When the gaming phenomenon really got going in the 1980's, it existed virtually exclusively in arcades. Back then, games were built around a couple of key concepts: they were fun, addictive - and nearly impossible to master. Games like Pac-Man have a seemingly infinite number of levels, and even the best of the best can lose while just barely scratching the surface of the game.

But as games have become more complex, game designers have started wanting everyone who plays their games to get to see everything they put into it. This in turn has resulted in a generation of games that are easier to conquer. In spite of the rapid growth in technology and the ability to make games more intricate, game have become fundamentally less challenging than they were 20 years ago.

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I agree. But the 80's arcade games were just loop cycles that increased difficulty with each iteration or level. If I remember correctly, it wasn't until the late 80's/early 90's that the concept of an 'ending' to a game came into popularity for games other than boardgame based videogames. Reviewing Tomb Raider a while back, the hardest part of the game was the controls -- not the puzzles. Whether it's because the focus is on eye candy, or the developers can't make the puzzles/challenges too hard because the end player will just google the answer, or whether the developer just isn't clever enough to come up w/new puzzle concepts -- doesn't matter. What does matter is that games have shifted the concept of challenge from thinking and solving to twitch reflexes and save games. A few notable exceptions exist, but they are few and far between.

Gamers are more sophisticated and look for more challenge now. A lot of games have the same concept in the sp storyline. But like many things they follow trends.