的任务？随着这些目标越发普遍，它们的最初效果已逐渐消逝，而曾经不容小觑的技艺现在已演化为第二天性。
例如，你曾需要利用作弊码引进第二个玩家，仅因为不可能在一个合理距离内射击敌人。现在，许多射击游戏均包含“瞄准辅助”性能，借此玩家可以调整十字准线，对准方向。现在玩家在开放场景射击游戏中通常都能找到大量战利品与军火，而过去的游戏则常让玩家面临物资匮乏的时刻，迫使他们节俭使用资源。旧式游戏中通常仅为角色提供少量生命值，即多次受伤，甚至是一次重击便可致命。而不少现代游戏已不再设置这种两难境地，而且恢复生命值已是这类游戏的基本性能。这些游戏还设置了众多触手可及的超强武器，而过去我们却需费力争取所谓的“升级道具”。
在此我并非仅着眼于射击游戏。总之，游戏玩法越发趋向简单模式。随着电子游戏日益大众化，开发者不断调整方案，创造出几乎人人都能完成的游戏。可能我们当中的有些人并不喜欢这种模式，但在游戏过于简单时，我们仍然拥有自己的难度设置选项。
Far-Cry-3-hangglider(from venturebeat)
总结
由上可知，好像电子游戏已不再呈现出我们过去历经的挑战难度，但这一定是种消极趋势吗？
游戏教程具有便捷性，你也可以不选择玩法调整设置，而简短精致的脚本故事内容则受到了寻求娱乐与难忘体验的玩家欢迎。
我们不该对日益盛行的电子游戏太过苛刻。毕竟，游戏世界中总存在一种社区感。对于那些仍偏爱硬核挑战的我们，《超级食肉男孩》这类游戏能够满足我们喜爱最具难度游戏的需求。而诸如《暗黑之魂》这类致力于重塑挫败感的游戏，也能够让酷爱挑战性的我们获得乐趣。
再次提醒各位，许多情况下，游戏仅是为玩家提供乐趣。虽然有些游戏无法为我们带来最佳挑战，但我们追求挑战的意识并不会因此而停歇。这便是体验电子游戏的一个最棒方面。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，作者：Jesse Meixsell）
Are video games easier than they used to be?
by Jesse Meixsell
If you were around for the original video game revolution sparked by Nintendo back in the late 1980s (or have at least taken the time to backtrack, for those of us who weren’t there), then you probably think that some of the most challenging games from that generation deserve top accolades. In fact, it’s probably a safe bet that this same sense of challenge is not only what drew us into gaming but also what has kept us hooked. Battletoads, Contra, and even the original Super Mario Bros. were more than enough to keep us glued to our TVs, determined to win what seemed like a battle of life and death.
Fast forward about 10 years or so. While video games as a whole have advanced into a medium more revolutionary than some might have imagined, the challenge — specifically, the level of difficulty — that brought us to gaming in the first place may or may not be taking a backseat to a friendlier experience. Could this be an attempt to attract a larger crowd as the medium continues to grow in popularity? Don’t get me wrong — none of us are able to finish modern triple-A titles with a snap of our fingers, but we can’t deny the stark difference in difficulty when we compare them to many classic games. Some may see this as pure speculation while others can point out countless instances of decreasing difficulty in recent years.
Something is holding video games back from satisfying those of us who seek a good challenge.
Tutorials are regulation
You want a real challenge? Try booting up a game from the last five or so years that doesn’t have an extensive tutorial within the first hour of the game. Nearly every title put out nowadays uses a tutorial mode to help the player along.
While these modes may have originated as optional missions separate from the main campaign, lately they have worked their way into the opening levels of our favorite titles. They’re now no longer an option. Take note that this may not be a bad thing in any sense. It’s actually quite convenient at times to be coached on the basics of a game before jumping into the danger zone.
If you remember, most games of past generations completely lacked a tutorial mode of any sort. We were given paper manuals (which have vanished in favor of the mandatory in-game tutorial), but unless we were willing to take the time to read through them (and, let’s face it, many of us were not), we had to figure things out all on our own. The tutorial in itself is a prime example — and perhaps the most obvious one — as to how video games are becoming easier for players to handle. Just keep in mind that many modern releases have also given us the option to turn off tutorial messages in the settings.
Short, highly scripted narratives
Something we can’t ignore whether we like it or not is that many of the big-name releases of the current generation use scripted events almost relentlessly at times. Not only that, but what used to be the 6-12 hour average has sunk to 3-5 hours for many titles.
While scripted events have existed in gaming for quite some time, never before have they been put to as much use. How hard is a game really if it holds your hand from start to finish? It doesn’t completely, of course. We can still lose, but there is almost no sense of strategy — no need to put your skills to the test nearly as much as we were required to in games on the original Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, or even the PlayStation.
Then, there’s length. Many games are, without a doubt, much shorter than those not too long ago, to the dismay of many. Again, how hard is it to beat a four-hour game, especially when scripted events guide you swiftly through the narrative? Some may not see this as a bad thing — it’s not the end of the world — but there is a reason why a game receives a huge amount of praise today when it reaches a maximum of 12-48 hours in content.
Overall easier gameplay
Remember when it was hard to complete a task as simple as jumping over a pit of death? As these objectives grow more and more commonplace, their initial impact begins to wear off, and what was once a feat to be reckoned with is now second nature.
For instance, remember when you needed to use a cheat code to bring a second player into your game because shooting an enemy from a reasonable distance was almost impossible? Now, many shooters of this generation feature an “aim assist” as a way to nudge players’ crosshairs in the right direction. What about the generous amounts of loot and ammo found in many open-world shooters? Many of you may remember a time when supplies were scarce, and the little that you had needed to be used sparingly. How about the skimpy amount of health given to your character in old games, where taking damage a few times — or even once — would lead to certain death? No such dilemma exists in many modern games, where regenerating health is a standard feature. And let’s not forget the many overpowered weapons within arm’s reach. We had to work hard to obtain what were once considered “power-ups.”
I’m not just talking about shooters here. Gameplay in general has become much easier to master. As video games continue to rise in popularity, developers continue to adjust their formulas to create something that almost anyone can do. Some of us may not like it, but we still have our tried and true difficulty settings available for when a game becomes too easy.
Conclusion
It really seems as though video games don’t present the level of challenge that they used to, but is this necessarily a bad thing?
Tutorials are convenient, gameplay tweaks can often be disabled, and short, highly scripted narratives are in fact a welcome addition for those simply looking for an entertaining and memorable experience.
Let’s try not to be too bitter about the increasing popularity of video games (that’s not what we’re here for). After all, there will always be a sense of community within the gaming universe. For those of us who still have a soft spot for a hardcore challenge, select titles such as Super Meat Boy serve as a tribute to what we treasure about our favorite, most challenging games. And I’m sure that titles like Dark Souls — games that go out of their way to revive that classic sense of frustration and determination — have not left our consciousness just yet.
Let me remind everyone out there that in many cases, a game is only as fun as you make it. While some titles may not always present us with the best challenge, our senses will never fail to assist us in finding new and improved ways to test ourselves. It’s one of the greatest aspects of playing video games.(source:venturebeat)
