Making games slightly more difficult (on the default setting, mind you) would make the game industry more appealing to it's base. Let's take a prime example of a difficult game briefly. Mega Man 2. This had a great balance of fun and difficulty. It kept you on your toes, it had great gameplay, and improved on a well-made formula. However, the difficulty of the game, is a prime reason why people still play it today. It was difficult, but not unbeatable. Now let's look at a not-so difficult game. Let's take Fable 2. Well made, for the most part, but too easy. The lack of a REAL penalty for death simply allowed you to plow through anything. It was easily beatable, but there wasn't a whole lot to do after the main story. It was GOOD, but it wasn't GREAT. A modern example of one that got it right? I'd say Fallout 3. Granted, if you saved a lot, then you probably didn't have too much trouble, I'll admit. But I'm lazy. I don't always save. When I got killed, I didn't feel like throwing my controller at the TV. But I wasn't thinking "oh, well I'll pick up RIGHT where I left off," either. The restoring of the auto-save seemed to be a decent balance. It was on the right track. If you weren't diligent, it could be very punishing. Single-player difficulty balance needs a little fine-tuning in today's games. Most are a breeze to get through, and sometimes, it works. However, it's become so prominent, that you get less playtime with every game you buy. Just my thoughts.