Is CoD a casual players game?

[THE_oldy]

I used to think "casual" and "competitive" were the two classes you could place a player's attitude towards a game into, or at least thought that the two were the poles on a scale.

Recently however I've noticed an attitude in others towards particular games i would call "casual competitive." Someone who plays to win and takes enjoyment out of mastering new skills to beat other players, but they only play the game on a casual basis. (ie lack the dedication of time and discipline or true competitive play)

I think the casual competitive player tends to either be someone who has played or still does play other games hyper competitively, but pick up a new game and don't develop the same attitude. Or they are someone who has a competitively minded attitude, but has little to no experience with disciplined true competitive play.

With my limited experience of CoD, it doesn't seem to be well suited to hyper competitive play. Its too simplistic for that. Despite this it is still a reasonably well made game, and therefore it does lend its self to casual play. This goes against the norm of the online FPSs genre, of which games conventionally either have good competitive play, or die pretty quickly.

CoD is strange in this way, and i think it makes uniquely a playground for the casual competitive player.

So in TLR, i think that CoD is a good competitive game in the "jump online and pwn that other random guy over the internet" sense, but not not a competitive game in the "disciplined training to win tournaments and be considered among the best of the best" sense.

 

[Chorionicstu]

COD is not for casual gamers not because of the game itself, but because the online community all seem to be on steroids always yelling and getting angry if they don't get a 20 kill streak.

 

[SammiYin]

Yes it is, it's simple and very easy to master. I believe this is why we see so many 'unethical' variations of play such as quick scoping, because the hardcore leet kiddies want to feel like they have skill at an essentially novice game.

 

[ForensicYOYO]

Now hear me out on this if you will, but is CoD a causal players game?

I don't think it's casual exactly; but I can totally see where you're coming from.

Call of Duty is a very straightforward shooter thus it's very accessible. The gameplay is fun and simple; the controls are easy to grasp and its key selling point is online. The accessibility is there and anyone can pick it up and play.

I see Call of Duty morping into sports games. People play sports games presumably because they like sports right? And on this presumption I'm going to assume that the people who play sports games are competative. Call of Duty offers the same thing. Competiton and fantasy. You might not be able to take on the epic missions seen in Call of Duty just as you might not ever be a professional Basketball or American Football player.

Couple how easy it is to get into with what it offers and you have a very appealing game. Appealing enough for millions of players obviously. Some of these people play for the fantasy, others for the competition and some just to have fun. The game can be played casually or hardcore by any of those players. Just like any other game.

If anything Call of Duty is a very versatile game and a majority of the players are hardcore... but only specific to Call of Duty. I know people that own an XBox solely for playing Call of Duty. They take is very seriously and have dubbed themselves 'Hardcore Gamers' for playing Call of Duty for hours straight, but would never touch any other game for fear of being seen as geeky.

When you look at it, are Call of Duty players any different than World of Warcraft players? Or EVE Online players? They're invested in a game that takes a lot of devotion. Whether they like it or not aiming for the perfect kill/death ratio or the next prestige (this is where my lack of CoD knowledge shows -_-) they're no different than hardcore Guildies with their Raids and hunts for Legendaries?

Its also this fact that turns CoD off to anyone who has played enough games to tell its not perfect. But the CoD crowd like to think off themselves superior to any other game or anyone who is inclined to their opinion. Its almost like pulling the rascal card. I respect the popularity of the game and how much money its made but the people need to grow up a little if video games are to be taken in a more mature matter.

 

[Etherian87]

hmm i agree with the people saying its not casual but you can play it casually... if you dont mind dying a lot the first couple of rounds before getting your rhythm back...

aaannnnyyywaayyy i have a rant for you all care to listen?

the cod games are ok... nothing special, kinda like Halo is ok but nothing special (neither are awful either btw so don't start lynching me) what really bugs me though is the use of "hardcore" to describe a certain type of gamer... i will explain what i mean by this. I consider myself a true Hardcore Gamer i have 20 consoles 2 pc's and just over 500 games (i also have other interests btw ) and im not gonna lie or be modest here but i am really very good at games i started playing when i was 2 and am now 23. But these days the term "hardcore" is used to pretty much describe games like cod, halo, gears or anything gritty, brown and "realistic"... none of these games are hard at all (compared to the likes of the nes' Ninja Gaiden or the arcade hit Mortal Kombat 3 utlimate edition) shit thinking about it even the first crash bandicoot game on the psx was harder then most of the so-called "hardcore" games these days... if thats hardcore then what kinda gamer am i? i like new games as much as old ones and play them equally with the same excitement and skill levels...

oh and dont get me started on casual... im just gonna say one thing about casual games... what would tetris or columns be if they were released now? but back in the day they were two of the most loved and played games by some of the most "hardcore" gamers i have even known

rant over

 

[JourneyThroughHell]

snip

I don't want to sound like a douche, but why in the hell would you mention you were a Christian to random CoD players?

Hell, why would you even put on a headset while not playing in a party? That's not what you do in CoD. You're making yourself an easy target.

Don't speak, mute, block - enjoy the game.

OT: Accessible - yeah. Casual - no, not really.

If you don't put some time into it, you're highly unlikely to enjoy it.

 

[JourneyThroughHell]

..There must be some misunderstanding because I have stated within my first post:

So obviously he was judging me out of the blue (and must of read my profile, weird huh?)

Meaning that he went out of his way to my profile and found out I was Christian in my Bio and then invite me to chat to say that really cruel thing.

No worries though, I am not upset or offended just wanted to clarify. I don't mention I am Christian during Gameplay, I know people feel strongly about their beliefs and I respect that. You also assumed that I was talking to other people, but in truth I was in a party and did not even speak once to that person but I remember him because of the emblem he made.

You're not a douche but please next time ask me or even PM because calling me out seems to be in someway, jumping to the conclusion makes me feel... Mm, like I have no commen sense I guess. But really it's fine and I understand why you would think that. So no worries Friend.

EDIT: Thank you for caring though to give me advise on what to do if it occurs again, I appreciate it and hope I wasn't rude when explaining my side of the story to you.

Oh.

Well, I guess I was too quick to judge. Sorry about that.

I assumed it happened over the course of gameplay.

Well, yeah, in that case, block and be happy about it.

Oh, and write a snappy response or something.