90% of New Gamers Unable to Finish SMB Level 1-1

I really hate articles like this. Numbers say whatever the organizer wants them to say. If the details on the pool sampled wouldn't discredit the results they would've included them. Instead, they know there are way more people who want to read how doomed the future generation is.

For the record, my five year old does better at World 1-1 than I do. They are conducting a study on how difficult games should be, using a title that they acknowledge is more difficult than today's games. Even though they don't go into what exactly not finishing the first level means, they cite things like dying at the first Goomba as "sad".

I die at the first Goomba just about every time I play. If Super Mario Bros is a more difficult game than today's games, then doesn't it make sense they'd have problems with it? Instead the factor to measure would be if they were having fun, not how many tries it took to complete the level.

Update 7/10: It has been brought to our attention that the source reference site's report for this story was actually based on a satire, not based on facts. Rather than pulling the story down, we're alerting you to the fact that we were mislead (as were others). However, we will pose the question that seems to be driving a lot of debate: are games getting easier just for the sake of quick-fix game play?

Lulz

"How can we legitimize simple mobile games that are more psychological achievement luring and pay-to-avoid-grind instead of actual entertainment?"

"Write a bunch of lies?"

"Hahaha, you're fired. Who reads anything, our market audience is facebook, not news."

Frustration with the trends aside, games are getting more LEGITIMATELY difficult overall. Garbage control schemes and bad responsiveness is disappearing, and games like Dark Souls will kill you but you know what you need to do to improve. More devs are wiping away the interfering elements to get to the juicy core gameplay.