[games_access] Difficulty of Games = Disability?

[Andreas Lopez]

Hey Sandra,

thank you for your reply. I read in a nifty Game Design book which is
called 'Challenges for Game Designers' by Brenda Brathwaite and Ian
Schreiber which also had some interesting paragraphs on Puzzle Designs.

I personally feel the same with Point and Click because they tend to be
VERY specific. There should be an in-game 'Clue' button or just the
computer seeing by the time you need to solve the issue to help you out
somehow. I do not know right now which, but there were Puzzle Games which
then gave you different clues.

Funnily enough, I had that issue with Portal 1 with the last puzzle where
you just use the most simple of all techniques: catapulting yourself with
portals. I understood the principle. I understood why. I knew how. The
problem was my execution from time to time and I spent like 3 hours before
I just went no-clip cheating and went to the final map, they should have
thought of a 'let's skip this after couple of hours of frustration'-button.

Also I am not the first one to think of a narrative mode, Mass Effect 3 had
a Narrative Mode as well. You are basically incapable of losing, everything
dies at your hands.

The problem I rather have with narrative mode... Those gamers that are then
like "It's way too easy, I go play Hard, but even that is too easy so I
play Hardcore which still is not on my skill level." I can only facepalm
and perhaps slam my head against the wall, since we fight with that
ignorance of that there are people who are not on par with their
capabilities, and incapable of empathy. After all, I am the kind of guy who
plays as standard 'Hard' and loves a proper challenge, but I am also very
aware that there are players that simply cannot do that.

Like my mother or my wife. Though for different reasons. My mother is
simply a bad player, but she still plays legend of zelda until her hands
hurt, I had always to defeat the bosses or solve some puzzles however. My
wife as some of you learned at this years GDC is simply visually impaired,
and therefore cannot be challenged in many ways as other individuals.

And these things also are why I want a narrative mode and skip combat parts.

Sincerely,

Andreas Lopez
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