Why the hate on casual gamers?

[Mallefunction]

1. Because the media doesn't make movies for casual movie goers. There's no such thing as a casual movie.

Yes there are. Compare Transformers to something like Let the Right One In. Transformers tries to cater to the main stream audience, throwing out story, real conflict, character development, etc in order to give people a popcorn flick where they don't have to think.

 

[Random Encounter]

1. Some people take gaming too seriously.

2. No, They havn't really done anything.

3. Just enjoying the game. It doesn't matter if it's the gameplay, story or even the graphics.

4. I have a wide range of different gaming genres.

 

[Raiha]

"because gaming is MY THING!!! all those assholes who haven't put 130 hours into FFVII and who don't even know who Saurfang is don't deserve to get to enjoy the sublime experience that is 'gaming'".

honestly, i have no idea why people hate casual gamers. casual gaming is just one of the steps towards gaming becoming a respected art form. once the "will someone PLEASE think of the children?" overreaction subsides, casual gaming will be viewed the same as michael bay summer "blockbusters". they do nothing to push the medium forward, but they definately make money. and in the end, isn't that really what it's all about?

 

[Daaaah Whoosh]

We've all had that moment in our gaming where we had to work hard to get good at something. For me, it was Halo 3. Anyway, casual gaming doesn't require any hard work, or long hours, to get the hang of things and finally be able to win. And some people despise that.
In my opinion, Halo is a great game, especially because you can't just play it once and be good at it. You have to work, which makes the victory all the more satisfying.

 

[cgmetallica1981]

Using the word casual offensively began in the Video Games section of 4chan. If you post a single thread about Xbox 360, Call of Duty or any of the like, you will most likely get called casual because they hate popular things. Then it just spread across gaming forums. Just don't think about it too hard, its just a stupid, ignorant remark.

 

[Zhukov]

Because people are afraid that developers will stop making Explosion Fetish 4 once they realize that they could be making twice as much money pumping out clones of Nario Gart 10.

That's my theory anyway.

Alternatively, people are just being stu... well... people.

 

[squid5580]

Simple! Hardcore gamers need casual gamers so they can be hardcore. But to be hardcore they must bash casual gamers. And the best part is most of these hardcore gamers bash on games they have no experience playing. They just think they know what the hell they are talking about because they are hardcore. But until they are able to wrap their minds around why a game like Farmville is so appealling to so many they really can't call themselves hardcore. Afterall only a true hardcore gamer can see it from all sides. Not just from the AAA retail game side.

Now flame away hardcore wannabes flame away.

 

[Raiha]

because i was country before country was cool. (cookie for the reference)

seriously, because when something unique becomes something popular there are always people in the original fanbase who feel slighted. i guess one of the reasons they liked it was because of it's originality. once that become commonplace it becomes a little boring.

that and people need something to be mad at. someone enjoying your particular form of entertainment on a different level than you seems as good a reason as any to get furiously angry about. why would you want to spend all that energy on something as stupid as feeding the hungry or clothing the poor?

 

[Wolfenbarg]

Casual gamers get a bad rap because they represent the largest market. When a company is trying to make as many sales as possible, that is the market they have to try and reach. This typically means making mechanics more accessible for everyone, which can infuriate many people. I think it's fine though. A larger market means more appeal for the genre in general, especially in the public eye. That can only lead to an eventual demand for more and more quality in the future.

 

[GotMalkAvian]

Casual gamers are getting crap from hardcore gamers because they're changing the gaming landscape. Companies see the massive commercial success of casual games like Farmville, and realize that there may be more profit to be made by creating shallow yet addictive titles instead of the deeper experiences that hardcore gamers look for.

Personally, I don't have anything against casual gamers, but I am afraid of what their presence may do to gaming in the long run. I've seen the drastic changes that Nintendo has made since releasing the Wii, and I see companies like Microsoft starting to follow suit, and it kinda worries me.

 

[DivineBeastLink]

Casual gamers are getting crap from hardcore gamers because they're changing the gaming landscape. Companies see the massive commercial success of casual games like Farmville, and realize that there may be more profit to be made by creating shallow yet addictive titles instead of the deeper experiences that hardcore gamers look for.

Personally, I don't have anything against casual gamers, but I am afraid of what their presence may do to gaming in the long run. I've seen the drastic changes that Nintendo has made since releasing the Wii, and I see companies like Microsoft starting to follow suit, and it kinda worries me.

Hopefully it'll end up something like books in this sense: A lot of terrible, terrible, drivel is written in an attempt to appeal to larger audiences (generalization: not all works written to appeal to large audiences are drivel), but there's always the truly great authors who can create those compelling tales that make it worth reading, and oft-times these even become popular with a wide range of people.

I'm not too worried that casual games and gamers will destroy deeper games. I reserve that worry for sequel-whoring.

 

[Random Fella]

1. I feel us casual gamers are hated because the gaming world is the 'geeks' world and they don't like us normals getting into their business, either be one of them or be one of us situation perhaps? Or maybe they just like a challenge.
2. I don't think we do since there's more casual gamers then hard-core gamers (I think) and it's unfair on people who are still learning, we were all 'noobs' once unless you were born with a controller in your hand or something, you know like playing cod in your mums womb with a little projector screen and wireless modem in there all waterproof and yea.
3. Definitely having fun, that's why it is a GAME and not LIFE or WORK.
4. Casual definitely maybe. My parents would argue but I don't care what they say
Also a good idea would be for games to keep casual gamers away from more hardcore gamers by doing things like grouping people with the same k/d ratio.

 

[lacktheknack]

1. Because gaming is a really creepy and bizarre clique at times. This is one of those times.
2. No way. My mother doesn't hate gaming as much now that she's a Bejeweled fan.
3. Fun factor.
4. PC only almost-snob.

 

[Watchmacallit]

1. Those that get bullied in real life or feel like they need to prove something because a condition (small penis?) need to put people down in games that aren't as good. Those people are usually casual gamers.

2. No they don't. No one should be given crap in a game. You play you get better. At least they're playing.

3.The most important is fun and the challenge. Isn't it great playing with friends no matter if you suck at a game or not?

4. I play a lot of games but if you look at my PS3 account I'm only level 6 in trophies because I don't go crazy like some other people do. Nothing wrong with them, i played Fall Out 3 for over 70 hours and have been playing games since a kid. If i see a crap player I give them advice like, "Theres a tutorial for a reason."

No need for the hate, games are for everyone.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

My thoughts are best summed up here. I don't have the same level of anger, but agree with the point being made:

http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=280

 

[Sniper Team 4]

My thoughts are best summed up here. I don't have the same level of anger, but agree with the point being made:

http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=280

What? that gamers are a bunch of self-entitled elitist snobs.

If that's how you want to look at it, then yes.

 

[Anthropics]

The thing is, in the past a casual game was something like "Pokemon Red" or "Super Mario Bros."; they were fairly challenging and fun to play, but also brought some hidden complexity to the formula; that's what made those games so successful.

For some reason, people are remembering to make their games fun to play for the mainstream audience, but have skimped out on depth and challenge in favor of games that offer players instant gratification, and some of us want games to be more than fun; we want something that makes a lasting impression on us, be it by a memorable storyline or a new and interesting game mechanic. These things in recent years are starting to become less successful, and people don't want video games to become brainless gore fests.

It's not about excluding casual players; it's about making sure hardcore players aren't marginalized in the market.