I reckon this feels more like a development tool rather than a power that should be handed to players.
Personally, as this conversation develops, I find myself asking if "interactivity" in gaming isn't overrated in some ways.
I'm not sure that a good game can really be "have it your way" because it leads to a bit of an unfocused and frustrating experience.
For example, Shadow of War.
When offered the difficulty options Normal ought to be "how the developers intend the game to be player".
However, on Shadow of War they have a "Normal" option and a "Nemesis" option that says something along the lines of "experience the full Nemesis system".
Now, what the fuck? WHY would you design this "nemesis system" and make it a central aspect of your game BUT "normal" mode does not give the full experience of that game system. Fucksakes.
Honestly, I so often just find myself thinking that I just want to receive the game exactly as the developer intended.
Same as if I go to an expensive restaurant, I want them to show me what they can do not have me dictate the menu to them.
I don't want to go to a Radiohead concert for them to say "we are just taking requests tonight".
I think I'm really just annoyed that the concept of gaming as "interactive storytelling" seems to be interpreted as the game just being a story that you go through with gameplay being like some obstacle that only exists to separate the game experience from a movie experience.
Would much rather see developers offer their game in a single form. Maybe bring New Game Plus and introduce New Game Minus (for game journos) a while after launch as part of free DLC.
A lot of the difficulty stuff also kind of feels like publisher meddling. Like nobody will buy the game if it's too hard so there has to be all of these options.
Probably it's just me over thinking things but I feel like a lot of times I am wondering "how the hell is the game SUPPOSED to be played".
Developers must have stuff like this in mind, surely?
They don't want players just breezing through the game in a couple of hours.
On the other hand they don't want you trying to beat the same boss 100+ times.
So it seems like you would try to design a game that finds a nice middle ground.
Feels like too many options kind of undermines that and allows it to be lost in the mess.