I was explaining Defense Grid to my friend the other day and I went to say that it got difficult quickly, but I retracted that statement and said that it got challenging quickly. That started me thinking about the difference(s) between the terms "difficult" and "challenging". Are they two words for the same thing? Does one lead to the other? Do they have different connotations?

I haven't quite come to a solid conclusion for myself yet, so I wanna hear what you guys think.

To me they are synonymous.

If I ever find myself having thoughts like these, I quickly dismiss them as semantics.

To me it seems pointless to put so much thought into discerning minor differences between the two.


Although in the time it took me to write the above, I've formulated an opinion. "Challenging" seems to be less intense for lack of a better word, and "Difficult" seems more intimidating. I think that my definition of the word difficult in the description of games would be interchangeable with frustrating.

You could've also said the learning curve was a little steep, I think that would've got the same message across as "The game gets challenging quickly".

Street Fighter is very difficult and very challenging, unless your Daigo

To me they're very close but all relative. Something that is challenging for me is what I know I can do, I just have to work hard and think it through critically, like writing a paper in philosophy or a historical anolysis. Difficult is something that I just have no clue about and struggle without understanding, like past my intelligence level. In one of my writing classes (this is designed for business students) we had to write a critical response on a bio ethics journal. Although, for some others (like my friends in pre-med) writing a critical on a scientific paper may be challenging for them, but writing a philosophy essay extremely difficult.

If that makes any sense at all...

I don't think they're synonyms, just two words with relatively similar meaning. "Challenging" implies "difficult", but it also implies that in/upon doing/accomplishing whatever it is that is challenging there is either a certain amount of enjoyment, or a certain feeling of accomplishment, or some form of a satisfying reward.

For example if, for whatever reason (medical or otherwise), you had to choose between having your leg amputated or having your arm amputated, you would probably say that that choice is difficult, but you wouldn't say that it is challenging.

Fallout 3 on very hard is difficult, not challenging.

"Difficult" implies that considerable skill is necessary to complete a task. In terms of games, that is pretty general. I use the term "challenging" when a game teaches me what I do wrong when I approach this task multiple times, whereas a simple "hard" means that it doesn't really do this, or that the skill necessary can't be acquired through playing this game alone. Say, finishing the new Ninja Gaiden games on highest difficulty levels - that requires a sense of time I just can't get through this game - it's just frustrating and I don't get the feeling that I am challenged (well, in a good way...). Demon's Souls on the other hand is challenging, in that you can always see why you fail and aim to improve yourself on your next try. In that, the game is fair and not too hard on you.

Well said.

Well, they mean the same thing, but when someone says "difficult" I picture it to be just plain hard to do, whereas when someone says "challenging" it sounds like it's tough, but satisfying at the same time.

No substantial reason, just my own personal interpretation of the two words.

It depends on the level of skill necessary:

For exemple if I'm playing Mass Effect 2 and am killed 6 times in a row in a particular corridor with a lot of ennemies with napalm flamethrowers, but am able to beat them in a very satisfying, clever and cool way after using my brain and finding out that they explode if I shoot their fuel tanks: it's challenging.

If I'm playing http://kayin.pyoko.org/iwbtg/ (a game that I highly recommend if you liked Super Meat Boy by the way), that requires me to have perfect timing and coordination to succeed: It's difficult.

Seconded.

Is a difficulty the same thing as a challenge? To me, the nouns have different connotations, challenge being slightly more positive. The adjectives are more slurred together, but I think the same still holds true.

that would be an easy call. clearly you go for both that way you get the peg leg and the hook.

If I'm having difficulty completing a task, then the task is challenging me.

That was the first example I thought of, too.

Legend of Zelda can be challenging because it presents a challenge that is fun, but somewhat hard to overcome.

Contra is difficult, because it just rips your testicles off and rubs salt on the wound.

Difficult is deciding whether to sit next to your funky smelling great aunt who hogs all the gravy and dumplings during Christmas diner, or bail.

Challenging is actually doing it, and scoring a dumpling to boot.

A Portal level is challenging, Gears of War on hard is difficult.

I don't get it. One takes a very small amount of thinking, the other takes :confused:

They're the same thing, but "difficult" has a negative connotation to it whereas "challenging " does not.

When people are enjoying the level of challenge, they tend to say it's challenging. When people find it too hard or too tedious or otherwise enjoyable, they tend to say it's difficult.