I'm 200% convinced that the discussion around FFVIIR's easy mode is a direct side effect of people so salty about not being good at other stuff that they "need" ultra hard games to feel superior to SOMEONE.

Its a Vanessa rant!

I remember about a year ago I was team 'accessibility doesn't mean easy mode due to work'and I'm going to also take time to unpack why I was 100% wrong about that.

Its a shitty stance.

So, I was mortified to play DS3. I mean when I first started I was actually on stream shaking. I was convinced this was the end of my streaming career and everything because there was NO WAY I was going to beat it.

I'm on my third play through with 3 achievements left.

I'm not saying this to brag. I'm pointing out how toxic ass Git Gud culture literally and effectively kept me from a game I now throughly enjoy. A game that went from "and lsbsishjejsekej" in my mind to "Oh, these are patterns and lore. Neat!"

I'd have never known.

The other reason I bring it up is the response. Overall-it was very good!

But the ones that didn't like how much *ease* I displayed while playing? Oh.

Oh they were very, very mad.

I somehow, singlehandedly had shattered their world views on "how hard" the game was.

I actually got a DM asking me to "stop playing down how good I am" because-and I shit you not-it made THEM feel bad about how THEY play.

Motherfu---

I WANT YALL TO READ THAT PART AGAIN.

I got a complaint during my DS3 streams because me recognizing patterns quickly, having good reaction time and hand-eye coordination, and having a steadfast stubborn attitude made THEM feel BAD about their own skills.

The thing is: I'm not gaming to prove I'm better than anyone. At anything. I just want to enjoy the game. And that's all this conversation around accessibility has EVER been about.

Allowing anyone to enjoy games.

So if y'all need games explicitly so you can dunk on people with full time jobs, disabilities, who are neurodivergent, etc.?

That's a you problem.

It isn't "just some games are meant to be really hard"-stop using games to justify being an asshole.

And if that isn't clear: yes, git gud mentality is just a shitty means to justify being an asshole.

You literally sit there with Twitter fingers going "tch, man...." because you'd rather people be denied access to something you enjoy if they aren't willing to set aside 60+ swift ass hours and spend 2 hours on a single boss "like you did".

My good bitch, that was your call.

I'm not saying you shouldn't make that call. As someone looking to start challenge runs, I anticipate many hours being spent on Pontiff.

But that call I made affects ME ONLY. I'm not gonna be out here turning my nose up to anyone who doesn't want to be on that level.

So why the actual fuck do we keep revisiting this convo about accessibility and easy modes? Why are y'all so pressed by how other people play games? SINGLE PLAYER games at that????

Y'all need to flex on someone that bad? Do you lose sleep knowing you can't walk into every FFVIIR convo stating "oh that boss isn't that hard lol you just need to learn the stuff and get better"-which by the way is useless ass advice?

Is that what it is? You need to feel like you're senpai of something?

Y'all. Just let people play games.

Stop trying to gatekeep why and how "games SHOULD be hard" then when you see you're losing that fight, gatekeep how accessibility should be implemented.

"Easy is fine, but this is TOO easy.." Eat shit.

The mode isn't for you then. And you have access to other modes.

Did you turn on assists in Celeste then complain that not being able to die was too broken?

Did you get all five boss cells in Dead Cells then go back to 1BC to criticize how "the skill cap is just too low"?

You didn't? Why not?
Because this whole kerfluffle with FFVIIR is the SAME ENERGY.

And I'm of the mind again that its a direct side effect of Git Gud™ clownfoolery.

A gaggle of predominantly dudebros who only feel "in control" if they can Beat the Hard Game© then hold onto it and shoe away anyone who isn't willing to Rise to Their Standards™.

The same gaggle of folx who want to be viewed as some type of Badass Gamer by exerting dominance over full time workers and people with disadvantages but crumble at the idea of a girl beating DS3 in 4 hours because it took them 5.

"This wasn't supposed to happen!"

The proof of such is in the article: he went down to Easy because a boss was TOO HARD.

But rather than just....enjoy the experience, it became "I said you could have A LITTLE accessibility as a treat, not a full spectrum."

Y'all are tiring and boring.
Let people enjoy stuff.

Your personal desires for games to be hard and challenging aren't gonna line up with everyone else's. What you deem challenging isn't going to line up with everyone else.

You gotta deal with it.