0:00:02.020,0:00:05.020
There are two things about games that I firmly[br]believe

0:00:05.020,0:00:06.200
One.

0:00:06.200,0:00:11.720
Designers should be able to impose a singular[br]vision on the player, if they so wish.

0:00:11.720,0:00:14.969
So, Dark Souls only needs one difficulty mode.

0:00:14.969,0:00:18.480
Dead Rising can put the entire game on a restrictive[br]time limit.

0:00:18.480,0:00:23.050
And weapons can randomly jam in a game I shouldn’t[br]talk about anymore.

0:00:23.050,0:00:27.460
Decisions like these might be controversial,[br]but if they’re an integral part of the experience

0:00:27.460,0:00:31.320
that the developer is trying to create - then[br]the player shouldn’t feel like they’re

0:00:31.320,0:00:36.420
entitled to be able to mess with this stuff[br]through options, modes, and toggles.

0:00:36.420,0:00:40.240
Because that would screw with the developer’s[br]intentions, and could end up ruining the game

0:00:40.240,0:00:41.380
in the long run.

0:00:41.380,0:00:44.540
Those decisions were made for a reason, after[br]all.

0:00:44.540,0:00:45.960
Okay. Two.

0:00:46.000,0:00:49.460
Players should be able to play games however[br]they want.

0:00:49.460,0:00:50.930
Whether the player has a disability.

0:00:50.930,0:00:53.340
Or they’re just not very good at the game.

0:00:53.340,0:00:55.230
Or they want to focus on the story.

0:00:55.230,0:00:59.920
Or perhaps they find one specific part of[br]the game unenjoyable, like action segments

0:00:59.920,0:01:03.219
or timers, and it’s ruining their experience[br]with the rest of the game.

0:01:03.219,0:01:07.249
I think they they should be able to skip boss[br]fights, turn off entire mechanics, and lower

0:01:07.249,0:01:09.770
the difficulty to whatever level they so desire.

0:01:09.770,0:01:13.880
I don’t care, it doesn’t affect my enjoyment,[br]do what you want.

0:01:13.880,0:01:15.880
And. Yeah.

0:01:15.880,0:01:18.179
They’re not exactly the most compatible[br]opinions.

0:01:18.179,0:01:23.020
And it means I’ve struggled with conversations[br]like, “Should Dark Souls have an Easy Mode”.

0:01:23.020,0:01:28.399
I’m in favour of giving people more ways[br]to play if they need them, but I also worry

0:01:28.399,0:01:32.999
that these options will lead to confusion[br]about what is the proper way to play - and

0:01:32.999,0:01:37.439
inadvertently lead people away from having[br]the best possible experience, that the designers

0:01:37.439,0:01:39.520
have tried to put forward.

0:01:39.520,0:01:41.170
But here’s what I’ve come to realise.

0:01:41.170,0:01:45.020
And this is something I briefly touched on[br]in that Dark Souls video, but have come to

0:01:45.020,0:01:48.999
better understand through games that have[br]been released in the intervening months.

0:01:48.999,0:01:51.240
I think it comes down to communication.

0:01:51.240,0:01:56.400
I don’t care how people play these games[br]- as long as they understand what they’re playing.

0:01:56.400,0:02:01.180
Understanding that there is this proper, intended[br]way to play a game that the designers have

0:02:01.189,0:02:06.680
carefully created - and other, alternative[br]modes, if people really want to play that way.

0:02:06.680,0:02:11.180
Now, throughout my childhood, this came in[br]the form of cheat codes.

0:02:11.180,0:02:15.970
If you wanted to just mess around in Duke[br]Nukem 3D without worrying about dying you’d

0:02:15.970,0:02:21.670
simply type in dncornholio to turn on invincibility[br]and give yourself an infinite jet pack.

0:02:21.670,0:02:25.290
There was no misunderstanding about what was[br]happening here.

0:02:25.290,0:02:29.360
This was cheating, and it was definitely not[br]the right way to play.

0:02:29.360,0:02:34.590
But as a stupid 8 year old kid, god mode let[br]me experience loads of first person shooters

0:02:34.590,0:02:36.410
for myself.

0:02:36.410,0:02:41.470
Same goes for user made mods, like the one[br]that removes turn timers from XCOM 2, or the

0:02:41.470,0:02:46.210
wuss mode mod for horror game SOMA which stops[br]enemies from being able to see you.

0:02:46.210,0:02:50.720
It’s up to you if you install these things,[br]and as they’re third party modifications

0:02:50.720,0:02:54.730
you’re under no illusions that you’re[br]messing with the intentions of the dev.

0:02:54.730,0:02:59.290
But cheat codes don’t seem to exist anymore[br]and were always hidden away in magazines and

0:02:59.290,0:03:00.810
schoolyard rumours.

0:03:00.810,0:03:06.530
And mods are largely exclusive to PC gamers,[br]and exist outside of the game itself.

0:03:06.530,0:03:10.780
But in the last few years, we’re seeing[br]a growing trend of games where this sort of

0:03:10.780,0:03:13.520
stuff appears inside the games.

0:03:13.520,0:03:18.060
Developers are introducing things that fundamentally[br]change the experience and might completely

0:03:18.070,0:03:22.120
go against the whole point of the game, but[br]are being very careful to communicate their

0:03:22.120,0:03:25.470
intentions for who should use these options,[br]and why.

0:03:25.470,0:03:30.700
I first saw this crop up in Darkest Dungeon:[br]a game that is purposefully punishing and

0:03:30.700,0:03:33.010
sometimes completely unfair.

0:03:33.010,0:03:36.460
Now this game was released in Early Access,[br]meaning that people could buy the game on

0:03:36.460,0:03:41.310
Steam while it was in an unfinished state,[br]and watch as the developers tweaked the balance

0:03:41.310,0:03:43.760
and introduced new features.

0:03:43.760,0:03:48.350
Not every feature was well received, though:[br]most notably the corpse system where dead

0:03:48.350,0:03:52.750
enemies stick around for a few turns, or until[br]you destroy their body.

0:03:52.750,0:03:56.250
Something that can be pretty frustrating,[br]when you can’t target an enemy because a

0:03:56.250,0:03:57.920
corpse is in the way.

0:03:57.920,0:04:01.780
Now developer Red Hook Studios thought it[br]was the right move for the game, but some

0:04:01.780,0:04:03.670
vocal fans disagreed.

0:04:03.670,0:04:07.370
And in the end, the studio decided to make[br]corpses optional.

0:04:07.370,0:04:10.180
In a blog post on the matter, the developers[br]said:

0:04:10.180,0:04:14.900
“We have been reluctant to add difficulty[br]related options until now because focusing

0:04:14.900,0:04:20.519
on our intended version of the game has been[br]our number one priority and our experiments

0:04:20.519,0:04:25.310
and changes during Early Access have all been[br]in support of iterating on that.”

0:04:25.310,0:04:29.499
“But it would be foolish for us to not consider[br]the fact that the Darkest Dungeon community

0:04:29.499,0:04:33.810
is now big enough to include diverse groups,[br]some of which would like to play the game

0:04:33.810,0:04:36.099
differently than we might have envisioned”

0:04:36.099,0:04:40.440
But what really stuck out to me, is how they[br]implemented those options.

0:04:40.440,0:04:44.900
Because to turn off corpses, and make other[br]gameplay changes like making it so retreating

0:04:44.900,0:04:49.930
from combat never fails, you have to go into[br]the options and turn on a specific mode called

0:04:49.930,0:04:52.310
“Darkest Dungeon Config”.

0:04:52.310,0:04:56.699
And when opening this menu, you’ll see a[br]pop up that specifically states “gameplay

0:04:56.699,0:04:58.960
settings as intended to be played.

0:04:58.960,0:05:02.409
Turning this OFF allows you to toggle the[br]gameplay features below”.

0:05:02.409,0:05:06.889
So by burying these options in a menu, and[br]explaining to the player that this will change

0:05:06.889,0:05:11.410
the intended experience - Darkest Dungeon[br]communicates to the player that this isn’t

0:05:11.410,0:05:13.529
the game as it’s meant to be played.

0:05:13.529,0:05:15.990
But ultimately, it’s your call.

0:05:15.990,0:05:20.460
To me, this feels very different to turning[br]on a game and having the absolute first thing

0:05:20.460,0:05:25.189
you see be a bunch of different modes that[br]can fundamentally change how the game plays.

0:05:25.189,0:05:28.460
That’s not a bad thing, necessarily, but[br]it can be weird.

0:05:28.460,0:05:32.900
Like, how Fire Emblem Awakening gives you[br]the option to turn off one of the key aspects

0:05:32.900,0:05:37.400
of the franchise: permadeath, before you’ve[br]even started playing.

0:05:37.400,0:05:42.569
In comparison, here’s how Tom Francis dealt[br]with permadeath in his game, Heat Signature.

0:05:42.569,0:05:47.350
So, initially he was reluctant to get rid[br]of it, saying “I’m not gonna completely

0:05:47.350,0:05:52.330
remove permadeath, it would be a totally different[br]game, and one that generates less interesting

0:05:52.330,0:05:53.840
stories overall.”

0:05:53.840,0:05:56.159
But then said “maybe that’s not the right[br]question.

0:05:56.159,0:05:59.210
It’s not: would the game be better without[br]permadeath?

0:05:59.210,0:06:01.939
It’s: can we help the players who hate it?”.

0:06:01.939,0:06:05.529
And so he made it optional in the game’s[br]first major update.

0:06:05.529,0:06:10.180
But, like Darkest Dungeon, he buried it in[br]the options and explained its purpose with

0:06:10.180,0:06:15.719
a clear label that reads “we don’t recommend[br]doing this unless permadeath is really spoiling

0:06:15.719,0:06:20.289
the game for you - it leads to less interesting[br]stories and less variety.”

0:06:20.289,0:06:25.639
Tom says it was important to explain that[br]this not a normal option, because “I don’t

0:06:25.639,0:06:29.669
want players to feel like they’re being[br]asked to design how the game should work.”

0:06:29.669,0:06:34.629
Oh. I like that. That’s a good way to put it. I should steal that.

0:06:34.629,0:06:38.860
Another interesting solution came from SOMA[br]developer Frictional who were inspired by

0:06:38.860,0:06:43.039
that wuss mode mod, which makes the player[br]invisible to enemies, and turned it into an

0:06:43.039,0:06:45.030
official part of the game.

0:06:45.030,0:06:49.539
The in-game mode has slightly different enemy[br]behaviours - they notice you, but they don’t

0:06:49.539,0:06:52.169
hurt you - and it’s now called Safe Mode.

0:06:52.169,0:06:54.460
Language is important, after all.

0:06:54.460,0:06:55.460
More on that in a bit

0:06:55.460,0:06:59.529
Frictional’s Thomas Grip says he actually[br]considered releasing this sort of mode at

0:06:59.529,0:07:04.130
launch, but chose not to, telling PC Gamer,[br]“we skipped it because we wanted to focus

0:07:04.130,0:07:07.090
on delivering a certain kind of experience.

0:07:07.090,0:07:11.750
And we wanted to have a clear message on how[br]exactly the game was supposed to work.”

0:07:11.750,0:07:16.749
Specifically, the underwater world of SOMA[br]needed to feel oppressive and scary, as you

0:07:16.749,0:07:21.800
sneak past nightmare robot monsters who want[br]to eat your face for breakfast.

0:07:21.800,0:07:26.349
But the popularity of wuss mode was proof[br]that some people really wanted to experience

0:07:26.349,0:07:31.039
SOMA’s impactful storyline, but just couldn’t[br]deal with the stressful game mechanics.

0:07:31.039,0:07:34.569
And this gave Frictional the push to make[br]the mode official.

0:07:34.569,0:07:37.389
The interesting part here, though, is the[br]timing.

0:07:37.389,0:07:40.990
Safe Mode was added two years after the launch[br]of the game.

0:07:40.990,0:07:45.539
Thomas says: “Releasing Safe Mode this late[br]after release feels better, because we’ve

0:07:45.539,0:07:49.930
had time to ponder various aspects of the[br]game’s design to make it clear what kind

0:07:49.930,0:07:51.440
of experience it is.

0:07:51.440,0:07:54.729
If we did this at the time, it might have[br]muddied the waters.”

0:07:54.729,0:07:59.629
So, releasing options like this as a follow-up,[br]instead of at launch, can help explain that

0:07:59.629,0:08:02.580
they’re not supposed to be part of the main[br]experience.

0:08:02.580,0:08:07.379
If you don’t want to wait, another option[br]might be releasing an easy mode as free downloadable

0:08:07.379,0:08:10.199
content which happened with a game called[br]BUTCHER.

0:08:10.199,0:08:16.279
Once again, creating a disconnect from the[br]main game helps communicate intentions.

0:08:16.279,0:08:23.449
But the game that really spurred me on to[br]make this video, due to the care and consideration

0:08:23.449,0:08:26.759
of its optional mode, was Celeste.

0:08:26.759,0:08:31.460
This is a brilliant platforming game, full[br]of charm and character, with top notch controls

0:08:31.460,0:08:33.000
and great level design.

0:08:33.000,0:08:34.690
And it’s also hard.

0:08:34.690,0:08:35.970
Like really hard.

0:08:35.970,0:08:39.950
And you can make the game even harder with[br]collectible strawberries, and secret B-side

0:08:39.950,0:08:41.310
and C-side levels.

0:08:41.310,0:08:45.900
Challenge is the whole point of the game,[br]both mechanically and narratively.

0:08:45.900,0:08:50.780
But if you’re finding the game too tough,[br]there’s this: assist mode.

0:08:50.780,0:08:55.390
In here you can completely alter the game,[br]changing the speed, giving yourself infinite

0:08:55.390,0:08:59.010
air dashes, making Madeline invincible, and[br]so on.

0:08:59.010,0:09:02.070
One of the game’s developers, Matt Thorson[br]told Waypoint:

0:09:02.070,0:09:06.400
“From my perspective as the game's designer,[br]Assist Mode breaks the game.

0:09:06.400,0:09:11.780
I spent many hours fine-tuning the difficulty[br]of Celeste, so it's easy for me to feel precious

0:09:11.780,0:09:13.250
about my designs.

0:09:13.250,0:09:18.180
But ultimately, we want to empower the player[br]and give them a good experience, and sometimes

0:09:18.180,0:09:20.370
that means letting go.”

0:09:20.370,0:09:26.800
Now the mode was inspired by the, uh, conversation[br]surrounding Cuphead: a brutally tough run’n’gun

0:09:26.800,0:09:31.410
boss rush game inspired by rock hard Mega[br]Drive titles from the 90s.

0:09:31.410,0:09:38.050
And Cuphead does offer help for newer players,[br]in a Simple Mode, but the execution is pretty poor.

0:09:38.050,0:09:42.090
It pops up before every fight, right next[br]to normal mode, and doesn’t really explain

0:09:42.090,0:09:43.300
what it does.

0:09:43.300,0:09:47.850
The mode removes entire phases from boss battles,[br]meaning you don’t get to see all the amazing

0:09:47.850,0:09:49.440
animations on offer.

0:09:49.440,0:09:53.580
And beating a boss on simple mode doesn’t[br]actually count the fight as a win, meaning

0:09:53.580,0:09:57.500
you can’t fight the final boss and see the[br]game’s ending if you don’t finish every

0:09:57.500,0:09:59.340
level on normal mode.

0:09:59.340,0:10:00.760
It’s not great.

0:10:00.760,0:10:04.810
And Celeste’s assist mode is different in[br]just about every way.

0:10:04.810,0:10:08.510
For one, you can play the entire game in assist[br]mode if you want.

0:10:08.510,0:10:09.680
Nothing is kept away.

0:10:09.680,0:10:13.190
Not even achievements which I’m not entirely[br]sure about, but hey.

0:10:13.190,0:10:14.660
Who cares about achievements anymore.

0:10:14.660,0:10:18.380
Two, it’s up to the player exactly how they[br]change things.

0:10:18.380,0:10:20.630
You’re given very granular options.

0:10:20.630,0:10:24.460
You can slow the game down by 10 percent if[br]your reaction times aren’t quite what they

0:10:24.460,0:10:25.460
used to be.

0:10:25.460,0:10:28.260
Or you can skip entire chapters if they’re[br]not for you.

0:10:28.260,0:10:29.680
Three, the name.

0:10:29.680,0:10:33.700
At one point it was going to be called cheat[br]mode, but the devs thought that felt judgemental.

0:10:33.700,0:10:34.700
They’re Canadian.

0:10:34.700,0:10:39.750
But, I mean, you never know why someone wants[br]to pick an easier setting, so calling it stupid

0:10:39.750,0:10:42.970
idiot baby mode or something is a bit of a[br]dick move.

0:10:42.970,0:10:44.840
Instead they went with Assist Mode.

0:10:44.840,0:10:49.070
And, shortly after picking the name, Super[br]Mario Odyssey came out, which has a mode with

0:10:49.070,0:10:53.820
the exact same name, and made the Celeste[br]team feel like they made the right decision.

0:10:53.820,0:10:57.660
Assist Mode in Mario, by the way, is pretty[br]awesome, too, because it let my four year

0:10:57.660,0:11:00.410
old nephew complete Odyssey all by himself.

0:11:00.410,0:11:02.510
Uh, anyway, back to Celeste.

0:11:02.510,0:11:03.510
Four.

0:11:03.510,0:11:08.350
The game’s developers explain the intentions[br]of assist mode with great care and attention,

0:11:08.350,0:11:09.970
before they let you turn it on.

0:11:09.970,0:11:11.610
Here’s what they say:

0:11:11.610,0:11:16.380
“Assist Mode allows you to modify the game’s[br]rules to reduce its difficulty.

0:11:16.380,0:11:20.100
Celeste was designed to be a challenging but[br]accessible game.

0:11:20.100,0:11:23.370
We believe that its difficulty is essential[br]to the experience.

0:11:23.370,0:11:27.130
We recommend playing without Assist mode your[br]first time.”

0:11:27.130,0:11:30.230
“However, we understand that every player[br]is different.

0:11:30.230,0:11:34.450
If Celeste is inaccessible to you due to its[br]difficulty, we hope that Assist Mode will

0:11:34.450,0:11:36.820
allow you to still enjoy it.”

0:11:36.820,0:11:41.040
This left me with no confusion about how Celeste[br]works.

0:11:41.040,0:11:42.340
Assist Mode is not for me.

0:11:42.340,0:11:46.870
It might as well not exist, as far as I’m[br]concerned, and I never used it when I played

0:11:46.870,0:11:48.390
and finished the game.

0:11:48.390,0:11:52.170
This isn’t an easy mode, that I might switch[br]down to if the game’s kicking my butt.

0:11:52.170,0:11:57.700
It’s an assist mode, that’s just there[br]for those who really feel they need it.

0:11:57.700,0:12:01.370
Now some games are, of course, completely[br]open about letting you change the game in

0:12:01.370,0:12:02.890
any way you desire.

0:12:02.890,0:12:05.030
That can be a developer’s vision, too, after[br]all.

0:12:05.030,0:12:09.560
But some games are just better served by a[br]more strict vision for how the game should

0:12:09.560,0:12:10.560
be experienced.

0:12:10.560,0:12:15.950
But that doesn’t mean we need to make these[br]games inaccessible to certain people, or completely

0:12:15.950,0:12:21.560
rule out the option of letting players customise[br]or turn off certain aspects of the game.

0:12:21.560,0:12:25.270
It’s just - to me - all about communication.

0:12:25.270,0:12:29.200
To make sure you’re not presenting options[br]that go against your vision, with the exact

0:12:29.200,0:12:32.480
same weight as the ones you actually want[br]people to use.

0:12:32.480,0:12:37.990
But instead, using language, placement, and[br]timing to make sure everyone understands what

0:12:37.990,0:12:40.040
these additional modes are all about.

0:12:40.040,0:12:44.760
You’re giving people options if they need[br]them, but you’re not asking them to design

0:12:44.760,0:12:46.450
how the game should work.

0:12:46.450,0:12:49.500
I just made that up. I’m very clever.

0:12:49.500,0:12:54.180
So I do believe that game designers have a[br]duty to protect players from themselves, by

0:12:54.180,0:12:56.660
not letting them turn off the more prickly[br]mechanics.

0:12:56.660,0:13:02.050
But I guess I also believe that if designers[br]give players good information, like the creators

0:13:02.050,0:13:06.520
of Celeste and Heat Signature did, then they[br]should also trust that players will make the

0:13:06.520,0:13:08.920
right decisions for how they want to play.

0:13:08.920,0:13:11.370
That’s where I’m at with this debate.

0:13:11.370,0:13:15.360
Let me know what you think in the comments[br]below.

0:13:15.360,0:13:18.440
Hey, cheers for watching.

0:13:18.440,0:13:22.100
I’m going to do a rapid fire FAQ right now, okay?

0:13:22.100,0:13:25.520
1) Will you do another Game Jam this year?

0:13:25.520,0:13:26.520
Yes!

0:13:26.520,0:13:31.640
Ours was the biggest jam on itch.io in 2017,[br]and I can’t wait to do another one.

0:13:31.640,0:13:34.990
It will probably happen late summer, early[br]autumn.

0:13:34.990,0:13:37.470
2) When is Boss Keys coming back?

0:13:37.470,0:13:41.070
You should hear about that in May, is my current[br]plan.

0:13:41.070,0:13:43.120
3) When do you stream?

0:13:43.120,0:13:47.740
I stream every Wednesday at 8PM GMT, here[br]on YouTube.

0:13:47.740,0:13:49.980
4) Do you have a Discord?

0:13:49.980,0:13:52.340
Yes, but it’s only for Patrons.

0:13:52.340,0:13:54.680
5) Do you make games?

0:13:54.690,0:13:57.340
No, my background is in games journalism.

0:13:57.340,0:14:02.410
I’d maybe like to make a game one day but[br]right now I’m super focused on the channel.

0:14:02.410,0:14:04.150
Okay, thanks! See ya!