Ah ok ok, yes, what you've said is all true as well, removing the sort of comepetive aspect and just focusing on a single person playing a game as an experience.

Absolutely yes, in general, nowadays, most single player games are simpler, easier, power fantasies, as opposed to legitimate challenges.

While I do not miss the bullshit 'difficulty' of grinding, healthbar sponges... I do not like the actual lower amount of tactical/technical complexity and risk/rewark of a lot of modern AAA games.

Its possible for gameplay itself to be actually complex and engaging, instead of having essentially a metagame of stat min maxxing wrapped around it, for that to be the 'more important game'... basically to compensate for the actual shallowness/repetition of the rest of the gameplay.

But, most people seem to prefer a dopamime stream, over a challenge of both intellect and dexterity.

And also yes, even without comparing your skill at or experience in a game to others... yeah, if looking at a game guide is basically the same as having substantial portions of a movie or book spoiled for you... yeah, that's a problem for any kind of game with a narrative structure that weaves into its gameplay as well.

If you can't be surprised in any real, impactful, shattering kind of way, its not a very compelling experience, at least in my opinion.

Its more like a movie you walk through, as opposed to watch.