Video games are meant to be fun. People play them to escape and relax. However, there are some that don’t fit this mold and are instead designed to be migraine-inducing challenges. If video games are meant to be fun, then why is there such a strong fan base for ones like this? Why do people enjoy Pain Gaming?

Pain Gaming is my term for single player video games that causes more discomfort than enjoyment. While people can have frustrating times with multiplayer games, that isn’t necessarily because of game design. More likely it is because of other players. Pain Gaming is more of a self-torture.

In most modern single player games, Pain Gaming is usually an option through difficulty settings. If a player wants to make a game more challenging, they can choose to do so. However this is not what I classify as true Pain Gaming. That would be with a video game that has no difficultly settings and is still rage quit worthy. Dark Soulsis the most famous of these titles and the poster child for Pain Gaming.

So what is the appeal? At the end of a long day, why would someone frustrate themselves further with something like this? Well when one plays a video game, one is always up against the possibility of failure. When on Pain Games, that possibility is the more likely outcome rather than success. However failure in video games has all the benefits of real world failure without any of the drawbacks.

When a player fails in a video game, he or she learns a lesson. They adjust, adapt, and try again or they give up. The same is true of failure in real life. Unlike real life, however, there are little if any lingering consequences of failure and if there are any at all, they are only in the game world.

That is the appeal of Pain Gaming. It’s the thrill of taking on a difficult challenge without the risk of dire consequences. Players can fight and fail over and over again, learning and adapting until finally they reach that moment of victory. Because the struggle to get there was so long and difficult, the sense of accomplishment feels that much greater and gives the player a sort of natural high.

The reward of Pain Gaming comes in real life as well by giving a small sense of relief. Beating a difficult boss or level does not define one’s life, but it serves as a marker of accomplishment. It is a small win, the kind of win a person needs every now and again when life feels routine and static. It is also a subconscious teacher. From Pain Gaming, players can learn how to adjust from failure, adapt, and push on. Pain Gaming can give the courage to strive for real world goals.