Practical Game Design

Game difficulty

It's up to the game and level designers to create an experience that's optimal for as many players as possible, and if that seems like a simple task, trust us when we say it's not!

As we have already established in Chapter 12, Accessibility, our audience varies greatly in their level of gaming experience, real-world knowledge, physical and mental capacity, and even language proficiency. From pattern recognition and memory to spatial navigation, reflexes, and hand-eye coordination, there are many skills at play, and in some departments, the gap between players can be huge. Moreover, some players like to be challenged, and others have little time and patience for a serious struggle, preferring to breeze through levels and experience ...