Question of the Day, May 30, 2010
- Thread starter The Escapist Staff
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If you spend $70 on a tennis racket, I'd say you were a pretty casual tennis player. If you spent $300 on a racket and $2,000 on private lessons, I'd say you were pretty serious about the sport. Using the same example, it seems obvious the more time you spent on the sport, the more serious you were about it.
Same goes for gaming, I'd think. The more time and money you're willing to invest in the hobby, the more 'hardcore' you are.
Same goes for gaming, I'd think. The more time and money you're willing to invest in the hobby, the more 'hardcore' you are.
None of the above. Skill makes the gamer, not time or games owned or what you play. I have a friend who plays cod to the point where i swear he confuses it with reality but i wouldnt call him a hardcore gamer. I Have another friend who doesnt play so much but is very skillfull. I would call him a hardcore gamer.
Firstly I don't see why so many people have a problem with the term "hardcore gamer", I think there is a definite need to distinguish between different niches and cultures in gaming, and at a high level the simple divide into hardcore and casual is useful.
Having said that, hardcore is an interrelated blend of playtime, taste, and mentality. I say interrelated because the more time you spend playing affects the other two. Though as I have said before you cant be a hardcore gamer and just play one game, no matter how much time you spend playing it. If you play WoW 24/7 then you are not a hardcore gamer your are a hardcore WoW addict, "gamer" is someone who plays games, plural.
Having said that, hardcore is an interrelated blend of playtime, taste, and mentality. I say interrelated because the more time you spend playing affects the other two. Though as I have said before you cant be a hardcore gamer and just play one game, no matter how much time you spend playing it. If you play WoW 24/7 then you are not a hardcore gamer your are a hardcore WoW addict, "gamer" is someone who plays games, plural.
I think it's your attitude to gaming, more than anything. If you play just for fun, you're not "hardcore". If you play to win, play to improve your game, play to be the best (which usually does involve playing a lot, but it's not just that) you venture into the realm of the hardcore. Being hardcore means taking your game seriously on a competitive level, and being willing to spend the time and resources necessary to reach and maintain that level.
90% of the people who call themselves hardcore are just jerks though. Most of these self-styled "hardcore gamers" are arrogant scrubs with no more skill than the average player, and only call themselves hardcore in order to feel superior to others.
90% of the people who call themselves hardcore are just jerks though. Most of these self-styled "hardcore gamers" are arrogant scrubs with no more skill than the average player, and only call themselves hardcore in order to feel superior to others.
"Hardcore" gaming is just a term made up by the elitists who think that since they play game X they are superior to "casual" gamers who play game Y. Neither terms actually mean anything at all. Now if I were to say why I said other, it's how much you care. Do you have to play for hundreds of hours? Does that mean if you aren't learning everything possible you won't be "hardcore"? No, caring just means you enjoy your hobby to whatever extent that you feel you should. Like I said though, the two demographics mean nothing.
Besides everyone knows that masocore is the way to go. I'm just kidding.
Besides everyone knows that masocore is the way to go. I'm just kidding.
The amount of effort you put in. It's all good and well being naturally skilled but if you push yourself to be better, or really try to get that last item, enemy, insert object here.
That makes you hardcore.
That makes you hardcore.
A true gamer is someone that has chosen gaming as a hobby, and wants to see the industry succeed. This means that people that play casual games like Popcap titles up to the most hard core shooter players are mostly gamers. Flash gaming and games of the like I consider to be in the same league as pirated games. Neither help the industry in any way. Don't get me wrong flash games can be fun, but they don't help the industry better itself. Even if you play the same games as the true gamer you aren't one if you are pirating copies. If you don't like the crazy drm then you don't buy or pirate the game.
I would say it's something of a mix of all of the above, plus an actual interest in the industry and the creation of games. It's akin to being a movie buff where it's not just how many movies they watch but how deeply they are invested in not only what they are seeing on screen but also in how it is brought to life, so to speak.