Which Difficulty Level Do You Normally Choose in Video Games?

Always normal.

i play on normal all the time. from playing call of duty on veteran it scared me not to play on hard. i played veteran on 4 and i hated it so much that i said screw playing games on hard.

It really depends. If it is a genre that  I'm familiar with then hard. But it not then I'll probably just go to normal. I just wanna play the game then, if i wanna be better ill set the difficulty higher.

I go for Hard to start of with, then move up to the top most difficulty for a second run through normally.
 
I find Normal is sometimes geared more to any guy who may have a casual interest in games, and I play games quite a lot so i find its normally a bit easy. I like a challenge.

Depends on the game, and how it handles difficulty. Usually normal, but sometimes hard if the game is too easy for me.

Normally, I choose normal 

Usually normal, but recently I have been dipping more into the easy end of things just to get games finished or to mitigate poor game mechanics (I'm looking at your Alpha Protocol).

always 1 step above normal, normal is way too easy.

I kinda suck at most games truthfully, or think i'm better than I actually am if I play on easy, or very easy... so I stick with normal or default. The 2 exceptions are UT3 or the Unreal franchise (because i love the challenge in Unreal games), and Terminator Salvation(for a platnum trophy, which was cake!)

Always the hardest difficulty possible. I need a challenge in my games. But then some games are cheap like Call of Duty, so I just do it on "Hard". 

One above normal for the achievement/trophy and the extra challenge. Most of the time I just end up getting pissed off by it, but hey. 

I used to play on normal because I thought that's what the great majority of people chose, but seeing that there's a lot of people choosing the hardest difficulty setting the next game I start is gonna be on hard too and see how I do. 

Normal on my first playthrough,if i like the game then i start a new one,and put that bitch up on hard :D

Easy, I just care about finishing the game for story and characters. It's in multiplayer where I choose to challenge myself. 

Almost always the default difficulty, but it depends on the game. Sometimes on hard. I don't want it to be too easy or too hard.

I believe the developer chooses a default for a reason. If the game is worth playing over again, that is when I will play on hard.

Usually Hard.

" Easy, cause I'm a pussy and not ashamed to admit it.  Also, it gives me an incentive to go back. "

Normal unless Normal in that franchise means Hard. Then I play on Easy.

Normal usually. I want to enjoy a story-based game and dying too much breaks the immersion. Other than that, the middle between normal and the hardest mode; only if the game makes it more difficult than just making enemies have more health/damage.

In most games I go for Hard difficulty. The only game I've played on Normal in recent times was Modern Warfare 2 and I enjoyed it a lot less than the previous installments which I played on Hard, simply (probably) because it shortened the game by an hour and a half or so. I also switched back to Normal on God of War: Chains of Olympus, because playing it on Hard on a PSP was hurting my hands too much. I have never completed a game on its hardest difficulty though (only a few levels in CoD 4).

As for me, I would normally choose Normal. Easy on fighting games because I'm such a baby in that genre and sometimes Hard in FPS games.

Going normal, easy if it's Ninja Gaiden bs kinda game and hard if I feel for a challenge

Heavily depends for me. If it's a Call of Duty, casual, because then I have the best chance of enjoying the action rollercoaster with not too many frustrating deaths against the inevitable infinite spawnpoints. Most other games: Hard or Very Hard.

On my first playthrough I tend to keep it on normal. If I feel motivated to get the achievement which involves beating the game on a harder difficulty I might try that out on my second playthrough.

Unless it's locked out I start on the hardest setting available. I just figure if you start on hard you won't know how hard it really is compared to other settings, it just seems normal.

" I check the achievements/trophies, and if there is a lot awarded for playing on hard then I'll choose it. Otherwise I go normal. "

Normal usually, and on consecutive playthroughs I up the difficulty. The only exception would be the COD games, I always start on Veteran. 

Usually normal, because I don't really have all that much time to invest in playing these days.
Also, I couldn't care less about achievements, so playing on the harder difficulty settings doesn't really bring any kind of meaningful reward to me.

I pick whatever the hardest difficulty is... but... that is only half the story. 
 
I typically play on super easy on my first play through of most games. I like to coast through the first time, enjoy the story, pick up up collectables and that soft of stuff. Then on play through 2 (or 3 from some games where you need to unlock crazy hard mode) the punishment begins :) I will usually play super hard for the challenge and for trophies/achievements and just to see if I can do it :)

normal for story based games, very hard for action based games

i guess normal, sometimes one back from the "insane" difficulty. if i know what i'm getting into i may play on the hardest difficulty and lately im wondering if i should just play games on the easiest setting, for heavy story driven games, and blow through for the story since it's the gameplay that seems to drag for me in these games.

Normal. Thats the way devlopers intend for you to play it first time through.

Depends on the game, I really enjoy Dead Space on the harder modes although I'm playing it on normal now just to get through it as a story refresher. 
 
I picked hard on Persona 3: Portable and it's kicking my ass, quite annoying at times tbh, yet very rewarding. 
 
So really, I generally pick either the hardest or second hardest mode.

I usually go Normal, thats the way the developer meant it to be played. If it is a game I know to be easy though (IE Ratchet and Clank), I go to hard. 
 
In the odd case, if it's Devil May Cry 3 or Bayonetta style game, I go to easy, I suuuuuck at those (GOW I play in normal and hard though, Ninja Gaiden Sigma I did as well)

I pretty much always choose Normal, but if I am playing the game just to check out the story I play it on easy. I did that for Mass Effect 1 (where the combat was meh) and I did it for Dante's Inferno. 

Normal, or whatever the default might be.

always normal first. if the game warrants a second or 3rd play-through, then i will up the difficulty. i ONLY ever play hard the first time through IF there are in-game unlockables. I don't do it for achievement points because they bore me.

Always normal for the first playthrough.

It depends on the game. Some games are meant to replayed (i.e. Bayonetta) so for those games I usually start with Normal and then move on to Hard and Very Hard, etc. Some games also have difficulty achievements, so for those games I usually start out at the hardest difficulty possible.

Normal

If there's 4 tiers, (easy, medium, hard, insane), I choose 3 (hard). 
 
If there's 3, I choose the hardest.

Action games and shooters I go Hard, RPGs I go Easy because I play those games for the story, not to get challenged.

The hardest. If I waste my time to beat it on anything less, I feel like I need to go back and beat it on a harder level to get the 'real experience' anyway, so going straight to the hardest just saves time and makes me feel more badass when I do finish the game.
 
Edit: Except Civ games. I've only beat a Civ game on Deity once. Holy shit.

Hard usually unless I'm just renting/borrowing or want to get through it quickly.
Or if it's a Ninja Gaiden game and I don't have a bunch of extra controllers to replace the ones I'll inevitably throw at a wall.

Normal. 
 
There was a period in my life when I would do Hard. But I guess I got over it...or realize I sucked at video games. :P

Normal or Easy. Depends on the genre im playing, if I play the genre a lot then normal.

Normal: Never played the genre/ style of game before. 
Hard: Any genre I am familiar with. 
Hardest: Only if I know harder ones unlock and am familiar with the franchise (DMC always has about 3 to 4 unlockable difficulties).  I also will if it is a second playthrough where I can continue a character (such as New Game +) .

Challenge is my thing, so hard. But if it's a genre I'm not used to I'll go normal.