Games too easy??

An interesting thread is being discussed on the Indie Gamer Forums - "Are today's games too easy?"

My personal opinion is that the majority of casual games are far too easy. Players seem to be rewarded in these games for doing absolutely nothing. That's not to say that all "indie" games are easy but I definitely think that compared to the games from yesteryear (80's and 90's) they are.

For example our last game Ten Ton Ninja was designed to be a tough, almost old-school style game. Some people complained that it was too difficult, but the game received fantastic reviews from other sites, blogs and PC magazines. The game was difficult, but with a bit of practice you could master the controls and play the game as it was meant to be played.

I think the people who thought that the game was difficult were people who didn't try to understand or master the game. The people who persevered with it enjoyed the game for what it was meant to be.