This is something we have infrequently touched upon in a lot of different subjects and even just in casual conversation, and I think it warrants its own thread so we can address it directly. So, awaaay we go.
In video game culture - especially in the AAA industry - there is a clear line between "us" and "them", or the hardcore and the casual. In most circles, this has gone a little beyond friendly competition or a measure of skill and turned into a full-blown war of a fashion similar to the old console wars, with "hardcore" becoming a derogatory term for someone who plays titles obsessively, and "casual" usually having the word "filthy" preceding it.
Video games are steeped in history and, for a long time, have been geared towards one audience. It has been a long time since that has been the case, however: with the introduction of quick pick-up-and-play smartphone titles, Nintendo's family-friendly policy (when they were previously the market leaders for challenging "Nintendo Hard" titles), and the increased diversity in genres and titles, video games are now a media that anyone and everyone can enjoy. There is clearly a need to define groups of individuals based upon their preferences...or is there? When the definitions themselves are so divisive, vague, often used in offensive context, do they serve any practical purpose?
Based on this changing face in the industry, could it not be argued that these labels have lost all meaning; that there is no longer an "us" and "them" but rather simply a preference in genre and play style? When someone who will pick up a console title will just as happily play a title on their smartphone when they're out and about - even if they won't admit to it - only reinforces this lack of division between the casual and the hardcore, especially when skill is a subjective thing.
Despite this however, the labels persist, and have even diversified - core gamers, gaymers, girl gamers, etc - to include other types of gamers. Like most social phenomenon, whether helpful or not, it has persisted in the wake of all the changes made to the industry as a whole, and whilst there have been additions, there have been no real changes. But is this such a bad thing? Is this a part of the identity of being a gamer that should be readily embraced and accepted? Many hardcore gamers take pride in giving themselves that label; it reflects their level of skill and the length of time they have been playing games, and there is nothing wrong with taking pride in your accomplishments; it's all a part of having fun. Similarly, newer terms and definitions were coined by those who have taken them: they were not forced upon them.
So, where do you stand on this issue - if indeed you perceive there to be an issue at all? What do you think makes someone a "casual" or a "hardcore" gamer? What would you consider yourself? In this day and age, is there a need to define individuals as casual or hardcore, or anything else? Are these labels helpful in categorizing the target audience and helping them enjoy titles relevant to them, or damaging and detrimental as one group looks down upon the other?