We Have to Stop Shaming People For Picking Easy Mode When Gaming

Choosing lower difficulties isn't a lack of skill—it's a valid way to protect your peace.

A screenshot of a game's settings menu showing the difficulty setting option highlighted on "EASY" with other options including Japanese Voice, Vibration, Subtitles, Screen Brightness, and Display Damage.

Published: Jul 17, 2026, 4:09 pm Updated: Jul 17, 2026, 4:09 pm

Primary Subject: Video Game Difficulty Settings / Story Mode Gaming
Key Update: An opinion piece advocating for the normalization of playing games on Story and Easy modes to preserve immersion, enjoy lore, and reduce everyday stress.
Status: Confirmed
Last Verified: July 17, 2026
Quick Answer: Choosing Easy or Story Mode is completely valid for players who want to prioritize rich lore, protect limited free time, and unwind without stress.

Whenever I play a video game on easy or story mode, it feels like I need to keep it a secret.

There's a quiet shame when you're at the start menu, and you actively choose Easy or Story mode. In recent years, it's become the norm to treat the median mode as the baseline and the most difficult one as the mode for real gamers. Doing anything less feels like the option for cowards.

My confession? I always play games on Story Mode. I don't feel the need to sweat when I play my games. Sometimes, after a long day of work and real-world deadlines, the last thing I want to do is crash out over the game that brings me peace.

We Have to Stop Shaming People For Picking Easy Mode When Gaming

I don't know when it became such a crime to play games in easier modes. But we can't deny that's become the norm. Gamers online grind the hardest mode, share how much they had to level up to beat the hardest bosses, and won't drop the game until everything is 100% discovered and completed.

Select Difficulty options: Novice, Intended, Purist.

Sometimes, I think we forget that we can use gaming to unwind. We don't always have to get riled up while gaming. That was my thought process when I chose Story Mode for my favorite game, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

Oftentimes, when people choose the lowest difficulty, it's assumed because they lack skill in the game. But that isn't always the case. Sometimes people just don't want that unnecessary stress. Maybe I just don't want my heart rate to increase or my palms to sweat while playing.

I want to respect my limited free time. And if that means choosing an easier game mode, then so be it.

A group of four adventurers standing in an underwater environment, surrounded by vibrant plants and mysterious sea creatures in the background.

Another reason why I prefer choosing easier modes is that I prefer lore over combat. There are plenty of games that are full of incredible stories and rich lore - and it gets pushed aside for combat. Honestly, I think spending hours on a single boss breaks the immersion. That's actually why I changed my difficulty setting when playing Persona 5 Royal.

Gameplay difficulty settings menu with options for adjusting difficulty, mini map camera rotation, camera speed, mouse and controller sensitivity, button display, and changing difficulty.

Plus, developers spend so much time balancing the modes. These settings aren't an afterthought - they are curated experiences to make the game more accessible. If the games weren't meant to be played on lower difficulties, they wouldn't bother adding it at all.

There are plenty of reasons why people don't want to play harder modes in gaming, and people shouldn't be looked down on for these choices. At the end of the day, what matters is gaming freedom and allowing the experience to mean something positive to you.

So, let's not judge, okay?

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