The Conundrum: Hardcore/Casual

GameCube 1.5                       

GameCube 1.5                       

It's all semantics to be honest.

I'm not one that really subscribes to these notions of hardcore vs casual - but if you're on a gaming website for any reason, then you probably aren't casual anymore.

I'm afraid it's all marketing bullshit at this point. Most games that are not 4X Space Sims or similar ilk appeal to both people who play games a ton and those who only play occasionally. I will use the example of Halo 3, which appeals to both me (a person who would detestably be called "hardcore") and one of my female friends (who kind of sucks, but can still beat other girls and my little brother. Thus, casual?).
These examples show that the majority of games appeal to a wider audience than most of the GameFAQs crazies would like to admit, so the term hardcore can only really be applied to games that are either too hard or too complicated for the average human being to play (Ninja Gaiden, Civilization) which are surprisingly few in number when compared to the games that have the potential to appeal outside the regular contingent of people who play games regularly.

I want to see the terms go away and die a peaceful death.  Like you say, there are definitely such things as "core" gamers, but that's about as much as I believe in.  We all play games.  Our tastes in those games might be completely different, but at the end of the day, we're all just out for a little fun with them.  I can definitely see the development of more concise gamer "groups," such as JRPG gamers, shmuppers, and the like, but the difference between casual and hardcore is so vague and gray that I'd rather the terms just not exist.

This is a weird game of tug-of-war in my opinion. I consider myself hardcore in the fact that I play a lot of games and get really into gaming news and learning about all of it. Other than that, I don't really know what I'd be.

I just discovered recently that I'm more of a casual gamer than a hardcore one, since I've been playing a ton of sports games and almost no other genre of games.  Or maybe I'm a hardcore, since the sports games I played are not all that casual (Virtua Tennis 2009, Tiger Woods 10 & MLB 09)...

Ugh, I don't know anymore.

I like to differentiate the following way:

• A hardcore gamer is one who actively makes time to play and improve at videogames.
• A hardcore game is one with a steep, extensive learning curve that often requires a large time commitment.
  
• A casual gamer is someone who plays in between doing other more important life stuff, gaming as a meaningless form of procrastination.
• A casual game can be picked up and played by almost anyone with minimal practice and effort.
  

I really don't like to think of games as casual or hardcore (most games are as casual or hardcore as YOU make them) with some few and pretty much obvious exceptions (Not many people who religiously play video games are going to play Wii music, and not many people who think Wii music is the shit are going to play Counter-Strike). However I fully believe in the Hardcore, and Casual labels of gamers.

To me a Hardcore Gamer is someone who

• Plays video games as often as he can
• Has a strong knowledge of games and gaming industry
• Plays video games to get better at them
• Gaming is a main hobby or one of their main hobbies

• Occasionally plays video games but doesn't always play them as often as they could or only places rarely

• Has little to no knowledge of games or the gaming industry
• Just plays games every now and then with no care to how good they are
• Gaming isn't really a hobby to them as much as it is just to pass time

I'm ultra-hardcore and proud, heck I'd even state that as a fact in a court of law. Fact.

I think the terminologies are dumb, but I guess the gaming world needs some sort of terms to define demographics. Ultimately you're on a somewhat obscure videogame website blogging and participating in forums (you probably listen to podcasts as well), which are activities that Joe and Soccer Mom shopping at Wal-Mart or Gamestop don't even know exist. We could spend hours defining what exactly defines one or the other, but really, you should be able to tell who belongs to which side based merely on gaming habits.

I personally don't buy into the Hardcore vs Casual debate or method of thinking that so many within the gaming community and industry seem too. We play games we enjoy from genres, developers, publishers and on platforms we enjoy and that fit our preference. Why debate it any further than that?

" I'm not one that really subscribes to these notions of hardcore vs casual - but if you're on a gaming website for any reason, then you probably aren't casual anymore. "

" @Claude said:

" @MB said:

" I'm not one that really subscribes to these notions of hardcore vs casual - but if you're on a gaming website for any reason, then you probably aren't casual anymore. "

I'm hardcore casual... I called it. "

Burn the witch !!!!!!!!! "

" I'm not one that really subscribes to these notions of hardcore vs casual - but if you're on a gaming website for any reason, then you probably aren't casual anymore. "

I grew up with and still play a lot of quote-unquote "Core" games, but then again, put Dr. Mario or Tetris in my hand and I'm just as likely to have fun.  The terms (and necessary) for marketers, but otherwise they're not necessary for people like us.  I think the people that cling to those monikers (especially the "hardcore") need to work on how secure they feel in their tastes.  Otherwise they just sound defensive, as though the casuals could come and destroy their hobby at a moment's notice.

I've never liked that question in those Nintendo Channel surveys.  Hardcore or casual... Tiger Woods 10 looks like it could be both.  Hell, Wii Sports could be a hardcore game.  It's all in how you use the game.

As for Wii Piss, we all know that's totally hardcore.

I say a game that has been watered down, and made fit to work with stupid gimmicks is what is considered casual, and a game that has high production values and does what it strives to do originally is hardcore.

To me, a hardcore game is a game that is very difficult and time consuming but rewarding to the player who dedicates this time.
And a casual game is a game that is fun and engaging for any amount of time.

"I'm afraid it's all marketing bullshit at this point. Most games that are not 4X Space Sims or similar ilk appeal to both people who play games a ton and those who only play occasionally. I will use the example of Halo 3, which appeals to both me (a person who would detestably be called "hardcore") and one of my female friends (who kind of sucks, but can still beat other girls and my little brother. Thus, casual?). These examples show that the majority of games appeal to a wider audience than most of the GameFAQs crazies would like to admit, so the term hardcore can only really be applied to games that are either too hard or too complicated for the average human being to play (Ninja Gaiden, Civilization) which are surprisingly few in number when compared to the games that have the potential to appeal outside the regular contingent of people who play games regularly."

It's all about tribes.  This has been going on ever since there was competition between gaming platforms.  People have come up with terms to help differentiate themselves from fellow enthusiasts to feel better about the time spent on their hobby.

Kids need to feel like they belong to something, so some random, tough sounding word is good enough for them, even though if you actually get into definitions, like with so many other belief systems, it varies from person to person.

" I personally don't buy into the Hardcore vs Casual debate or method of thinking that so many within the gaming community and industry seem too. We play games we enjoy from genres, developers, publishers and on platforms we enjoy and that fit our preference. Why debate it any further than that? "

Is she playing a pissing game? 

Wii pissing contests!

" @Claude: Hardcore and Casual should be used to describle the games, and you as a gamer are one or the other depending on which category most of the games you play fall into.  As for the games themselves, there are some that could float into bother categories, but these tend to be labeled by the masses as casual games anyway since hardcore gamers are never willing to share a game with the casual crowd. "

As I said, hardcore and casual determine the game type, not how into the game the player is.  When describing a gamer, then hardcore or casual refers to which category the majority of the gamer's time is spent in or, if they spend a tonne of time in both, then they can be said to play both casual and hardcore games.  Simple.  And no, they don't NEED to be merged.  Most people are happy with the categorisation apparently, because if they weren't, it wouldn't exist.

What you are arguing for is fruitless, they are all video games, but categorisation still needs to happen because that's how your break up and specify a genre.  You don't go up to Metalheads and tell them that, despite the fact you like R&B and they like Heavy Metal, you all like music so, essentially, you like the same thing, you just tell them you like R&B despite that fact that, overall, it's all just music.  Just because there is crossover between casual and hardcore games every now and then, does no make them the same for most people.

Nice ass.

There is such thing as a hardcore Casual player. People who play Uno Rush and have like 200+wins in one sitting.

" There is such thing as a hardcore Casual player. People who play Uno Rush and have like 200+wins in one sitting. "

Hardcore Casual= someone who plays casual games a lot

Casual Hardcore = someone who plays hardcore games on a casual basis.

" Hardcore Casual= someone who plays casual games a lotCasual Hardcore = someone who plays hardcore games on a casual basis. "

" @TheMustacheHero said:

" Hardcore Casual= someone who plays casual games a lotCasual Hardcore = someone who plays hardcore games on a casual basis. "

Oh shit. Then what's Hardcore Hardcore and Casual Casual. My mind is twisted. "