Games today usually have three or more different difficulty settings, ranging from easy to hard. Is it really necessary to have so many different settings? Seriously, the only thing that changes with the difficulty setting is the increase of damage dealt to you and damage it takes to defeat an enemy. That is the model that has been used forever. I believe this current model needs to evolve. My very first idea I came up with involves just having one difficulty setting. While playing the game, the difficulty would adjust depending on how well you are playing the game. This would involve having a more complex AI, where it can adjust the difficulty depending on certain criteria (such as number of deaths, play style, etc). I am not talking about adjusting difficulty based on how well one does in a level, more so changing it instantaneously as you play. I see this a way to truly challenge a player. As the player gets better at the game, the game becomes more challenging. The idea is that the AI would adapt to your skill level throughout the entire game. If you were to beat the game, the AI will summarize how well you played, so that if you wish to replay the game, it will start at the level in which you first completed the game in (for that particular save file). Before I continue, let me say that on games with multiple difficulties, if you select to play on easy throughout the game, then it's always easy, even if you get better. Now on to the next idea... My second idea uses the current model of having various settings. The difference would be that the game starts on the current mode, then gradually gets harder as you progress through the game. For example, if you start on easy, by the end of the game you would have beaten it on normal (or whatever the next difficulty setting its). How difficult the game get can even be a setting in the options menu, for example you can set to start the game at so and so difficulty, and have it gradually increase as you progress. So if you truly want to play on easy you can select to start and end on easy. The point is you have the option to have the game increase difficulty as you progress. While writing this, I actually came up with a third idea. Now this one seems a little off the wall, but that is how I think anyways, lol. This one too, follows with my second idea in keeping the difficulty settings, but instead of the difficulty changing how challenging the game gets, the game is completely different depending on which difficulty you choose. I know it sounds a bit confusing. Imagine you play a game on easy, then you play on normal, but nothing is the same. Sure the overall story might be the same, some items might be the same, but most of what was in the previous difficulty has changed. Being I just started thinking about this I don't have much to say about that right now, so for now just imagine playing a game and that one game could be completely different depending on the difficulty you choose. Well, there is my ideas of how game difficulties should evolve from just making the game harder. I know there are some games out that that are similar to some of my ideas, but there are very few. Note that this is only a small piece of what I have though of. I could talk about my first idea for hours. As I continue to refine my ideas and figure out how to word my thoughts, I will update this post.