The Best Games Have the Smartest Learning Curves

It seems like nothing is more controversial in the gaming world than difficulty. Everyone has a strong opinion on the topic, usually falling along one of two lines: One, that games should be playable for people at any skill level, or two, that anyone who wants to call themselves a gamer needs to have the stamina to prevail. There is, however, another way of looking at this debate, one that keeps games accessible to less experienced players but doesn't make them too easy for those looking to be challenged: smart learning curves. All games have some form of learning curve, naturally, but there is a way of building them that doesn't leave quite so many people in the position of dying all the time with no idea why; one that--through smart design--teaches them the game's mechanics and maneuvers even as they screw up. I die, on average, once every 10 minutes or so when I'm playing it, yet after five hours of game time I'm still having too much fun to stop.