10 Video Games That Secretly Punish You For Playing Well

Generally speaking, the overwhelming majority of video games are propelled forward by the basic human psychology of rewarding players for performing well, because why would it be any other way?

Demonstrating skill and going above and beyond what's required typically results in players unlocking secret skills, items, Easter eggs, and so on to commend their efforts.

But not all games are quite so eager to fete skilled players with a reward - rather, they'd prefer to do something that basically takes them down a peg.

And that's absolutely true of these 10 video games, each of which sought to instead punish the player for demonstrating their gaming chops.

From throwing up an egregiously difficult challenge to cutting the player's time short, giving them a terrible ending, and making them miss out on precious lore, these games all delivered an objectively lesser experience to capable players.

While some of these instances were admittedly more a result of developer carelessness than an active disdain for players, it's still fascinating that such punishing outcomes made it into the final game.

Evidently, if you assumed that games would only cheer you on for demonstrating some mastery, think again...

The entire point of the career modes in wrestling games is for players to live out their squared circle fantasies in perpetuity, fighting to dominate the ring for as long as their interest sustains.

But WWE 2K15's MyCareer mode did things a little differently, and much more strangely.

For players who quickly ascended up the roster's pecking order and won the WWE Title, MyCareer ended up being cut unceremoniously short, as the game skips you forward untold years to your wrestler's retirement match at a future WrestleMania, after which the game effectively ends.

Basically, winning the WWE Title prevents you from sticking around, dominating the scene, winning other belts, and participating in iconic events like the Royal Rumble. 

And so, you're actually better off deliberately throwing WWE Title matches earlier in your career in order to prolong the experience.

It's all the more bizarre given that 2K Games later confirmed it to be an intentional design choice rather than an unfortunate bug. Just... why?