exodus and there’s some gumption in assuming your story even IS enjoyable… but yeah, maybe that option is a bit euphemistic. As someone who has totally watched cut-scenes of the ends of games I’ve decided I’m not going to finish, and then has wished he actually had played the game up to those cut-scenes, I do believe that the act of “earning” progress has meaning. I usually look at those difficulty menus and go “yeah, I’ve played some games.”
The another interesting approach is when you die too many times in one place, and then you’re offered a lower difficulty (GTAV even lets you just skip the part you’re stuck on, which betrays how rote those missions can be). I don’t think I’ve even taken the “please lower my bar” option, but I like the oblique feedback of “you’re finding this bit a little harder than we meant you to”. Maybe there’s an answer in there?