The need for challenge in video games?

I've been a member of this site for a long time and even though I am a frequent listener of the Giant Bombcast I have not partaken much in the rest of the site. I was hoping now however, to use it as a venue for writing and reviews, things which could hopefully lead to a career within the field some day. 
 
The topic of this thread is something that I have though a lot about for a long time and I must say it makes me feel a bit like an outsider within the gaming community or whatever you want to call it. 
I personally do not enjoy challenge in video games. 
When looking back at my own history of playing games there is a trend throughout my childhood of frustration and disdain for a lot of games. In my memory they appear as lumbering behemoths of malevolence that will do everything in their power to prevent me from having any fun. 
However, I quickly learned to cope with that and not allow myself to succumb to frustration, mostly by choosing to not play the game in question any more. The best example of this is Goldeneye for the N64. I got it for my birthday, having read about it in some awful free magazine they gave me at the game store, probably in an attempt to make me go home since it was painfully obvious to everyone involved that I didn't at the time have enough money to buy an N64 game myself. 
Goldeneye is a great game. I enjoyed it a lot and played it intensely all the way to the level that takes place in the statue graveyard. At the end there is a standoff where the girl you are supposed to rescue is present (I believe that was the basic premise, my memory is cloudy on the actual story). By mistake I shot the girl I was supposed to rescue. Stupid mistake, all I had to do was start the mission over and not be so trigger happy. 
But what I did was turn off the console, take the game out, put it in the box, and to this day I've never touched it again. This wasn't the game's fault of course, it was entirely my own choice, and I was not angry at the game or angry at myself for making a silly mistake, as I remember it, it was more or less just a sigh or acceptance at the way things were.  
I used to spend hours and hours playing Doom and Doom 2 and making my own levels in DCK (Doom Construction Kit) trying out new stuff all the time. 
I never once played those games without godmode turned on. To me that was inconcievable.
 
As I got older I tended to play more and more RPGs and adventure games, like Diablo, Fallout, Full Throttle, Grim Fandango, The Dig. Now the thing about these games is that you can always adjust the difficulty yourself while playing. If something is too hard in Diablo you level up until you can kill it easily. If something is too hard in Full Throttle you look at the walkthrough and proceed to the next puzzle. 
I never found the satisfaction in overcoming a trying obstacle or having to work my ass off to achieve something. And as I understand it this is the main drive for people who do enjoy challenging games. I have been trying to search inside myself to find why this is, and I guess I still am by writing this.  
  
Also, I do not want it to come off as though I do not enjoy games, I do, and I play a lot of games all the time. I have grown to accept that some games are hard and can find it in myself to be patient enough to deal with hard passages in games that take several attempts to complete, although completing them does not give me any greater sense of satisfaction that it would have if I did it on the first attempt.

Is there something wrong with me? Is this something that can be trained or acquired? Can it be that I actually do feel satisfaction in overcoming challenges, just that I do not admit it to myself or don't allow myself to show it?  
 
What do you think about challenge in video games? Is it absolutely necessary in order to make a game enjoyable or is it ancillary to the whole experience? Would it be enough for you to experience the content without being challenged by the gameplay, much in the same way that a movie isn't challenging to see since you just have to sit down and keep your eyes open.
 
 
NOTE: I am not an English native speaker, and since I am trying to improve both my writing and English skills please feel free to release your inner grammar nazi and correct any and all errors in the text.

I am one who really appreciates overcoming videogame challenges, getting my skill up and beating some difficult boss.  Going for the high score.  However there are challenges in some games I think are just silly and frustrating, bullet hell SHMUPS for example.  COD4 on Veteran, not worth my time unless I'm really bored (some of the levels weren't so bad though).
 
I can understand where you're coming from.  I know some people like that.  They just want to see the next part of the game, they don't want to have to fight for it.  That's why a lot of people enjoy movies and books.  Usually if I'm in that mood I'll read a book instead of playing a game.
 
I think there should be easy modes for people in most games so anyone can enjoy it.  I definitely don't like it when games are too easy though.
 
Games can be like sports or board games, or they can be like a movie, TV show, or book.  I enjoy both kinds of games, and I think there's room for both.

I don't want a game to be too challenging where it's cheap and totally broken for gameplay. Sort of like resistance 2 where you stand in the wrong place, you die. I just want a fun game where it's designed well regardless of difficulty level, like batman arkham asylum.

"I am one who really appreciates overcoming videogame challenges, getting my skill up and beating some difficult boss.  Going for the high score.  However there are challenges in some games I think are just silly and frustrating, bullet hell SHMUPS for example.  COD4 on Veteran, not worth my time unless I'm really bored (some of the levels weren't so bad though).  I can understand where you're coming from.  I know some people like that.  They just want to see the next part of the game, they don't want to have to fight for it.  That's why a lot of people enjoy movies and books.  Usually if I'm in that mood I'll read a book instead of playing a game.  I think there should be easy modes for people in most games so anyone can enjoy it.  I definitely don't like it when games are too easy though.  Games can be like sports or board games, or they can be like a movie, TV show, or book.  I enjoy both kinds of games, and I think there's room for both. "

Most games have winners and losers.  It sounds to me you aren't competitive at all, so you don't feel the incentive to beat something or somebody in a game.  I get in that mood sometimes as well, and that's why I have games like grand theft auto, racing simulators, and city builders, because those games always let me sit back and mess around, without really trying to win at anything.  Also, your english is fantastic, I am envious lol.

" Interesting that you mention danmaku (bullet hell) shmups, because that is a type of game that I actually enjoy a lot. They are insanely hard usually but the versions released for consoles generally come with infinite credits so I can complete them and experience the whole game without having to put any real effort in. I do however like to put a certain amount of effort into those games for the very reason that I enjoy them. "

Games that are challenging should have a large amount of save points to compensate. I enjoy a challenge, but I hate doing stuff over and over again.
 
I'd like to say two things as well:
 
Great thread
 
And
 
Your english is actually pretty great, if you aren't a native speaker.

A career in reviewing? The race is on!
 
*actually reads post*
 
Sounded weird when you said you don't like challenge in games, but at least you were able to make the distinction between the game and yourself. Personally, I enjoy a bit of challenge. Not too easy or too hard, but in the Goldilocks Zone. (Context probably gave that away.)

" @Feigr said:

" Interesting that you mention danmaku (bullet hell) shmups, because that is a type of game that I actually enjoy a lot. They are insanely hard usually but the versions released for consoles generally come with infinite credits so I can complete them and experience the whole game without having to put any real effort in. I do however like to put a certain amount of effort into those games for the very reason that I enjoy them. "

If you like danmaku then you should give Touhou a shot. Not really infinite credits, but theres a Easy, Normal, Hard, and Lunatic mode. I can only do normal, but I just love the challenge on Lunatic so much.... regardless of how many times I die. Anyway, yeah.  I enjoy a challenge in games, and I feel that most games these days don't have enough. Buuuut that's just me. "

" @Feigr:  
-My initial reaction to your post is a question I have for you: Have you ever "gotten good" at a game? Now, that's vague, I know. For example, you were probably good at the level editor in Doom. But, take a game like Smash Brothers. Did you ever get to the point where you felt adept at the skillset needed to play the game? Online or multiplayer games of any sort of dedication are much in this same vein. " 

I read your entire post and I would never have known that you are not a native English speaker if you had not said so.

Challenge in games is weird. Some hard games are just frustrating, but others turn that frustration into joy when you finally beat that asshole boss or whatever was giving you trouble. I think it comes down to whether it feels fair. Some games seem to be designed to be hard for the sake of being hard (Ninja Gaiden springs to mind) and that causes me a lot of frustration. But I'd rather play a game that's a little too hard than one that's really easy or ruin the game by playing it with invincibility codes. That's just not fun to me.

I personally do not actually care for a challenge in a game. I think it should present difficulty, but never so that I find myself repeating a section over and over.

" I personally do not actually care for a challenge in a game. I think it should present difficulty, but never so that I find myself repeating a section over and over. "

" @AgentofChaos said:

" I personally do not actually care for a challenge in a game. I think it should present difficulty, but never so that I find myself repeating a section over and over. "

Heh.  It's quite interesting that you say this, yet you have a screenshot of Donkey Kong on your page. :D "

It sounds as if you are simply DONE with games. You burned out.  On the one hand, a game that is too easy leads to boredom. On the other, if a game is too hard, it leads to frustration & slamming your controller into a wall.  Although I've never thrown a controller against a wall, I have yelled & swore oaths profusely at my TV (eg. Too Human).
 
The way I look at it: if a game feels like work, then I don't care to play it. Games should be a relaxing & fun thing to do that you enjoy.  If you aren't enjoying it then it's time to do something else.  In the past, if I got burned out, I'd take a break from game playing & go do something else for awhile & return to play games later.  Games that are too hard tend to burn people out faster too.
 
One interesting thing you can do with Giant Bomb's podcasts is to listen to them for contradictions. For instance, seeing a 4/5 rating for Prototype around its release in June but then hearing it get trashed in a podcast in late September.  HAHA.  I don't usually buy a game based on a review but prefer to wait a few months until many people have tried it & report back all of the aspects of it.  If the shitty aspects exceed its good qualities, then obviously favorable reviews were mistaken.  Further, any review that states you might throw your controller against a wall, that's a 1-2 star rating in my book, although it could still be fun to play.  I'll probably pick up Prototype for cheap, but at least I'll know beforehand that it wasn't worth $60.  A 1-3 star game should be bought at a price point of $10-$30 & not a cent more.
 
Some other games that come out, you can just tell from the appearance that it broke new ground & is going to be good. That's the feeling I've been getting from Borderlands.  It looks very playable & enjoyable.  For whatever reason, I did not get the same vibe about Arkham Asylum. I played the demo & it seemed OK, but it just seemed kind of bland & boring to me, the whole stealth action & the look & feel of it.  I expected it to be a good game & all of the reviews say it's good...but then I wonder if in a few months a certain band of jolly game reviewers will be raggin' it...LOL.  Arkham looks like a game that reaches all of the factors for a solid game, but it doesn't seem to transcend its medium like Gears of War, Fallout 3, or Grand Theft Auto 3 (or Vice City) did.  I think Borderlands will, but I guess we'll see.  Part of the pleasure of playing a new game is to be surprised after all.

I enjoy a good challenge in a game, as long as it doesn't ever get frustrating or seem too cheap or unfair. A game like Demon's Souls I find very frustrating because you have to start at the very beginning of the dungeon EVERY time you die, which is pretty damn frequent. Doing something that I've already completed is cheap, and why I think games should allow you to save whenever you want to. However, the feeling of accomplishment you get after finding out how to beat a boss or defeating a difficult wave of enemies really can't be achieved by any other medium, so it does have its advantages.

Well as someone who's been gaming for almost 18 years the its easy to see that the challenge has gone out of alot of video games but I think its mostly due to the changing face of games in general, you look back at something like castlevania or alot of games in the mid to late 80's they where a large degree more challanging than anything thats released today, but alot of games back then could easily be blown through in around an hour if they carried the same challange as 95% of todays games, the challenge helped extend the games lifespan, your average game today lasts say what 6 to 10 hours on the normal settings, which is a decent length of time to spend on a playthrough, you'll still face some challenging moments but nothing to taxing, Its also down to the larger appeal of games in general, if you sat todays average gamer infront of a copy of say Gynoug (theres an obscure game for you) they would find it hard pressed to see past the second stage, so I think alot of the reduce challenge is to appeal to a larger demographic, and to cement the image of games as more interactive movies than anything else.

"I enjoy a good challenge in a game, as long as it doesn't ever get frustrating or seem too cheap or unfair. A game like Demon's Souls I find very frustrating because you have to start at the very beginning of the dungeon EVERY time you die, which is pretty damn frequent. Doing something that I've already completed is cheap, and why I think games should allow you to save whenever you want to. However, the feeling of accomplishment you get after finding out how to beat a boss or defeating a difficult wave of enemies really can't be achieved by any other medium, so it does have its advantages. "