Is it OK to Play on Easy Mode?

"What are you? Chicken?"

 Generally when we're playing a game, we often choose the normal difficulty setting for the standard experience. But what happens when that normal difficulty is hard for some? Over the years, there's been a certain stigma to those who choose the easy difficulty setting. Certain games aren't perfectly tailored for everyone. Some might find the standard difficulty too easy, so they crank up the difficulty while others find it too tough. Today, I'll be trying to answer the question of "Is it OK to play on easy mode?" I know it all comes down to personal preference in the end so making this post might seem redundant, but the topic's been on my mind for a while and so I though of giving in my two cents on the matter.

 I'll be honest here, I've been frustrated many times on the standard difficulty in a few old-school games such the Devil May Cry and Resident Evil games. Rather than just quitting altogether, I decided to switch the difficulty to easy. With that done, I did found myself enjoying the game a lot and was interested enough to start a second playthrough on a higher difficulty. I believe the reason why easy mode is frowned upon is that it doesn't teach the player the proper skills to play the game. Tense games like Resident Evil Remake where supplies are scarce and killed enemies can reanimate with time can easily be ruined by switching to easy where all the aforementioned aspects can be altered. And it's true, the whole vibe of the game gets thrown out the window when you're constantly being showered with save ribbons and herbs.

 However, I still find it as a good way to slowly ease the player into the mechanics of the game, and if they enjoyed the game enough, they can start another playthrough and this time, crank up the difficulty for the intended experience. That's what I initially did when going for a second playthrough in Devil May Cry and Devil May Cry 3, the action was more hectic and fast than on easy and I've enjoyed the experience more so than my first time. Unsurprisingly, they're now some of my all-time favorite games. What I'm trying to say here is that games are all about fun and choosing easy mode shouldn't make you a lesser person. If you're getting floored in a game and you feel that lowering the difficulty might ease the experience for you, then go for it, you might end up having fun in the end. Don't get me wrong, I do occasionally love a good challenge and you'd be doing yourself a disservice if you just play games on easy and call it a day. It's a lot more rewarding having to beat really tough game and being proud about it, which in my opinion, where the fun lies.