How do you design game difficulty modes that appeal to different types of players?

1 Why game difficulty matters

Game difficulty is the perceived challenge that a player faces while playing a game. It can affect how enjoyable, engaging, and rewarding a game is for different players. Too easy or too hard games can frustrate, bore, or alienate players, while balanced games can motivate, challenge, and satisfy them. Game difficulty can also influence how long, how often, and how deeply players play a game, as well as how they interact with other players and the game world.

2 How to measure game difficulty

Game difficulty is not a fixed or objective value, but a relative and subjective one. It is affected by a variety of factors, such as game mechanics, content, player skills, expectations, and feedback. To measure game difficulty, you need to consider both the game design and the player experience. Common methods for measuring game difficulty include analyzing game data like completion rates and death counts, testing game prototypes with different groups of players, surveying or interviewing players using questionnaires or focus groups, and observing or recording players through eye tracking or gameplay videos.

4 How to offer game difficulty options

Game difficulty options are the choices that players can make to customize their game difficulty level. They can be either explicit or implicit. Explicit options are those that are directly presented to the player, such as selecting a difficulty mode (e.g., easy, normal, hard) or toggling a difficulty setting (e.g., aim assist, enemy scaling, permadeath). Implicit options are those that are indirectly influenced by the player, such as choosing a character class, a weapon type, a play style, or a game path.

5 How to design game difficulty modes

Game difficulty modes are a common way to provide explicit game difficulty options. Developers usually predefine them and players select one before or during the game. To design game difficulty modes that appeal to different types of players, you need to take into account their purpose, scope, balance, and accessibility. The purpose could be to provide different challenges, experiences, outcomes, or rewards. The scope should be considered in terms of how much they affect the game – do they only change some variables or also game modes, feedback, or content? You must also consider the balance – are they fair and consistent? Do they maintain the core gameplay loop, the aesthetics, and the narrative? Lastly, it’s important to consider the accessibility – are they easy and flexible for players to use? Can they switch, customize, or modify them at any time?