Do video games need to be challenging or difficult to be enjoyable? The first time I played Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter, its combat system and time limit made the game extremely challenging for me. However, I was able to finish it, and I understand how the game can be enjoyable despite some challenges.

Some players of the iconic video game Final Fantasy VI engage in what is called the Celes, Setzer, and Edgar challenge. This involves completing the second half of the game using only these three characters (“Celes, Setzer, Edgar Challenge,” 2008). This is an example of players voluntarily making an existing game more difficult.

Dark Souls is another example of a game considered difficult for players. Timothy Welsh (2020) describes it as “punishingly difficult for new players,” although guides and walkthroughs can help players overcome or even trivialize some of its challenges. When players die, they must repeat areas, encounter defeated enemies again, and learn the game’s environments and systems. For many players, this repetition and gradual improvement contribute to the satisfaction of mastering the game.

Ghosts ’n Goblins is an older side-scrolling game released for arcades and later ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System. It became notorious for its difficulty. The game’s director, Tokuro Fujiwara, explained that he did not intentionally make the game difficult merely to make players spend quarters. Instead, he wanted to create a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction within the playing time provided by a single coin. According to Fujiwara, the game’s difficulty was the result of pursuing that goal rather than the goal itself (Stewart, 2021). He also suggested that challenges can be enjoyable when they lead to a meaningful sense of accomplishment.

Some video game players can therefore find solace and satisfaction in completing difficult games. However, I believe this raises other questions worth exploring. Can a video game be enjoyable without being overly difficult? Can playing a video game be relaxing rather than stressful? What meaning can games that are not particularly challenging bring to their players?

Slow Games

Víctor Navarro-Remesal examines the phenomenon of slow games in his book Zen and Slow Games. One of his main arguments is that “video games have always been slow” (Navarro-Remesal, 2026, p. 4). Navarro-Remesal (2026) also argues that slowing down is not merely an escape from everyday life. It can provide an opportunity to reconsider how we live. The need to pause has appeared throughout philosophy, including Stoicism, the work of Montaigne, American transcendentalism, and the thought of Byung-Chul Han (p. 11). Slow games can similarly provide players with moments of pause, reflection, and contemplation.

Dear Esther is a first-person game that involves exploring an uninhabited island and listening to fragments of letters to understand the game’s narrative. Its slow pace contributes to the ambiguity of the experience. Navarro-Remesal (2026) describes it as a slow and pensive game whose influence helped inspire many later games (p. 4). Instead of emphasizing combat or traditional victory conditions, Dear Esther asks players to walk, listen, observe, and interpret.

Mario Is Missing! could also be seen as an example of a slower game. Its plot involves Luigi attempting to find Mario while recovering stolen artifacts in cities around the world. The game also contains educational material about geography and historical landmarks (“Mario Is Missing,” n.d.). Its pace is much slower than that of a traditional Mario game, and the player cannot lose in quite the same way as in a conventional Mario platformer.

One personal memory I have of playing Mario Is Missing! is learning about the Tower of Pisa. This became especially meaningful to me because I later visited the tower as an adult. My experience demonstrates how a slower educational game can leave a lasting impression on a player. The game was not memorable to me because it was difficult. Instead, it connected gameplay with learning, exploration, and a real place that I eventually experienced for myself.

Walking simulators are additional examples of games that can fall under the umbrella of slow games. Navarro-Remesal (2026) discusses walking simulators such as Virginia and Paratopic, which use elements of the genre to create unease, mystery, and narrative complexity (p. 149). Players can therefore encounter and enjoy mystery in walking games even when those games do not offer the combat challenges found in games such as Dark Souls. A game does not necessarily need difficult combat to encourage attention or meaningful exploration.

Zen and Video Games

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy explains that Zen is a Buddhist tradition that emphasizes direct experience, meditation, wisdom, compassion, simplicity, and attention to everyday life. Sitting meditation, known as zazen, is a foundational practice across different schools of Zen Buddhism (Nagatomo, 2024).

Navarro-Remesal (2026) cautions that the term Zen is often used to refer to “a minimalist, vaguely spiritualist aesthetic” (p. 86). Therefore, games marketed as Zen should not automatically be understood as authentic representations of Zen Buddhism. In popular gaming culture, the word may simply describe a peaceful atmosphere, minimalist imagery, relaxing music, or freedom from demanding rules.

Navarro-Remesal also examines so-called Zen video games and their similarities to slow games. Games such as Harvest Moon, Shenmue, and Animal Crossing have been interpreted as containing Zen-like practices through activities such as gardening, wandering, and quietly interacting with their environments. These games can offer what Navarro-Remesal (2026) calls a relaxing “lean back experience,” in contrast to the more intense “lean forward” experience associated with fast action and constant challenges (p. 103).

I played Harvest Moon as a child, and it was a game that I enjoyed. In Harvest Moon, the player still experiences the challenges of managing a farm and responding to seasonal changes, including the difficulties winter can bring. A game can therefore be slow and relaxing without being completely free of challenges. Zen modes in other games might reduce traditional rules or give players greater freedom to explore, creating a sense of relaxation or meditation.

EarthBound, although it is not generally considered a slow or Zen game, also contains an interesting spiritual element. Before Poo joins the player’s party, he completes his training through a meditative experience. This is not a Zen mode, but it demonstrates how games can incorporate meditation and spirituality into the development of playable characters.

Anecdotally, other games that are not considered exceptionally difficult can still be enjoyable. Breath of Fire III is one example. Although it is not universally seen as a difficult game, its story goes against several common tropes in turn-based role-playing games and allows for a deeper exploration of themes and characters. It also includes a variety of minigames and other activities.

The puzzles in the Wild Arms series could represent a combination of challenge and slow play. While exploring dungeons, players must solve puzzles using different tools. I believe more games could explore this type of puzzle-based experience without also including the stress of traditional role-playing-game combat and monsters.

In conclusion, video games have always contained different kinds of features and challenges. Some players may choose difficult games or voluntarily impose additional challenges upon themselves. Others may enjoy slower and more reflective games. Challenge can bring satisfaction, but it is not the only source of enjoyment. Atmosphere, exploration, mystery, storytelling, contemplation, and emotional connection can also make playing a video game meaningful.

References

Celes, Setzer, Edgar challenge. (2008). GameFAQs. https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/930370-final-fantasy-vi-advance/41919311

Mario is missing. (n.d.). Mario Games. https://marios.games/g/mario-is-missing

Nagatomo, S. (2024). Japanese Zen Buddhist philosophy. In E. N. Zalta and U. Nodelman (Eds.), The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/japanese-zen/

Navarro-Remesal, V. (2026). Zen and slow games. The MIT Press.

Stewart, M. (2021, February 24). Developers share their thoughts on resurrecting Ghosts ’n Goblins. Game Informer. https://gameinformer.com/2021/02/24/developers-share-their-thoughts-on-resurrecting-ghosts-n-goblins

Welsh, T. (2020). (Re)mastering Dark Souls. Game Studies, 20(4). https://gamestudies.org/2004/articles/welsh