Why the hardcore/casual dichotomy?

[Allan53]

I've been wrestling with this for a while, and I can't come up with a satisfying solution. Why the need to classify gamers as "casual" or "hardcore"? I mean, in some cases it's easy: my mother playing Bejeweled would be casual in anyones books. People who subscribe to XBox Live and play MW2 several hours a day are hardcore (some would say obsessive in a few cases, but that's an irrelevant point at this juncture). But what about those in the middle? How do you classify exactly who is hardcore and who is casual?

I, for one, am a good example of someone who doesn't fall easily into either category. I enjoy games such as Borderlands and Bayonnetta (even if it is strange and unnecessarily sexualised). But I would not in a thousand years describe myself as hardcore. I have other things in my life, uni, work, friends etc. And I enjoy browser games.

If I were a small minority, then I could almost see it. But I'm pretty certain I'm not. Most people I talk to view games as I do: a hobby, a pastime, something to play for a couple hours or so at a stretch for relaxation or escapism. So wouldn't that imply the whole hardcore/casual dichotomy is at best incomplete? What do you guys and/or girls think?

 

[Susan Arendt]

It's quite easy, really. A Hardcore gamer (normally just called a gamer) is someone like most of the people here. We talk about games, argue about them, discuss them and play them. A casual gamer is someone who occasionally plays simplistic games and doesn't spend any of their free time talking about them.

If you think people who play Bejeweled and Farmville don't spend their free time talking about them, you are very much mistaken.

 

[AvsJoe]

It's quite easy, really. A Hardcore gamer (normally just called a gamer) is someone like most of the people here. We talk about games, argue about them, discuss them and play them. A casual gamer is someone who occasionally plays simplistic games and doesn't spend any of their free time talking about them.

What about me? I argue, talk, and discuss games in most of my free time but I rarely play anything "hardcore". Hell, if I'm playing a game these days, it's usually Restaurant City or Freecell.

 

[mb16]

pretty much this

It's quite easy, really. A Hardcore gamer (normally just called a gamer) is someone like most of the people here. We talk about games, argue about them, discuss them and play them. A casual gamer is someone who occasionally plays simplistic games and doesn't spend any of their free time talking about them.

im sure there is a max play time per week you probably have to be over. or some % of your life has to be about games, like knowing more back-story than the game tells you.

also the type of game comes into it some what (eg. i would not consider SPORE a hardcore game)

 

[therandombear]

It's quite easy, really. A Hardcore gamer (normally just called a gamer) is someone like most of the people here. We talk about games, argue about them, discuss them and play them. A casual gamer is someone who occasionally plays simplistic games and doesn't spend any of their free time talking about them.

If you think people who play Bejeweled and Farmville don't spend their free time talking about them, you are very much mistaken.

Very mistaken indeed. My mother bought the Bejewled 2 pack from popcap, she, my stepdad and my stepbrother argue sometimes on who gets to have the pc first and they even got the damn Fruit bonus as ringtone on their cellphones.

 

[Baby Tea]

I would say the terms 'hardcore' and 'casual' are just marketing jargon made by publishers to appeal to gamers who play often ('hardcore' makes you sound way more cool), and to those who only play occasionally ('Casual' sounds less geeky).

In the big picture of gaming, the terms are useless.
If you game, you game.

But in terms of marketing, it's essential. If you call a game 'hardcore', you automatically attract the interest, or at least investigation, of a certain crowd. Marketing a game as 'casual' attracts another crowd.

Gamers just got suckered into using these marketing terms in their regular discussions.
It's a shame, really.

 

[Allan53]

These are all the points I was making. There are so many people who fall into the middle of those two categories, so why do they still exist, since they cover such a small proportion of all people who play games?

I personally would classify the people mentioned as casual, but they obviously show the same level of enthusiasm as many "hardcore" gamers, and presumably garner the same pleasure from playing their games. So why the classification?

 

[GameGoddess101]

In the big picture of gaming, the terms are useless.
If you game, you game.

I agree with this, mostly.
However, to contribute to the topic, I believe that there is a middle ground. I don't necessarily believe that all "gamers" are "hardcore gamers". If you devote time to gaming as a pastime, then you are just simply a gamer. If your life is gaming, then you are a hardcore gamer.

For example, I game. I play all different types of genres, but it is only a pastime for me- so I call myself a "gamer". My fiance's brother, however, spends the majority of his time, money, and energy on all things gaming, therefore, I would call him a hardcore gamer.

Also, I think "casual" and "hardcore" refer to your skill level... if that makes sense.

 

[Et3rnalLegend64]

In the big picture of gaming, the terms are useless.
If you game, you game.

Also, I think "casual" and "hardcore" refer to your skill level... if that makes sense.

Yes, that makes sense. I do hope that being hardcore doesn't mean having the mindset of the higher-end competitive gamer crowd (especially the group for 2D fighters). I spend a hell of a lot of time gaming, looking up on games, and talking about them. However, I won't ever develop the cutthroat mindset of those extremely competitive gamers. Honestly, I'm not very good at multiplayer, probably because I'm not one of those people who counted frame advantages. I did take pride in my skill with M. Bison though.

 

[Susan Arendt]

It's quite easy, really. A Hardcore gamer (normally just called a gamer) is someone like most of the people here. We talk about games, argue about them, discuss them and play them. A casual gamer is someone who occasionally plays simplistic games and doesn't spend any of their free time talking about them.

If you think people who play Bejeweled and Farmville don't spend their free time talking about them, you are very much mistaken.

Still, it's not like us. Something tells me they don't argue about whether The original Halo Theme or the MJOLNIR Mix is better or anything like that.

They're actually rather a lot like us. They might not discuss theme music or know what developer makes what game, but they will discuss strategy until the sun comes up.

Pop into Gamezebo's forums sometime if you want to see what casual players are like. It's quite revealing. They definitely do differ from us - they're far more likely to be sensitive to something "occult," for example, and they judge games using different criteria - but they're just as passionate about their casual games as we are about our hardcore ones.

 

[Baby Tea]

The terms are useful, IMO. If someone identifies as a casual gamer, you can tell that discussion about games might not be too good, as they most likely play less games, know less about games (for instance, it's unlikely a casual gamer has read the Halo books) and are less likely to have gaming as their main hobby. When someone identifies as a hardcore gamer, you know that their game knowledge is larger and they are most likely interested in canon, WMG, the music and trivia, allowing one to discuss games with them more. It's also likely that they are more game-centric than a causal gamer.

That's not always true.
I know plenty of 'hardcore' gamers who know jack-shit about games beyond the 4 they play.

Beyond that, to me: A gamer is a gamer.
If you play regularly, even if it's only for 20 minutes or so a day with Farmville or something, then you're a gamer. The terms are there, it seems, to appease the egos of those who are too embarrassed to admit they play a little bit, or those who are too embarrassed to admit they play a lot. 'Casual' seems less 'nerdy', and 'hardcore' sounds cool, not 'nerdy'.

You don't call someone a 'hardcore' music listener if they have a ton of CDs.
Or a 'hardcore' movie watcher if they have a ton of DVDs.

The same for 'casual' and the reverse of those examples.
If you game, you're a gamer.

 

[Mookie_Magnus]

It's all a mind-set, really.

Now, I'm not sure, but I'm pretty sure that most of 'casual' players don't consider themselves Gamers, or part of the Gamer sub-culture.

Most 'hardcore' players do, I would assume... They know that they're part of the still often looked-down-upon more-than-just-a-hobby crowd.

 

[jamesworkshop]

The terms are useful, IMO. If someone identifies as a casual gamer, you can tell that discussion about games might not be too good, as they most likely play less games, know less about games (for instance, it's unlikely a casual gamer has read the Halo books) and are less likely to have gaming as their main hobby. When someone identifies as a hardcore gamer, you know that their game knowledge is larger and they are most likely interested in canon, WMG, the music and trivia, allowing one to discuss games with them more. It's also likely that they are more game-centric than a causal gamer.

That's not always true.
I know plenty of 'hardcore' gamers who know jack-shit about games beyond the 4 they play.

Beyond that, to me: A gamer is a gamer.
If you play regularly, even if it's only for 20 minutes or so a day with Farmville or something, then you're a gamer. The terms are there, it seems, to appease the egos of those who are too embarrassed to admit they play a little bit, or those who are too embarrassed to admit they play a lot. 'Casual' seems less 'nerdy', and 'hardcore' sounds cool, not 'nerdy'.

You don't call someone a 'hardcore' music listener if they have a ton of CDs.
Or a 'hardcore' movie watcher if they have a ton of DVDs.

The same for 'casual' and the reverse of those examples.
If you game, you're a gamer.

no they get called movie buffs or audiophiles instead but its excatly the same thing

 

[Baby Tea]

no they get called movie buffs or audiophiles instead but its excatly the same thing

A person can own a tons of movies without being a movie buff.
And an audiophile has nothing to do with how much music one has.
It doesn't even deal with music specifically, for that matter. It has to do with sound as whole.

 

[Lazarus Long]

You are hardcore. People who play games you don't like are casual, and not "real gamers." Simple as that.

 

[thahat]

hardcore to me, can mean multiple things:
in case of xbox live: plays the game to much, is a whiney *****
in general: plays mainline 'real' games, at least like once a month ( so no bejeweled )
or my personal favorite, to describe avarage game skill level.
if you can pick up a controller without instructions and go kill something proficiently, congratulations, your a hardcore gamer.