Why do we often love the games that enrage us the most?

[dscross]

I've been asking myself recently why I love rage-inducing games more than easier ones. Maybe some of you can help me shed light on it with your own experiences.

Many popular video games are challenging. But why do many players, like me, seek games whose reputations are largely built on frustration? To cite some popular titles, the gaming press describes Super Meat Boy as 'a definitive work in the subgenre of brutally difficult platformers' but casual games like Flappy Bird and strategy games like the Dark Souls series are infamous and addictive for the same reason - they're really hard.

Our brains are designed to be very complex constraint-satisfaction machines. We're goal seeking, and having a goal means defining a constraint on an outcome.

Satisfying that constraint can involve a whole path toward the goal that's unenjoyable, like climbing a mountain to reach food or safety. Achieving the goal involves releasing the goal, which is satisfying - but it's a peculiar kind of non-hedonic kind of satisfaction.

I wish we would take this seriously for kids in schools. Much like Super Meat Boy offsets its challenging game play with unlimited lives and instant replays, lowering the penalty for making mistakes in the classroom could spark more intrinsic engagement from students. It's a motivating device because you're more willing to try again. Just a thought?

 

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

I've been asking myself recently why I love rage-inducing games more than easier ones. Maybe some of you can help me shed light on it with your own experiences.

Many popular video games are challenging. But why do many players, like me, seek games whose reputations are largely built on frustration? To cite some popular titles, the gaming press describes Super Meat Boy as 'a definitive work in the subgenre of brutally difficult platformers' but casual games like Flappy Bird and strategy games like the Dark Souls series are infamous and addictive for the same reason - they're really hard.

Our brains are designed to be very complex constraint-satisfaction machines. We're goal seeking, and having a goal means defining a constraint on an outcome.

Satisfying that constraint can involve a whole path toward the goal that's unenjoyable, like climbing a mountain to reach food or safety. Achieving the goal involves releasing the goal, which is satisfying - but it's a peculiar kind of non-hedonic kind of satisfaction.

I wish we would take this seriously for kids in schools. Much like Super Meat Boy offsets its challenging game play with unlimited lives and instant replays, lowering the penalty for making mistakes in the classroom could spark more intrinsic engagement from students. It's a motivating device because you're more willing to try again. Just a thought?

An ex-girlfriend of mine changed my life forever.

I was never abused, but I grew up with a father with a hair trigger. Once angry, just stay out of his way unless you want to be yelled at for everything under the sun. Living in that constant state of fear that I chose to hide from my family on the off chance that dad was coming home in a mood... I grew up hating anger. I did everything to suppress any temper I had (which unthankfully I was born with as well), and I avoided any situation I could.

One day my Ex and I were fighting, and I was getting more frustrated as this was the last thing I wanted, this constant back and forth. And I was losing grips with my temper and that made me more upset and I could barely form words.

And this 5'2 woman looked straight up in my 6'2 eyes, more calm than anything I could believe in this moment. She said with an unbreakable strength and assuredness that only comes from someone who is about to speak an absolute truth. She said this.

"You get this angry because you have passion. You don't care about things you have no passion about."

And that was that. Knowledge easily passed and understood in a moment. I was so angry because I cared about her so much. I just wanted the enjoyment and good times I had with her, and this fighting pushed me away from it.

We all feel that, in different levels. The ragers and the screamers in online play don't have a gun to their head, forced to play a game they hate. They love the game. They enjoy it when it works right. But their enjoyment comes on their terms. When everyone on their team is an absolute pro, When there's a good balance of classes they are fighting with, Hell, when they just win. When they get those things, the game is perfect. When they don't, someone is ruining their experience and their passion drives them to madness.

 

[MrCalavera_v1legacy]

Stick and a carrot principle? Usually after beating very frustrating fragment of a game, winning tastes way better. Euphoric(m'gamers) almost.

 

[Kerg3927]

As you said, we evolved to overcome complex, challenging obstacles. And thus we need to do that. It's our nature. I think anger is our brain's response to failure, and its purpose and intent is to get us to focus and try harder next time. There's probably a release of adrenaline involved, too, which further increases aggression and focus. Fight or flight.

This was probably a great asset when we were hunter gatherers trying to kill a woolly mammoth or fight off a neighboring tribe to prevent them from stealing our food and women, or attacking a neighboring tribe so we could steal their food and women, but in modern society sometimes that aggression hinders more than it helps, because some obstacles require a delicate, disciplined touch, and a smashed game controller isn't going to help.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Eh? No I don't.

 

[Squilookle]

For me personally- if a game shows enough promise by being fun to play, has a good enough story, or just allows me to act out a role I wish I could, then frustrating difficulty spurs me on because the harder the challenge, the greater the sense of achievement when I finally beat the odds. Games that are made easy for anyone to play carry no weight in this regard whatsoever, so feel hollow. Hard games respect your skill level (and occasionally your intelligence too) by not giving you everything on a plate, and I appreciate that.

A curious example of difficulty done right for me would be Pilotwings 64- a game all about completing challenges in various aircraft. For a kids game, it can often be maddeningly hard, but at the same time I can always opt to just cruise around aimlessly in my hang glider to soothing music. Having now beaten the game, I spend most of my time in it just relaxing and cruising around sightseeing. The memory of the game's frustration is still there, but it's nothing compared to the sense of achievement at having beaten it long ago.

It all requires the difficulty be fair though. If it's just glitchy or the AI follows logic you're not privvy to, then it just sucks. But when it's balanced, I can be spurred on even under ridiculous difficulty.

 

[Worgen]

The games I play the most right now are Smite, Paladins, and Battlerite. All games that can piss you off like nothing else. I think the reason I tend to play those a lot while Wolfensten 2 is still waiting to be beaten is that if I don't play them, it feels like Im missing out on something, like the progress in a multiplayer game is more permanent than a single player game. I like Wolfenstein more than them, but they still take my time more right now.

 

[dscross]

Eh? No I don't.

Do you prefer an easy ride in games?

 

[Maximum Bert]

Do we though? If I recount my favourite games none of them made me enraged they just provided an amazing experience that were in a way unforgettable in a good way.

When I think of the games that enraged me the most well they just annoyed the hell out of me even if I persevered and beat them as I so often used to do I was left with nothing but a loathing and resentment for the game heck one game in particular from years and years ago so annoyed me that now if for some reason I want to spike my anger I just have to think of it heck even now its getting me triggered.

Thats not to say some games that have annoyed me immensely I did not enjoy as well SF2 is one such game and I absolutely love it but it was not the fact that the comp was a cheating pos that I like about it rather the characters, presentation and especially the competition when fighting against your friends on the couch.

These days if a game really enrages me I just turn it off and do or play something more fulfilling luckily I have only had to do that twice since the 360 launch.

I guess it comes down to what you want from a game I personally want a memorable experience whether it does it through gameplay or story or something else is irrelevant to me. Nioh, Demons Souls, Ninja Gaiden etc seem to be generally considered as hard games but none enraged me however I did get a much greater sense of accomplishment if I defeated a level or boss on my first try usually the more I had to repeat the less interested and satisfied I was when I finally won.

Tearaway is the opposite in that despite buckets of charm it failed to have any hooks for me and I will likely never complete it. I just did not care about the story and gameplay wise it barely had any challenge that said I would still much rather play that game than one of the ones that have enraged me as it were.

 

[dscross]

When I think of the games that enraged me the most well they just annoyed the hell out of me even if I persevered and beat them as I so often used to do I was left with nothing but a loathing and resentment for the game heck one game in particular from years and years ago so annoyed me that now if for some reason I want to spike my anger I just have to think of it heck even now its getting me triggered.

I guess it comes down to what you want from a game I personally want a memorable experience whether it does it through gameplay or story or something else is irrelevant to me. Nioh, Demons Souls, Ninja Gaiden etc seem to be generally considered as hard games but none enraged me however I did get a much greater sense of accomplishment if I defeated a level or boss on my first try usually the more I had to repeat the less interested and satisfied I was when I finally won.

When I say enrage - I didn't mean throw your controller at someone or punch the wall. I meant you felt extremely frustrated that you couldn't do something to the point of extreme aggravation and it took you ages to crack the nut. I think I did clarify that in the post.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

[small]Pure, unbridled rage feeds my ravenous despair. Succumb...embrace this seed...writhe rip and tear!!![/small]

 

[sXeth]

Most games that provoke a sense of rage (to a degree anyways) in me are games that have innovative concepts, but fall on their face in execution. Particularly on the second go round (2017 sure ain't lacking there)

Which fits the premise of the OP. There was enough carryover optimism and enjoyment for Destiny or Wolfenstein to get me onto the sequels. But both falling flat on potential promise certainly doesn't pull me in for further installments without hearing a lot better.

I didn't like Meatboy on an aesthetical level (and I'm not generally a platformer type either). Never played Flappy Bird. Dark Souls only gave me difficulty early on in the first one from having literally no explanation of how stats or anything worked (I guess we could add games that require external wiki use to possible frustrations), after that it became mostly boring other then playing with friends.

 

[JohnnyDelRay]

Interesting question, one that I've thought about when I've caught myself raging at games, yet coming back for more. I guess in this regard, my games fall into 3 categories:

1) Chill game that I enjoy, and keep around for a chill time instead of ripping hair out, edge-of-seat in the zone levels of focus. This can either be a game that I am very good at with hundreds of hours in, or open-worldy exploring game like later-gen Fallouts, or even a game that I play with difficulty turned down or with overpowered character because I've finished it at least once.

2) Difficult game that I enjoy and keep around, because I just love playing it. This is 90% driving sims though, because I just love tweaking the difficulty up and up to keep me fighting for position, and not having a solo time trial out in front. However in the case of DiRT Rally, this is done for you, with no option to turn difficulty down unless you do poorly on purpose, or just don't play career mode.

3) Difficult game that I enjoy, but just want to finish it once and never look at it again. These I probably rage at the most, and may even quit at some point, but then come back later to finish. Games in this category tend to be somewhat technical, fast-paced mixed with strategy. Dark Souls, Ninja Gaiden, and recently Nier: Automata.

Spoiler: About Nier-not really a spoiler, just a bit off-topic ranting

So after playing the game a little bit, upgrading first weapon and getting a bunch of sidequests after Machine Village, I decide to venture into the desert. I run into a character who tells me to kill robots for "collecting data". I kill everything. Ok, great. Then kill everything within 30 sec. Easy. Then kill everything without getting hit. Also, easy. Then kill everything without getting hit, within 30 sec, with cheapy enemy attacks that are not telegraphed. Spent nearly an hour on that, said fuck it, gave up.

Later on, still trying to get back to the desert, I run into a room full of robots. Nice, time to gain some G and XP. I kill a few, then tackle the larger ones. Out of nowhere, instakill. Fuck, ok maybe my health was too low. Go back in, try to keep an eye on it. Getting rushed by enemies, avoid them. Again, random instakill. WTF. Go in for a 4th and a 5th time, avoiding the kamikaze guys who like to blow up next to you, until I realize these robots are lvl 38 while I am only lvl 15. But why can I kill some of them, but then more keep coming and I keep dying to random cheap shots? Until I realize this is an infinite spawning room. Why? What's the purpose of this crap? Dumbfounded by this, in an otherwise very interestingly and well-designed and beautiful game. I hope there's not much more of this. Reminded me of when I rage quit Dark Souls the first time, trying to take on skeletons in the graveyard and stupidly low level (my fault entirely, I discovered later).

Sorry, mostly a rant, but had to get it off my chest somewhere.

 

[thepyrethatburns]

Because (after the Olympian) I grew up with the Intellivision and Nintendo as well as video game arcades where all games enraged you whether they were good or bad. These days, it's more about whether I feel I'm going to get somewhere or whether the game is resorting to cheap death mechanics (Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne comes to mind here.) so I'm more selective with rage but, back then, you really couldn't avoid rage if you were going to play video games.

 

[FalloutJack]

Eh? No I don't.

Do you prefer an easy ride in games?

Alright, you, that's a five yard penalty for using an extreme all-or-nothing view as an argument where it is clearly not the case.

Your post is in regards to deliberate rage-inducing games, whereas there are games that are merely challenging that are properly paced, as well. I don't want to get angry. I want to have fun. And it doesn't mean that it has to be piss easy to do so.

Now, resume play, and do not darken my penalty box again.

 

[Jamcie Kerbizz]

I've been asking myself recently why I love rage-inducing games more than easier ones. Maybe some of you can help me shed light on it with your own experiences.

Many popular video games are challenging. But why do many players, like me, seek games whose reputations are largely built on frustration? To cite some popular titles, the gaming press describes Super Meat Boy as 'a definitive work in the subgenre of brutally difficult platformers' but casual games like Flappy Bird and strategy games like the Dark Souls series are infamous and addictive for the same reason - they're really hard.

Our brains are designed to be very complex constraint-satisfaction machines. We're goal seeking, and having a goal means defining a constraint on an outcome.

Satisfying that constraint can involve a whole path toward the goal that's unenjoyable, like climbing a mountain to reach food or safety. Achieving the goal involves releasing the goal, which is satisfying - but it's a peculiar kind of non-hedonic kind of satisfaction.

I wish we would take this seriously for kids in schools. Much like Super Meat Boy offsets its challenging game play with unlimited lives and instant replays, lowering the penalty for making mistakes in the classroom could spark more intrinsic engagement from students. It's a motivating device because you're more willing to try again. Just a thought?

An ex-girlfriend of mine changed my life forever.

I was never abused, but I grew up with a father with a hair trigger. Once angry, just stay out of his way unless you want to be yelled at for everything under the sun. Living in that constant state of fear that I chose to hide from my family on the off chance that dad was coming home in a mood... I grew up hating anger. I did everything to suppress any temper I had (which unthankfully I was born with as well), and I avoided any situation I could.

One day my Ex and I were fighting, and I was getting more frustrated as this was the last thing I wanted, this constant back and forth. And I was losing grips with my temper and that made me more upset and I could barely form words.

And this 5'2 woman looked straight up in my 6'2 eyes, more calm than anything I could believe in this moment. She said with an unbreakable strength and assuredness that only comes from someone who is about to speak an absolute truth. She said this.

"You get this angry because you have passion. You don't care about things you have no passion about."

And that was that. Knowledge easily passed and understood in a moment. I was so angry because I cared about her so much. I just wanted the enjoyment and good times I had with her, and this fighting pushed me away from it.

We all feel that, in different levels. The ragers and the screamers in online play don't have a gun to their head, forced to play a game they hate. They love the game. They enjoy it when it works right. But their enjoyment comes on their terms. When everyone on their team is an absolute pro, When there's a good balance of classes they are fighting with, Hell, when they just win. When they get those things, the game is perfect. When they don't, someone is ruining their experience and their passion drives them to madness.

but then again people forget about this simple fact and will call gamers 'toxic' 24/7.

 

[Maximum Bert]

*snip*

When I say enrage - I didn't mean throw your controller at someone or punch the wall. I meant you felt extremely frustrated that you couldn't do something to the point of extreme aggravation and it took you ages to crack the nut. I think I did clarify that in the post.

But doesnt one kinda lend itself to the other? Extreme frustration is not something I personally find enjoyable in a game (or anything tbh but in somethings I find it worth persevering with) because if I am stuck on something for so long that it becomes extremely frustrating and then I beat it I am much more likely to think thankgod that horrible piece of gameplay is over with hopefully there is some experience in here somewhere that makes up for that frustration later on (or I quit if I dont think there will be anything worthwhile) than damn that is so satisfying spending ages sharpening my skills memorising patterns and finally achieving victory.

I guess its because I see it as an ultimately pointless activity in that what have I gained from those skills? I could have spent the time doing something else i.e studying something that will ultimately give me more satisfaction or enjoying a piece of entertainment that may challenge me in different ways such as my thoughts or feelings.

So why do I play games some may consider challenging at all? well I guess I do enjoy the competition in games such as fighters but for single player ones its because it has something else there as well and for my skill it has attained a sweet spot that may challenge me but not to the point of frustration or at least extreme frustration because tbh failing to kill a boss in say Dark Souls the first time for instance frustrated me a bit and as I said before the more frustrated I become for me the less sweet that final victory.

I prefer to overcome adversity without the frustration I guess yeah it may be hard and take many attempts but as long as it doesnt frustrate me I will be able to enjoy that victory.

 

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

I don't think it's about a game being hard or enraging us that makes us love games. I think it's about getting good at something you enjoy. Whether you're a baseball player honing your swing or a gamer improving your aim in a shooter, I think your brain releases whatever sweet-sweet chemical when you perfectly execute on something whether hitting that HR as a baseball player or nailing that near impossible shot in a shooter to win a match. Even games without actual execution skills like turned-based combat games, card games, board games; getting everything to play out just like you envision is also that same level as hitting a HR like say getting an amazing engine running in a board game like Through the Ages and just dominating the other players.

 

[Elvis Starburst]

Dude...

I was gonna give my thoughts, but honestly, I've got NOTHING on this. Just... crazy

 

[dscross]

Eh? No I don't.

Do you prefer an easy ride in games?

Alright, you, that's a five yard penalty for using an extreme all-or-nothing view as an argument where it is clearly not the case.

Your post is in regards to deliberate rage-inducing games, whereas there are games that are merely challenging that are properly paced, as well. I don't want to get angry. I want to have fun. And it doesn't mean that it has to be piss easy to do so.

Now, resume play, and do not darken my penalty box again.

I?m not going to get into an argument with you about this but I was merely responding to his 4 word post and was trying to provoke a better response than he could clearly be bothered to give. Also, it was a little question designed to probe further with no hidden meaning that you seem to be assigning to it.