Define a hardcore gamer.

[Something Amyss]

I've always considered "hardcore" to be the people who are the most dedicated. In this case, I don't distinguish between hardcore Sims players and hardcore CoD and hardcore League of Legends. If you devote serious time and effort, I consider you to be hardcore.

For example: I remember at one point looking through an FAQ for Geometry Wars (I wanted to clarify some point on the scoring or something) and came across a tip encouraging you to learn to blink one eye at a time. And my response was basically "fuck it, I'll never be that hardcore."

I think this is consistent with most of its uses in terms of someone who is a hardcore fan of something. They are devoted, possibly obsessive. They are the fanatic that is the origin of the word fan.

I'm usually a casual gamer. I like games, I even play games that a lot of people seem to call "hardcore," but I'm not that devoted. While it's weird saying it on a gaming website (I guess it's no longer strictly gaming, but that's a new turn and I've been here for years), I'm not that into games. They're a pastime, something I often do to unwind. I don't like games as homework or games as chores.

 

[Something Amyss]

A hardcore gamer is someone who uses the terms 'hardcore and casual' to further segregate the community for no other reason than to make themselves feel better.

Why not just 'gamer' and ditch the pigeonholing? Are we as a community that insecure we need to further the view that our hobby is for elitists and children?

Just my .02 cents.

What's the point in gaming if I cannot denote myself as a special little snowflake?

 

[Signa]

I define being a (hardcore)gamer by how much you centralize your main hobby on it. The more genres you play, the better too. 5 years ago, I wouldn't have made this stipulation, but we saw something interesting with Call of Duty: hard-core casual games. Suddenly, games that get SUPER hyped are now games that are usually catering to one type of audience, and that's the ones that don't diversify their gaming genres. I see games like GTA and CoD getting tons and tons of people playing and loving them, but the gameplay hardly ever boils down beyond kill, kill, murder, kill, all because killing is fun.

Well, killing in a game is fun, but it gets old quick. If the game doesn't expand on that quickly, my kind of gamer gets bored quickly. Enter actual gamers and hardcore gamers. If it's a video game, it's worth playing just to see how much you enjoy it. If it's got a new mechanic that's never been done before, they get excited to play it. If there's details about the game's design to be analyzed, then they will analyze it and find the best way to exploit it, or just use it as a comparison to other games with similar mechanics.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

Can I discuss the lore of Dark Souls with you?

Honestly that's the one thing on your list i'd have to say "No" to because while i appreciate all the lore in the Souls universe and find it all very intriguing i find Dark Souls lore discussions always drop back to "Vaati said [X]". As a result i've stopped engaging.

Thankfully, that is but one thing to talk about, and since you said it's the only one you could say no to, I'm guessing you have opinions on all the others I listed. But on a side note, who is Vaati? I take it he's some sort of Dark Souls lore person?

 

[Childe]

i'd say a hardcore gamer is anyone for whom gaming is their main form of entertainment/ what they spend the majority of their free time doing. Not to say that they don't have friends, family, job, just that when they have free time to themselves they prefer to spend it playing games

 

[vIRL Nightmare]

If you have an affection for games and have spent many hours playing games, whether it be COD, The Elder Scrolls, or fuckmothering animal crossing, that is hardcore in my book. It really comes down to whether or not you are passionate about the games you play.

Also mandatory dark souls reference: http://t.qkme.me/3u0wr4.jpg

 

[FPLOON]

"Have you ever become moist while watching a video game trailer?"

"Did you ever have an inner monologue in Nolan North's voice?"

"Have you ever leveled a character to max in an MMO?"

"Do you get visibly tense when someone mentions microtransactions?"

"Did you ever seriously consider foregoing food because it would temporarily stop you playing video games?"
"Did you ever then do it?"

"Have you, at any point, watched an e-sport stream and fantasised giving it all up to try and go pro?"

- A lot of things make me moist... I mean yes, multiple times even...
- Norlan North... most VAs that voice both games and shows... It's basically a clusterfuck of many inner monolgues voiced by many different VAs, who have all done video game VO work more than once several times over...
- Close in Maple Story... but, not really...
- *hisses at the word "microtransactions"*
- Forgone both food AND sleep at one point just to level up a set of characters passed Level 100... and succeed! NO regrets!!
- I mainly use those e-sport streams to learn more from the best... I may not be as good as them in the future, but at least I won't be making the same "rookie mistakes" from that point on and beyond...

If you answered three or more of those affirmatively, then print out a sticker or something. You earned it.

*places sticker on one of his gamer shirts* Huh... I thought this would come with some free digital swag I never asked for to begin with... *shrugs* Oh well... Such is the life of a "hardcore gamer"...

 

[XX Y XY]

A hardcore gamer is someone who "gets" the games s/he plays. It's someone who picks up the game's mechanics as s/he plays and learns, first in great leaps, then gradually slower, and if given enough time, masters the game. A hardcore gamer pushes the game's boundaries and innovates.

So yeah, the most hardcore gamers are speed runners, and there are lots of differences between games in term of hardcoreness (yes, I realize what I just typed). I'd say it's mostly a positive thing.

This indeed. It is the difference between someone who "plays games" and who "games." Not every hardcore gamer can excel in every genre but they are at least very good in most if not all and certainly have at least one specialty. The genre that makes the difference clearest to me is fighting games. A casual player knows the objective and may even be able to learn a character's move set and/or a couple combos. A hardcore gamer sees things like invincibility frames, juggle opportunities, combo breaks, cancels, etc... and given time, will put it all together masterfully. Basically someone with an innate understanding of game mechanics and the skill to put it to good use.

 

[CpT_x_Killsteal]

Someone who wants a challenge when they play games. Someone who's sick to death of corridors with giant f**king blips at the end saying "GO HERE".

So yeah, people who like to have a bit of challenge and not be treated as an imbecile by developers.

EDIT: and before someone says it, yes, you have to have fun while doing it.

 

[Ulquiorra4sama]

Can I discuss the lore of Dark Souls with you?

Honestly that's the one thing on your list i'd have to say "No" to because while i appreciate all the lore in the Souls universe and find it all very intriguing i find Dark Souls lore discussions always drop back to "Vaati said [X]". As a result i've stopped engaging.

Thankfully, that is but one thing to talk about, and since you said it's the only one you could say no to, I'm guessing you have opinions on all the others I listed. But on a side note, who is Vaati? I take it he's some sort of Dark Souls lore person?

Well i'd say VaatiVidya is like the big one on youtube when it comes to Dark Souls Lore videos.

Spoiler: 10 Things you missed/didn't know series

Spoiler: Or the Prepare to Cry videos

Honestly i find the videos quite entertaining, and when it's about some mechanics or minute details the "10 things" series can be very interesting. It's just that one of the things i like about Souls lore is that it's open to interpretation so i wouldn't want to accept any one opinion as "right". Which sadly some of his fans do and it just breaks the whole discussion down.

 

[zehydra]

To answer your question,


"No"


Besides, coming up with what I feel is "hardcore" is irrelevant. What is relevant when it comes to discussions about terms like these is what the common usage of the word means. If it means something totally subjective yet constantly contested (like this word), then it's only important that you recognize that the term is bullshit and move on.

 

[cypher-raige]

There are many different audiences for different games.

Console gamers, PC gamers, Smartphone/Tablet gamers, Handheld gamers, Arcade gamers, Online multiplayer gamers, Singleplayer gamers, Couch multiplayer gamers, Competitive gamers (eSports etc), MMO gamers (who only play WoW/Eve etc.), People who only play simulators (Flight, Train, Driving etc.), People who only play shooters, People who only play sports games.

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

Been gaming around 30 years, so thats pretty hardcore......well 90% hard core. I think hardcore is someone where they not only love gaming, but they collect the games and game memorabilia. But i think things are different now, when i was younger gaming was seen as what losers did and treated the same as smart kids were mocked for that. Since around PS1 and more so since PS2, gaming has branched out into the majority entertainment. Also with phones having games also its not so easy to pigeon hole people. I think a lot of people started gaming when it became socially acceptable. So i do think the length of time a person has been gaming and the variety of different platforms count.

 

[Pink Gregory]

Hardcore Gamer - Someone with a need to validate their already valid interest.

I 'unno, 'hardcore' seems like an odd descriptor that seems to only crop up in videogames. Where something like 'enthusiast' or 'competitive gamer' would seem more appropriate.

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

Do you play games quite often in your free time and seek to play them in your free time?
Do you show beyond a passing interest in some games and know more about their lore than average?
Etc.

A gamer is someone who has gaming as their hobby and goes beyond just playing it on the bus to pass the time. So yes even if you play Bejeweled or Angry Birds for 2 hours everyday when you could be watching tv or reading you are a gamer. Although, if you want to define hardcore/casual then a hardcore is someone who takes the aspects of the hobby and goes beyond that. To take MMOs as an example a hardcore player would generally be someone who tries to do all the instances first, reads patch notes, familiar with the build meta, etc. While a casual play would to a larger degree run sub optimal builds and rotation and not give two fucks about balance changes and does as they please.

 

[lordloss217]

A hardcore gamer is someone who uses the terms 'hardcore and casual' to further segregate the community for no other reason than to make themselves feel better.

Why not just 'gamer' and ditch the pigeonholing? Are we as a community that insecure we need to further the view that our hobby is for elitists and children?

Just my .02 cents.

So you would call someone like my dad who is a trucker a gamer just because he plays candy crush when he has nothing to do? No because even he wouldn't call himself a gamer because its just something to do when your doing something else. The thing is we split the gaming community this way because all gamer are NOT the same, if went to one of people I know in school and talked about gaming he would say "STFU you scet" and possibly beat me up even though he plays GTAV and FIFA 14 so all in all the community is split so people who understand can differnciate from one another.

 

[Cruickshank]

snip

i have to ask, do you honestly think that fallout is "a lesser call of duty"?
i know this isnt the thread topic so ill get to that later, but first, how do you compare an action rpg with shooter elements to a pure shooter and think its the same? fallout is hardly anything like call of duty, its closer to borderlands really.
you have played borderlands and liked it apparently so not giving fallout a chance is a crying shame. you can even avoid guns entirely and make a pure melee build which is a lot of fun, especially with the ripper weapons or the chainsaws in new vegas.

as to the topic, id say a hardcore gamer is one that focuses entirely on a game and tries to master it, usually ending with them being elitist and entitled or hopefully a very experienced and helpful player, although the former is more common.

 

[whycantijustdeletemyaccount]

All players with exactly the same level of commitment as myself are hardcore gamers.

Players who put in more effort are tryhards with no life.
Players who put in less are filthy casuals.

This. So much. It's a completely arbitrary title that can't be properly classified. I don't think you can get a checklist and you "yeah, you tick 7 out of ten, you're hardcore". I've got mates who only play CoD who I'd still call hardcore, I also know people who only play acclaimed niche indie games who I'd still call casual.

I think this is something that you'd have to identify as. I identify as a hardcore gamer because it's a significant interest of mine. I may go through times when I'm busy and can't play all week but I would miss it and get on it as soon as I have time. My brother may play 20 hours one week if he's on holiday and has nothing else on, but he call himself casual because it's not really important to him. It's a very hazy definition but I think it's the best you're going to get.

 

[wooty]

A "hardcore" to me would be someone who likes many different types and genres of games and/or owns several different platforms to play them on. I know the old stereotype of a "hardcore gamer" is some overweight guy who racks up 16+ hours a day on Call of Duty or World of Warcraft. But thats not the image to me, thats a one track mind shut in in my opinion.

Same with movies, you can't call yourself a hardcore movie fan if you only watch one genre (ie horror, sci-fi) of film. That, to me, makes you a genre buff. Movies in general spread out over many many many different styles and contexts, much like games.