{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-difficulty-level","type":"mechanic","id":"game-mechanics--gm-difficulty-level","lang":"en","title":"Difficulty level","summary":"The selected mode changes challenge parameters or available assistance. The player chooses a suitable challenge for their experience and goals.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-difficulty-level/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-difficulty-level.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/game-mechanics--gm-difficulty-level.md","aliases":["Difficulty selection"],"tags":["Game design techniques","Difficulty"],"sourceIds":["source-e826383b868eafad","source-565c6579d6ffec91","source-b9312dde1ef153dd","source-f95e4a8e23d566d4"],"sources":[{"id":"source-e826383b868eafad","title":"Game Mechanics: Difficulty level","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/difficulty-level","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-565c6579d6ffec91","title":"Wolfenstein 3D (1992)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/difficulty-level/game/wolfenstein-3d","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-b9312dde1ef153dd","title":"Doom (1993)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/difficulty-level/game/doom","verifiedAt":null},{"id":"source-f95e4a8e23d566d4","title":"Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (2017)","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/difficulty-level/game/wolfenstein-ii-the-new-colossus","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"A mode selection changes challenge parameters or available assistance."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### How the technique works\n\n<a id=\"gm-difficulty-level-rule\"></a>\n\n- A mode selection changes challenge parameters or available assistance. <a id=\"gm-difficulty-level-definition\"></a>"},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"All 199 Game Mechanics entries at the check date: player actions, systems, presentation techniques and contested patterns. Entries are grouped by their first source-card category; all categories appear in their descriptions. Definitions use original wording. References link to game-specific galleries; images and videos remain at the source."}],"relations":[{"type":"explains","direction":"incoming","label":"Understand the principle","key":"lesson/game-accessibility","title":"Basic accessibility across a play session","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/lessons/game-accessibility/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/lesson/game-accessibility.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/lesson/game-accessibility.md"}],"placements":[{"catalogId":"game-mechanics","id":"gm-difficulty-level","title":"Game design techniques","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/game-mechanics/#gm-difficulty-level","categoryIds":["gm-category-difficulty"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Difficulty selection","description":"The selected mode changes challenge parameters or available assistance. The player chooses a suitable challenge for their experience and goals.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/interaction-difficulty-level.webp","width":800,"height":600,"game":"Doom","sourceUrl":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/difficulty-level","originalUrl":"https://cdn.gamemechanics.org/doom_difficulty_levels.jpg","credit":"id Software; image via GameMechanics.org","rights":"Game imagery © its respective rights holders. Source host: GameMechanics.org. Visible source watermarks preserved. All rights reserved; excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.","caption":"Five Doom difficulty levels","alt":"Doom’s Choose Skill Level menu lists five options from I’m Too Young to Die to Nightmare.","markers":[{"x":53,"y":34,"label":"Difficulty list before the game begins"},{"x":59,"y":63,"label":"Nightmare as a distinct extreme option"}]},"tips":["Explain the concrete changes behind each mode’s name.","Allow difficulty changes when they fit the game’s structure."],"examples":[{"title":"Doom","url":"https://gamemechanics.org/patterns/difficulty-level"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Editorial reference index based on the 199 public Game Mechanics pattern pages checked on 2026-10-20. Original concise RU/EN definitions by gamemechanics.pro; pattern names, category associations and game-reference URLs retained from gamemechanics.org. The source gallery includes a film analogy. Linked materials retain their original rights; references are upstream attributions, not independent verification.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/game-mechanics"}}