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[red_avatar]

<file open>

What has happened to us, gamers? We used to sweat like pigs when down to our last life, trying to avoid the unavoidable "game over". Now, we sit laid back in our chair or couch, a drink right besides us and maybe even something to snack on. Dead? Oh, no worries, just hit the "load" button or, if you're very lucky, the game will just let you continue from a checkpoint with no penalty. Or, even better: the game won't let you die at all! Anyone who has played the last Prince of Persia will know what I mean.

*quicksave*

Let's face it, gaming has changed a great deal over the past 25 years. It used to be all about high scores, boasting to your friends that you managed to get to level 25 and becoming a nervous wreck whenever you were in 'danger' of breaking your own record. Now, these thrills seem nearly extinct. It's no longer about how good you are but rather about how many games you've completed.

*quicksave*

The result is that games have become an experience instead of a challenge, where completing the game is just a matter of time instead of skill. Sure, this isn't all bad ... After all, being forced to replay the entire game fifty times over is not exactly quality gaming but companies have taken it too far. When it becomes imposslibe ... whoops *quickload*. When it becomes impossible to lose a game, they remove the thrill for the gamers among us (especially us retro gamers) that still crave a challenge. It's no wonder so many game mods actually increase a game's difficulty ...

*autosave*

The reason for all this, can be found with consoles: they have become family entertainment more than ever before: games are not only being played by boys but also their sister, mother and father and even the occasional grandmother. And what does this mean? A lot of inexperienced gamers who may, *gasp*, lose interest if games are too hard. So what does the industry do? They just design the entire game in such a way that it's easier for the inexperienced gamers among us. No surprise really: when looking at the success of the Wii and World of Warcraft, it's obvious where the money is ...

<CHECKPOINT>

So listen up, developers! Stop treating us like children! Stop holding our hands! We want to be challenged! We want to be thrown in the deep end, to sweat like hell, be taken close to a nervous breakdown, be brought to tears of frustration. Because, guess what ... it makes victory so god damn worth it.

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NO.