I like the elden ring method where there are tedious optional ways of making certain things easier. Makes the difficulty very organic. Like if I struggled on Margit I could’ve googled how to get that shackle item and went out of my way for it. Very smart design!

Yes.

I leave it up to developers and support their vision for their game. If they want an easy mode cool. If not also cool. The consumer can decide for themselves if they want to buy it. Not everything needs to be for everybody.

yes, because it's funnier that way

If we see videogames as art, the creators should have the freedom to make them as they please. If we see it as a right for users to be played, then yes.

Everyone should be able to enjoy, or at the very least play and finish, the games they buy. Either by adding a difficulty slider or by allowing work arounds like xp grinding.

I want to keep exploring Hollow Knight so badly but I suck so bad at videogames it'll never happen

Nope

Not every game needs to be easy enough for everybody. Compromising their vision for a perceived demographic that may or may not like your game in the first place is a sure way for devs to edge closer to mediocrity.

Hard Drives out here using reverse psychology to get people to actually read the article for once