pulse2 said:
Did that spark a little bit of annoyance?
Yes, but not for the reason you were probably hoping. It gets really tiresome to see people constantly bemoaning 'the casuals'. I like how you snuck that phrase in as well. Makes people who enjoy casual games out to be some sort of enemy - some kind of autonomous threat who are out to get you and ruin your hobby.
I can understand passion about the industry, but really, stop being so insecure about it.
I say this in every single topic that runs to this tune: Gaming is growing. It's naturally going to spread its wings. New companies will pop up to deal with different kinds of audiences. Gaming isn't just 'our' thing any more and people will either accept this as another stage in the mediums evolution or continually ***** about it by clinging on to childish labels like 'hardcore' and 'the casuals'.
Conventional AAA titles you can sink dozens of hours into are not going anywhere, no matter how many copies Angry Birds sells.