You're kind of missing the point, I think deliberately so, but maybe that's mean of me.

It's clear, though, that you don't respect the element of skill or overcoming adversity as it relates to the non-textual story being told. That the difficulty is a part of Miyazaki's writing.

If you and I both beat her at the same level of relative difficulty, what's stopping us from having a conversation?

What is stopping two piano players from having the same conversation?

One could play a very technical, complicated song achieved through years of practice; another could play a lullaby they learned after a month of instruction—should we assume that these two understand the piano in the same way? That they would even enjoy talking to each other about the songs they played, especially if the latter is entirely disinterested in, and even seems somehow insulted by, the achievements of the former?

If two people play the same song at differing skill levels, they will have different experiences, but they'll still be able to talk about the song, as it is. Their favorite parts to play, the trickiest bits to master.

The Dark Souls conversation really puts me at an impasse because I actually love accessibility settings, but it really bothers me when I see people, probably through a kind of learned helplessness, refuse to engage artistically with the thing that's been stuck in front of them.

Dark Souls and its ilk are games about "rising to" and by choosing Easy before the game has even begun, you're kind of failing the very first hurdle. You aren't learning the piano.

Philosophically, I think you just don't vibe with what Dark Souls is trying to do. Which is fine. And I would freely admit that an entire industry deciding to follow closely behind Dark Souls' lead would probably be a worse one.

It might be nice to include less spicy options at a dinner party, but if you were at a hot sauce party, it would seem a little odd to complain about it, no?