Sorry, I don't play with CASUALS.

[Oryx]

Hardcore vs. Casual

How do you feel about the gap between hardcore video game players and casual players? For example, take your favorite multiplayer game, the one you know the most about and are most likely to play hardcore. Do you think less of people that want to play it with you with more casual rules, that makes it easier or makes it focus more on chance and less on skill? If you consider yourself a casual player of most games, do you play with more competitive, hardcore rules at times?

In the same vein, how do you feel about "casual" games? Do you let the label of the game being for casuals sway your decision one way or the other on whether to play it, or whether to talk about the fact that you play it? Or do you ignore those labels entirely on the games you play?

 

[Cherrim]

._. I consider myself somewhat of a casual gamer. My favourite genre lately is pick-up-and-play puzzles and I can't get immersed in a lot of the ~hardcore gamer~ games nowadays. It makes me a bit ashamed but I accept it.

On the other hand, I am absolutely ridiculous when it comes to some games. I totally complete (and import) every Kingdom Hearts game, I play a handful of rather niche RPGs, and I try to pick things up from every genre as well as the blockbusters so I can stay in the loop when people talk about games. So I can't honestly say I'm casual but looking at my favourites (Kingdom Hearts, Pokémon, various JRPGs, puzzle games), most of the internet concludes that I am a casual. Just not super Wii-Fit-casual. :P

 

[Deenaa]

I think of the gap between Casual and Hardcore like the difference between 'movies' and 'films'. Both can be equally enjoyable, but usually for different reasons. They're reasonably distinct in terms of design, but the fanbase can be incredibly varied. For example, you can like Pan's Labyrinth and still enjoy Night at the Museum.

Personally, I avoid people on either extreme of the spectrum - overly competitive or casual gamers quite annoy me. They're the ones that come across as close minded ('Casual gamers are ruining the industry!' 'Violent video games are bad for the children!') and always seem to be trying to ruin the fun for everyone else.

As for myself, I think I tend to sit close to the middle of casual/hardcore spectrum. I like all kinds of games, and my time goes less into what I think is 'hardcore' enough and more into what I really have fun playing.

 

[Lady Gaga]

As for myself, I think I tend to sit close to the middle of casual/hardcore spectrum. I like all kinds of games, and my time goes less into what I think is 'hardcore' enough and more into what I really have fun playing.

What she said.

I play Pokemon.
I play Dead Space.
I play Zelda.
I play Borderlands.
I play Mario.
I play Uncharted.
I play Wii.
I play PS3.

I game. Really, does there have to be any justification or arguments about "what kind of gamer I am"? Let me just play and have fun, isnt that what its all about?

 

[TRIFORCE89]

I don't mind casual games. I have hope that new gamers will eventually graduate onto to bigger and better things. A gateway drug of sorts, but in a more positive light.

Games are about having fun, and if you have more fun playing Cooking Mama than you do Uncharted, then all power to you.

 

[Kylie-chan]

I view the advent of casual gaming as a mostly positive thing, as it introduces society in general to video games and makes it more socially acceptable as well. During E3, my local news station even had news about the Wii U, lol. As long as more people are enjoying this fun activity, I'm down. Judging other people for not playing video games as often / intensely as I do is silly and close-minded. I wish my irl friends were casual gamers instead of not gamers at all!

As for myself... I'm not the most hardcore of gamers, nor do I care for that classification, but video games are a major part of my leisure time and I do enjoy competitive gaming. Even games I don't play myself, I watch streams of the competitive players, haha. :x I just want to have fun, but I find competing fun, so I don't think the two ideologies are mutually exclusive.

 

[Nerdy Mojo]

i consider myself a hardcore gamer because
.harvest moon and pokemon are the closet ive gotten to casual gameplay and even those have potential draw for a hardcore gamer
.i play video games about 43-50 hours a week
.if im not playing games im posting on forums about games,reading FAQs about games,reading magazine about games,watching youtube to watch games,on and on
.i pwn noobs

 

[Captain Fabio]

Casual gamers don't bother me really, but it ha been a long time since I have really took an interest in any casual game.
I am into my big AAA titles only because they seem to be the only games that interest me. Now, that does sound 'shallow' in a way, because I could be foreseen as only wanting to play big games that will attempt to throw money at my face, but they are the ones that I play.

Now, I question where indie games fall when you consider them. It is tough since they are not AAA titles due to only a few people working on them with a tight budget and they are creating the game for fun. But is it a casual game or hardcore game? Depends on the game I guess, you could say, but even then, it is tough to really pin down its place.

I feel weird and somewhat like I am bosting that I am mainly on the hardcore gaming side, but that is the section of games that I most enjoy, so meh! XD​

​

 

[Legobricks]

Back in the 90s a 'casual gamer' was someone who just didn't play games especially often.
I'm casual in this sense, and in that I only play games for fun. I don't volunteer myself for the complex controls or the harder difficulties; but that said, surmounting the cliff-faced learning curves of some games puts one in a position to fully enjoy some masterpieces.

I don't really think anything of other gaming folk — what they do and the games they play as their business. People don't really come into my gaming, since FPSs aside I'm mostly a single-player. The way companies (and consequently we) use the terms 'casual' and 'hardcore' is quite bothersome, though. I don't really place a distinction between the two demographics; you're a gamer if you regularly play games, whatever they may be, and you're not if you don't — that's all there is to it.

 

[MikeyOak]

I just play games, online and offline and a total variety of games.. I don't like the divide made by gamers and comapnies of "hardcore" and "casual" and especially the term n00b. Its just snobbery where its not needed games are to be enjoyed by all not away of asserting some form of superiority >.<

 

[Oryx]

Edit: Removed this part because no longer relevant. :3

Also, just for some context on what's making me think about this - for example, Super Smash Bros. There are two ways people generally play: they either play in a random stage with items turned on, adding the element of chance to a casual game, or they play in the stages with little to no variance, and turn all items off to focus entirely on the skill of the player. I've often seen arguments where a "hardcore" player of the game won't play with a "casual" unless the casual agrees to the no items, no complicated stages rule, while the casual doesn't want to play unless they can add the element of chance in because they don't feel like they can measure up to the other player by skill alone - or maybe they simply don't find it as fun. Anyway, that's what I think of when I read the posts on this thread, lol.

 

[Shining Raichu]

I'm a casual gamer, and nothing bugs me about it more than dealing with the hardcore gamers that look down on you. My best friend Lauren is one of these. She plays Silent Hill, COD, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Killzone etc and she scoffs at the fact that I play Pokemon, Tekken, Mario and Super Smash Bros. It's really annoying.

Also, the fact that I can't stand online gaming makes her scoff at me more. But I get really invested in the games I play, and since they generally don't have intense linear storylines I invent my own and play as though I'm fulfilling the story. So for me it's an exercise in creativity just as much as it is skill.

 

[Sydian]

I'm a casual gamer I reckon. Even though I don't really see why literally everything this day has a label, including gaming. Gaming is gaming, really. It's meant for fun. /pointless post that makes no sense

 

[Lady Gaga]

Lmfao and even though I play about 2-3 hours of PS3 a day (although the past few days I have literally spent hours and hours and hours on end on Minecraft :$), and every waking moment im not gaming im on video game forums/websites (IGN and Pokecommunity, notably), or watching other players game on Youtube (machinimarespawn, RoosterTeeth, etc), ya, im not a hardcore gamer. I mean, sure, thats a lot, but what I see as hardcore is really learning a game to go to competitions and yaknow trying to beat high scores and stuff. For me, I just game to have fun. PROBLEM?

 

[Chikara]

I'm a casual gamer who plays kind of hardcore games? I don't get worked up about anything really. I just chill and play a little Assassin's Creed. What? I got caught? Oh well better find some hay to crouch in.

 

[countryemo]

I'm a casual gamer I reckon. Even though I don't really see why literally everything this day has a label, including gaming. Gaming is gaming, really. It's meant for fun. /pointless post that makes no sense

Im going with Sydian and some similar posters. Even though I do see this "Casual vs "Hardcore Gamer" Allot in today. But it all comes down to a Gamer being a Gamer.

I probably more casual. Not like Brain age, cooking mama, and wii-fit. But just like Pokemon, Mario, Minecraft(peaceful/easy), Zelda, and SSB (I an swing either way :P). And I judt dont like to play the COD, Halo, Uncharted. Or whats "Popular and Best"
My post is the one that makes no sense

 

[TRIFORCE89]

I'm a casual gamer, and nothing bugs me about it more than dealing with the hardcore gamers that look down on you. My best friend Lauren is one of these. She plays Silent Hill, COD, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Killzone etc and she scoffs at the fact that I play Pokemon, Tekken, Mario and Super Smash Bros. It's really annoying.

Also, the fact that I can't stand online gaming makes her scoff at me more. But I get really invested in the games I play, and since they generally don't have intense linear storylines I invent my own and play as though I'm fulfilling the story. So for me it's an exercise in creativity just as much as it is skill.

I don't think Pokemon and Mario are casual. They might not be "hardcore" in the way it's understood today, but they're not casual.

I look at it as if there are three camps:

- Hardcore games (Let's say... Starcraft)
- Games for everyone (Let's say... Mario)
- Casual games (Let's say... Brain Age)

And then there's degrees inbetween them.

Mario and Pokemon were "kiddie" a generation or two ago and the rest was "mature". Now it's hardcore and casual, but Mario isn't kiddie or casual. They're designed for everyone and everyone plays them.

 

[Kylie-chan]

Additionally, games like those, you can play in a 'hardcore' manner: speedruns, competitive Pokémon, etc.

I defy anyone to tell me that the people at Speed Demos Archive or TASVideos are not hardcore gamers.

 

[Åzurε]

The short answer: Meh. In the end it's about having fun, so I don't care too much. I still cry inside when I see my family playing Zynga games.

So here's some of what I like:
Nintendo (Mario/Zelda/Pokemon and it's spinoffs/most others but not really Metroid)
Square-Enix (KH, Final Fantasy- Haven't played many of these, but I follow the universe and the lore)
5th Cell (Drawn to Life, Lock's Quest, Scribblenauts)
Indie Developers (Minecraft, BIT.TRIP, Cave Story, etc.)
PopCap (Bookworm, Peggle, Zuma, Plants vs. Zombies)
Nippon Ichi (Disgaea-continuity games)
Atlus (A few SMT games, Etrian Odyssey, Dept. Heaven universe/Knights in the Nightmare)

So lots of RPGs, platformers and strategy games with some variety. Maybe hardcore? More likely just outright nerdy. A big part of what I like is the universe they paint, and the stories they tell. I also like games that can be hardcore and Dwarf Fortress style Fun, but don't have to be if you don't want them to.

 

[Captain Fabio]

I don't think Pokemon and Mario are casual. They might not be "hardcore" in the way it's understood today, but they're not casual.

I agree that Pokemon isn't really a casual game. The idea of it on the surface, I am sure is casual. But once a player starts going deep into the gaming mechanics, such as IV's, EV's and so on, I believe it becomes something more.

It is a tough thing to label yourself as really, because it isn't as clear as it was a decade ago...​

​