The Nintendo Wii brought a lot of new people to the videogame scene. Referred to as 'casual gamers', they recieved a lot of hatred from the gamer community. But what do you all think about casual gamers?
Poll: How do you feel about 'casual' gamers?
- Thread starter Matthew Jabour
- Start date
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I'm fine with them having their own games, or even consoles made for them.
What I don't want is old franchises being changed to accommodate them, like Mass Effect or Dead Space. It's the equivalent of sticking a time warped American character into The Lord of the Rings films, so casual viewers who didn't read the books have someone to identify with.
What I don't want is old franchises being changed to accommodate them, like Mass Effect or Dead Space. It's the equivalent of sticking a time warped American character into The Lord of the Rings films, so casual viewers who didn't read the books have someone to identify with.
I'm pretty indifferent to it. If people wish to spend countless hours (like me) playing games, cool. If someone wants to play a game for an hour on a weekend and leave it at that, that's fine too. Only some serious uptight assholes would condemn others for not being super serious or committed to a form/style of entertainment be that music, movies or indeed, games.
Anybody that checked the first option is an annoying gaming elitist who isn't worthy of an opinion- IMO... Why should you care if people are playing shovelware on the Wii? How does it affect you playing AAA titles?
Ok, so its annoying as f**k that people class themselves as "gamers" because they play angry birds on their iPhones or Farmville on Facebook, but look at it this way... Gamers are no longer classed as the geeks/nerds as it's become a lot more socially acceptable.
It doesn't do any damage to the industry, providing that they don't go changing 'hardcore'(I use this term loosely) games to cater for the casual gamers.
Bottom line. Who cares if people enjoy it?
Edit:
What do you even class as a "casual" gamer these days? I mean, I play a lot of major titles on PC and 360, I also play crappy minigames on my phone/tablet. However, due to work commitments I can only really play a couple of days a week these days - A lot more casual than my 7days a week, most hours of the day when at University!
Ok, so its annoying as f**k that people class themselves as "gamers" because they play angry birds on their iPhones or Farmville on Facebook, but look at it this way... Gamers are no longer classed as the geeks/nerds as it's become a lot more socially acceptable.
It doesn't do any damage to the industry, providing that they don't go changing 'hardcore'(I use this term loosely) games to cater for the casual gamers.
Bottom line. Who cares if people enjoy it?
Edit:
What do you even class as a "casual" gamer these days? I mean, I play a lot of major titles on PC and 360, I also play crappy minigames on my phone/tablet. However, due to work commitments I can only really play a couple of days a week these days - A lot more casual than my 7days a week, most hours of the day when at University!
This.Genocidicles said:
I do not care if a person only likes Bejewelled or prefers "hardcore" games, whatever they enjoy is entirely their business.
I am not fond of companies that seem to try simplifying games that aren't even complicated, just to try and impress these kinds of people though. Especially as most of them honestly do not care about it. Although this is in no shape or form the "casual gamers" fault. It's entirely the developers/publishers who care more about grabbing as many sales as possible, even if it means pissing off all of their fans.
Casual gamers are the cause of the decline of the old genres and fewer difficult games, but they are not the reason, as that's publishers seeing the big money and ditching the old fanbase in favor of a bigger audience, so ultimately the blame lies with the industry again.
Then again publishers like all companies exist only to make money, so all we can really do is point and laugh as the next COD clone or WOW contender fails hard again, but that also means laughing with Activision.
Hopefully some kickstaters will live up to their expectations, so we will have something nice to play in the next year while we laugh at the old dinosaurs.
Then again publishers like all companies exist only to make money, so all we can really do is point and laugh as the next COD clone or WOW contender fails hard again, but that also means laughing with Activision.
Hopefully some kickstaters will live up to their expectations, so we will have something nice to play in the next year while we laugh at the old dinosaurs.
People who think they're better than casual gamers are probably the same kind of people who think they're better because they're higher level or have better equipment in an MMO. Find a different way to project your insecurities, man!
When companies change existing franchises to cater to them, then yeah, it sucks, but that's really the company's fault, not the casuals' fault. Also, I'm pretty sure a lot of our beloved franchises have been catered not to win the Angry Birds crowd, but rather the Call of Duty crowd (not that I dislike CoD, but it's a different sphere of gaming and should remain such).
When companies change existing franchises to cater to them, then yeah, it sucks, but that's really the company's fault, not the casuals' fault. Also, I'm pretty sure a lot of our beloved franchises have been catered not to win the Angry Birds crowd, but rather the Call of Duty crowd (not that I dislike CoD, but it's a different sphere of gaming and should remain such).
The industry is big enough to accommodate all kids of gamers, although I don't know what defines casual or hardcore gamers. If I want something quick I have my roguelikes ("Dungeons of Dredmor", "FTL", "Hack, Slash, Loot"), if I want something easy I have "Plants vs Zombies", or "Triple Town". If I want a challenge I have "Dota 2" and "Left 4 Dead 2". I see no reason to hate an specific kind of gamer.
Most people turn 'casual' as thet get older or things in their lives change. I only game 10 or so hours a week, now, which is so much less than I used to. I used to mow through games in days when I was in school or not working. Now? It can take weeks, therefore I get bored before I finish something.
Also doesn't help that half my gaming time is downloading mods for Skyrim.... (I spent hours yersterday trying to fix it... I broke it when I rearranged my load order. Now my favorite follower and Meeko are back at their homes and talk like they're my followers, but don't come, no matter what. That's the only issue left now, though.)
Anyway... what was my point?
Sometimes I want something cute and stupid to play, which can be 'casual', and sometimes I appreciate games making things a bit easier for those who don't play much. I did enjoy some of WoW's shifts because I was working full-time a few years into playing it, so I couldn't raid often.
That said... if the series isn't casual friendly... don't change it. There are enough of us who will still play it without the casual aspect.
Also doesn't help that half my gaming time is downloading mods for Skyrim.... (I spent hours yersterday trying to fix it... I broke it when I rearranged my load order. Now my favorite follower and Meeko are back at their homes and talk like they're my followers, but don't come, no matter what. That's the only issue left now, though.)
Anyway... what was my point?
Sometimes I want something cute and stupid to play, which can be 'casual', and sometimes I appreciate games making things a bit easier for those who don't play much. I did enjoy some of WoW's shifts because I was working full-time a few years into playing it, so I couldn't raid often.
That said... if the series isn't casual friendly... don't change it. There are enough of us who will still play it without the casual aspect.
Their existence fails to perturb me. Even if the so-called "casual" market was less huge, I doubt the developers currently occupying it would be making anything I'd want to play, so I don't think it really negatively affects me in any way. And while I have long since grown weary of receiving Facebook invites to play games I have no interest in, I'm on Facebook so infrequently that they've taken up but a few cumulative seconds of my time.
As an apatheist, even my apathy is apathetic.
OT: I like the gentle acceptance of gaming that came along with it. It's a very new thing that something like a video game could actually be showcased as a fun thing on a TV news channel, rather than being connected to another school shooting. Now, we have some truly moronic news presenters waggling their Wii-motes around, but it's a start.
As for the games, I hate them. They're uninspired Skinner's box jumbles of low res graphics and boring, repetitive gameplay whose makers make millions. Kind of the Apple products of gaming.
OT: I like the gentle acceptance of gaming that came along with it. It's a very new thing that something like a video game could actually be showcased as a fun thing on a TV news channel, rather than being connected to another school shooting. Now, we have some truly moronic news presenters waggling their Wii-motes around, but it's a start.
As for the games, I hate them. They're uninspired Skinner's box jumbles of low res graphics and boring, repetitive gameplay whose makers make millions. Kind of the Apple products of gaming.
I've got nothing at all against casual gamers, and am glad that the videogame industry is at a point where it can appeal to so many people without lacking in quality offerings for those of any interest level.
I do, however, definitely feel that there are markedly different levels of interest in games and the gaming industry therefore while I have no issue at all with casual gamers, I definitely believe that such a differentiation exists.
I do, however, definitely feel that there are markedly different levels of interest in games and the gaming industry therefore while I have no issue at all with casual gamers, I definitely believe that such a differentiation exists.