I always play games on easy.

[TerranReaper]

Ok, well if you like playing games on easy, that's good for you. I don't know why other people playing on the hardest difficult would bother you.

Personally, I find games too easy these days and a bit too forgiving, so I turn up the difficulty.

 

[Krantos]

Like others have said, I play "Normal" most of the time since that's typically the setting that is the most balanced. However, I prefer games that make you think and strategize, so if a game is too easy to the point that I don't have to think, I crank it up a bit. Dragon Age, Splinter Cell, and GalCiv2 are good examples of this.

I don't like games like Gears of War or the like on Hard, just because it usually ends up with the AI given stupid amounts of health that degenerate into grindfests.

Basically, I like games that challenge me without being ridiculous. If I have to repeat something more than three times, it's time to turn down the difficulty. Which is why all games should have the option to adjust it at all times.

 

[CleverNickname]

When I was a dumb little kid, I used to play everything on easy - and still died a lot, so on top of that I used cheats. If I could meet my younger self now, I'd whack him in the head for that.

To be fair, Half-Life 1 can be pretty challenging on easy the first time through. A lot of older games, in fact.

Now, since Hard difficulties don't actually change anything but enemy health, I never bother with it and play on normal. Which was still pretty gruesome on Serious Sam HD the first time I played through it.

 

[Grygor]

Generally, I do the first playthrough on normal, because playing on easy just feels like I'm insulting myself. On the other hand, if it's a genre I'm experienced at, and therefore decently good at, I'll usually go straight for a harder difficulty.

Because I play games for fun, and steamrolling the opposition just isn't fun for me. Which is why, for example, I stopped playing the first John madden Football on the Genesis shortly after I discovered that I could always win simply by doing a fake punt on fourth down, ensuring that I was guaranteed to score on every possession.

 

[DatCracker]

I just start with easy and if it's a decent game, replay it on higher difficulty levels for each play through.

 

[Crowser]

I always try for just above the average difficulty, but not the hardest (if that's an option). Hardened on CoD and Heroic on Halo are good examples of this.

 

[Obrien Xp]

Same, sometimes I never ramp up the difficulty. There's times I just want to kick back and kick-ass, then when I want a challenge I put it up a notch (or several if its the ai in Civ).

 

[Altorin]

I tend to play on normal. very rarely I pump it up to hard.

 

[ayylamao]

Play on easy for the first couple levels/quests (fallout 3 etc open world games) and if its too easy i turn it to medium.

 

[Ashcrexl]

i always play on the level that is just frustrating enough to give me a satisfying sense of satisfaction, but not frustrating enough that its just as bad as exams and such. so i see where you're coming from. but games too easy leaves me wanting more. ALSO if there is a save state feature, you bet your ass i'm going on the HARDEST difficulty there is.

 

[SeriousSquirrel]

I always play on medium my first time through. While I will play on harder modes if I like the game, most of the time I'm not in the mood to do much more than just play. So I spend most of my time on medium.