Casual Gaming - What do you think?

[Fairee]

Okay, sorry if this has been done before, but I did search it and didn't find anything.

I'm going to say something that some of you may know and may get me serious ridicule and possibly thrown off the site. I am a casual gamer.

Certain people on the Escapist (*cough*Yahtzee*cough*) have made their opinions on casual gaming fairly obvious, and I have seen other comments o this site which has also written off casual gaming as something girly and not as good as traditional games. So, what are your opinions?

Do you like casual games? Do you play them? Is being a casual gamer a good thing or a bad thing? If casual games are bad, why do you think this?

A little reminder that everyone is entitled to their opinion, so no flaming, and if any flaming starts please can the mods lock the thread?

Edit - just to clarify, by casual gamer I mean I only play casual games.

 

[Aura Guardian]

We were all "casual" once ya know

 

[Radeonx]

I like casual games, but I only play them with friends. Wii sports, Mario Kart, and Rockband are always fun to play with a bunch of people.

 

[IamQ]

You're not hardcore unless you've been casual.

 

[Taerdin]

I don't think casual games are bad per se. Sometimes I just feel like sitting down and enjoying some Plants vs Zombies, its more simple and straightforward.

But I do think they're not as satisfying as other games at times, and at other times even insultingly simple.

There are a lot of awesome games that could be called casual though, and its great fun because I can get my nongamer girlfriend into them and we can actually play games together as a couple!

I can't for the life of me get her to play Left 4 Dead, but if I bust out Mario Party we'll be partying all night long... even after the game is turned off if you know what I'm sayin'

 

[AmrasCalmacil]

A game is a game, thus a gamer is a gamer.

 

[Hazy]

The labels are pure marketing hype to make you feel superior/inferior.
It's a corporate game, and all who fall for it are their tools of play.

Lets drop the labels.

 

[Susan Arendt]

I adore casual games. I love gaming, but sometimes I just can't deal with the attention and/or intensity it requires. So that's when I turn to a hidden object game, or a puzzle game, or something designed for the more casual player. It's very relaxing.

 

[About To Crash]

We were all "casual" once ya know

Now see, I don't know about that. My parents bought me a playstation years ago, with a demo disc of games, and a racing/battle game called Destruction Derby. Looking back, I remember playing both as much as I possibly could, I'd play the demos for fighting games, for a wierd platformer/FPS, and others. I played and played and played, and I don't think I'd have considered myself casual. When I got more games, I played them to no end, and I can still remember the majority of these games.

Anyway, casual gaming is just a choice for people. I don't do it, but if you want to, go nuts. At the same time, I don't consider myself a hardcore gamer either, I'm just somewhere in the middle, and have no reason to mock people on either side.

 

[Fairee]

I don't play casual games, but I am a casual gamer.

So I'm not sure what my opinion is supposed to be.

By casual gamer, I meant someone who plays casual games. Sorry if I didn't explain that.

 

[HobbesMkii]

What do we mean by casual? I mean, I play a ton of flash and other browser-based games, but most people seem to discount those, and tend to indicate PopCap games and a lot of the Wii games.

Frankly, so what? It's really not like casual gamers are gonna drive the market, at least not for a long time yet. Unlike the "core" (I like how recently people have dropped "hard" from "hardcore," especially games biz execs) gamers, casual gamers just don't buy in the quantities that core gamers do. Anything to get more people playing videogames, frankly. Then when they try to outlaw the fun ones, we can turn it around and be like "How many times a day do you play Wii Wack-a-Mole? Doesn't that game promote violence against moles?"

 

[annoyinglizardvoice]

Do you like casual games? Do you play them? Is being a casual gamer a good thing or a bad thing? If casual games are bad, why do you think this?

Casual gamers are great. It's nice to see people enjoying the games without becoming the sort of people who utterly devote their life to a game. I think the only problem is that sometimes companies start to make games that are aimed exclusivly at casual gamers, and it leaves their more long-term fans feeling a bit neglected and cheated.
I like to have a casual game for when I really don't have time to get into a game, but want a bit of brain-on-shelf time to get rid of some stress.

 

[Sewblon]

Evan making the distinction between "hardcore" and "casual" is stupid. It basically means that for something to be a fully fledged game it must meet arbitrary criteria that only limit what games can accomplish. It also means that people who only recently got into games don't matter, when if anything they matter the most because they are the ones causing the market to grow and keeping the hobby alive. I play some casual games because like Yahtzee said they usually don't have any bad voice acting or sewer level.

 

[Midniqht]

i have to be drunk for casual games, but that doesnt mean i dislike them.. they're still great fun but most of the time i prefer whats considered by most as "hardcore" even though i disagree with that naming convention

 

[ae86gamer]

I like casual games. Sometimes they are a good escape from the more intense games. Besides, we were all casual gamers at one point. I know I was, but that was before I got my hands on games like Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, and Shenmue.

 

[Cpt_Oblivious]

*gasp* She's one of THEM!!

Seriously though, I like casual games.
You're still a gamer, so why the hatred?

 

[olee12343]

The line (if there is a line) between "casual" and "hardcore" gamers has blurred so much that you really can't tell who's which.

And honestly, who cares? Like any hobby, there are various degrees of input and these labels of "casual" and "hardcore" really doesn't mean much. Or at least they shouldn't mean much...

 

[Fat Hippo]

We were all "casual" once ya know

Speak for yourself, I was playing Command and Conquer at the age of 3! (..even though I must've sucked.)
That being said, I don't get people who attack casual gamers. It's not like they're gonna take their precious "hardcore" games away from them. Games are just games and games are fun. It's not like people call themselves hardcore music listeners or movie watchers. The entire thing is pointless and people should be busier having fun.

 

[The Infamous Scamola]

Casual games are kind of boring to me, only fun if you play them with friends and in short bursts. And I don't give a damn about the whole casual/Hardcore conflict.

Now, the real question is: What are you doing here on a gaming site if you only play casual games? (Or at least, what brought you here?)

 

[FinalHeart95]

I'll play casual games every once in a while. I will never buy a casual game, but I have played them, mainly because my friend is a casual gamer.