Since i've seen a bit of reemergent discussion on difficulty modes and stuff(plus i've been talking about it with some people), so here is my opinion.

I'm for pure auteurism, if a dev wants to include something that helps achieve the intended experience they should. However, accessibility options such as all the various types suggested in gmtk's accessibility vids should be included -- like subtitles, colorblind modes...

...,control remapping etc. because no one should be excluded due to having some sort of disability. That being said, if the intended experience is supposed to be a harsh, unforgiving game, like souls, or a easy going relaxing experience, like pokemon, that's 100% fine ...

... but it does not exempt those aspects from criticism. If someone makes a game that is hard, saying that it's too hard is valid criticism! Assuming the person saying it has actually engaged with the mechanics of the game. Same with too easy though that's less often mentioned...

... . It's interesting to note that no one i've ever met has suggested an easy mode for puzzle games -- the difficulty, or lack thereof, is intrinsic to the experience of game. While not traditionally puzzle games many action games can be boiled down to active puzzle solving...

... which is significantly harder with the real time aspect, but it still is at least on some level a mental puzzle you have to solve.

I know i've been rambling, so here's the deal: if a dev wants something in the game, so be it. A game does not owe you the experience ...

... no more than any book/film/work owes you the "true meaning" or intention of it. By all means include an easy mode if you want, I encourage it, but I do not require it.

End that part now i'm going to rant why difficulty modes suck

90% of the time in games, difficulty options are TERRIBLE, they usually only affect health values and, if you're lucky, enemy numbers/placement. Very rarely does it do anything interesting like making projectiles faster/slower, enemies more/less accurate, ...

... increasing/decreasing reaction time/invulnerability frames/parry windows/projectile count, or changing enemy behaviors entirely. The DMC series does this amazingly, with the games feeling fundamentally different the higher you go, instead of being "the same game but a slog"

why did I write this thread it sucks and is unfocused

sunk cost fallacy at this point lol

overall, this image explains how i feel