Agreed. We're all part of the same community. We're gamers. As proven by the responses, "hardcore" is subjective and can mean whatever you want it to mean based on your experiences.VG_Addict said:
What's the difference between a core gamer and a casual gamer?
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Well first, if your only a PC gamer, your not a hardcore "Gamer" ;p Sorry PC Master race and all but your not hardcore usually without at least a decent pc, 2 currentish gen consoles and a current gen handheld.
Now on to the actual topic in retail terms, Casuals only buy a few select games, and the current versions of those games, While a core gamer buys the games of a causal gamer but generally expands on what they like due to recommendations from friends or "This game is GOTY dog." Core basically just doesn't own more niche or underwhelming like a hardcore gamer would.
Like a casual library would be : Call of Dutys, Maddens, GTAs, Mario, LoL, Last of us
Core library would look more like : Call of Dutys and battlefields, A couple sports titles, GTA and saints row, Mario and Rayman, LoL and Dota2, Last of us and Bioshock, Tomb raider, Farcry.
Now on to the actual topic in retail terms, Casuals only buy a few select games, and the current versions of those games, While a core gamer buys the games of a causal gamer but generally expands on what they like due to recommendations from friends or "This game is GOTY dog." Core basically just doesn't own more niche or underwhelming like a hardcore gamer would.
Like a casual library would be : Call of Dutys, Maddens, GTAs, Mario, LoL, Last of us
Core library would look more like : Call of Dutys and battlefields, A couple sports titles, GTA and saints row, Mario and Rayman, LoL and Dota2, Last of us and Bioshock, Tomb raider, Farcry.
What I can't stand are the yints out there who think being able to play a game well is somehow a career.
Gaming isn't a business; it's supposed to be fun.
Gaming isn't a business; it's supposed to be fun.
The semantics of these distinctions are so dependent on who you are talking to that I don't even care anymore. I used to try and put my own labels on people but I've grown out of that.
Unless you're making them or reviewing them for a paycheck, this this this.Reed Spacer said:
In my world these two don't excist!
I don't care if you play flash games on your tablet/phone, 3 hours a week on your Wii or 30+ hours per week on a PS4/XboxOne/PC, then you play games.
The whole gamer thing is outdated.
If you have to categorise it in some way, make it like this
People who play games
and
People who are professional gamers = make money out of playing games
I hate the terms casual and hardcore gamer.
I don't care if you play flash games on your tablet/phone, 3 hours a week on your Wii or 30+ hours per week on a PS4/XboxOne/PC, then you play games.
The whole gamer thing is outdated.
If you have to categorise it in some way, make it like this
People who play games
and
People who are professional gamers = make money out of playing games
I hate the terms casual and hardcore gamer.
The 90s? What started it off then? The first I ever heard of it was pretty much when companies wanted to find an excuse for why they weren't making games for the Wii.wombat_of_war said:
OT: if you actively spend your time gaming over other interests, then you're hardcore to me. Any arguments about "these casuals and their Peggle, I'm hardcore with my CoD" are discussing complexity of games rather than interest in gaming.
Lets see...
Casual gamers: they don't finish many games, don't play many games, care more about story and graphics than gameplay, don't care to better themselves while playing a game, won't play a game on anything but normal or easy because they think hard actually means hard...basically they play to kill time.
Gamers: everyone in between, the average people who sometimes shine, sometimes give up, sometimes quit, sometimes care too much, sometimes don't care at all. They cover everything the other categories have in them but don't have any consistency in either.
Hardcore gamers: they play to be the best, they aim for the leaderboards, they know the game mechanics inside out and are happy to practice at games to better themselves, care more about gameplay than story of graphics, they will happily play a game on the hardest setting, they also tend to complain about games being too easy...basically they play to prove something.
The problem is that by defining the terms as such, some people are going to have their ego trampled all over. 'What do you mean i don't try to be better?!?'. 'What do you mean i practice to be this good?!?'. Then we have the group of people who think that being hardcore is spending more on gaming. 'I'm more hardcore than you because my machine cost me 2000 pounds and i buy 20 games a month'. 'I'm more hardcore than you because i buy 5 games a month but actually finish them all on the hardest setting'. We have the console vs pc bunch who think that being hardcore is something to do with the hardware *boggles* and not a question of knowledge and skill. I'm not even going to try and ape that lot...they are obviously children or morons. The list goes on and on...
So looking back over what i've written it's obvious that game skill and intent are the deciding factors in my judgement. You could have every machine ever released with every game to go with them and still not be a hardcore gamer in my eyes...or even a gamer at all. Being a gamer is about playing games not owning them. Being hardcore is about being better than 'just playing' games.
Casual gamers: they don't finish many games, don't play many games, care more about story and graphics than gameplay, don't care to better themselves while playing a game, won't play a game on anything but normal or easy because they think hard actually means hard...basically they play to kill time.
Gamers: everyone in between, the average people who sometimes shine, sometimes give up, sometimes quit, sometimes care too much, sometimes don't care at all. They cover everything the other categories have in them but don't have any consistency in either.
Hardcore gamers: they play to be the best, they aim for the leaderboards, they know the game mechanics inside out and are happy to practice at games to better themselves, care more about gameplay than story of graphics, they will happily play a game on the hardest setting, they also tend to complain about games being too easy...basically they play to prove something.
The problem is that by defining the terms as such, some people are going to have their ego trampled all over. 'What do you mean i don't try to be better?!?'. 'What do you mean i practice to be this good?!?'. Then we have the group of people who think that being hardcore is spending more on gaming. 'I'm more hardcore than you because my machine cost me 2000 pounds and i buy 20 games a month'. 'I'm more hardcore than you because i buy 5 games a month but actually finish them all on the hardest setting'. We have the console vs pc bunch who think that being hardcore is something to do with the hardware *boggles* and not a question of knowledge and skill. I'm not even going to try and ape that lot...they are obviously children or morons. The list goes on and on...
So looking back over what i've written it's obvious that game skill and intent are the deciding factors in my judgement. You could have every machine ever released with every game to go with them and still not be a hardcore gamer in my eyes...or even a gamer at all. Being a gamer is about playing games not owning them. Being hardcore is about being better than 'just playing' games.
Unwarranted Self-Importance.
Games are toys; electronic games are a variation on that toy. I tend to think of a lot of games as computerized versions of board games that I have fond memories of with my family.
I like playing with my toys. I don't need someone insulting me for doing what I like in my spare time; a time meant not to be taken seriously and where I'm no longer restricted by reality. I think that's something that's often forgotten around here with the three most popular voices on this site approaching it from a (semi)serious perspective.
Though I do agree with Yahtzee that games are going to end up superior to film because they're capable of telling the same stories with greater depth due to their length and interactive aspect.
Games are toys; electronic games are a variation on that toy. I tend to think of a lot of games as computerized versions of board games that I have fond memories of with my family.
I like playing with my toys. I don't need someone insulting me for doing what I like in my spare time; a time meant not to be taken seriously and where I'm no longer restricted by reality. I think that's something that's often forgotten around here with the three most popular voices on this site approaching it from a (semi)serious perspective.
Though I do agree with Yahtzee that games are going to end up superior to film because they're capable of telling the same stories with greater depth due to their length and interactive aspect.
Core gamer: Most of their freetime is spent on gaming and gaming media in preference to any other media.
Casual Gamer: Everyone else.
Casual Gamer: Everyone else.
Time. It's time.
Hardcore gamers are those who devote a considerable chunk of their free time on gaming. Gaming to the hardcore player is essentially a hobby whereas to a casual gamer, it's just periodical entertainment.
Some say what separates casual gamers and hardcore gamers are the games themselves - as in, hardcore gamers play games like Dark Souls, Devil May Cry, Tomb Raider and all these others whereas a casual gamer plays GTA, Call of Duty and other more mainstream games. I find this criteria to be false because literally every game can be played casually. I played Demon's Souls casually and ultimately finished it - by casually I mean I played it on the weekends for a total of 4 hours over 3 days. It took me a month to finish it, but ultimately I finished it despite the fact that I didn't devote as much time or dedication in it.
Hardcore gamers are those who devote a considerable chunk of their free time on gaming. Gaming to the hardcore player is essentially a hobby whereas to a casual gamer, it's just periodical entertainment.
Some say what separates casual gamers and hardcore gamers are the games themselves - as in, hardcore gamers play games like Dark Souls, Devil May Cry, Tomb Raider and all these others whereas a casual gamer plays GTA, Call of Duty and other more mainstream games. I find this criteria to be false because literally every game can be played casually. I played Demon's Souls casually and ultimately finished it - by casually I mean I played it on the weekends for a total of 4 hours over 3 days. It took me a month to finish it, but ultimately I finished it despite the fact that I didn't devote as much time or dedication in it.
It's just that PC elitist attitude, are as much a master race as the KKK are. The escapist is brimming with PC gamers, so a post on facebook about consoles will create a forest fire.
There is no singular definition of core or casual, people think all kinds of stuff means you're placed in one box over another. To me a casual gamer is the candy crush, farmville, IOS gamers. Core games are anybody who owns a console or pc built for gaming and serious gamers are people who post on forums and follow gaming culture.
For other people it might just be what you say in the op or it could be based on how much time is spent gaming or what games you play.
The definition will never be nailed down.
There is no singular definition of core or casual, people think all kinds of stuff means you're placed in one box over another. To me a casual gamer is the candy crush, farmville, IOS gamers. Core games are anybody who owns a console or pc built for gaming and serious gamers are people who post on forums and follow gaming culture.
For other people it might just be what you say in the op or it could be based on how much time is spent gaming or what games you play.
The definition will never be nailed down.
I think I've heard this somewhere before, but it's quite simple. One group is "us" the other is "them", and "we" are better than "they" for we have far superior tastes in entertainment.
If you enjoy the hobby/art of games with a passion and like exploring the rich history of games and gaming culture you probably self-identify as a core gamer. And you may look aghast at all the people trying to "take" the gamer label from you and your fellow enthusiasts.
If you just enjoy the occasional game now and then and don't want to be associated with "those people" gamer stereotypes by your non-gamer friends/family you probably self-identify as a casual gamer.
There are some genres that are more likely to appeal to one or the other, time-consuming RPGs or quick and simple phone games for example. But ultimately is the guy/girl who has spent 1000 hours fine tuning his skills in an online FPS any more or less of a gamer than the person who's spent 1000 hours on a phone game, or the Sims, or Final Fantasy? It's just another case of people drawing artificial lines so they can feel superior to someone else. And there are people who self-identify on both sides who are guilty of propagating negative and hurtful stereotypes.
PS- For me personally, I say PC and older consoles are where it's at. And I've gotten a good laugh at the current consoles themselves and this mess of a launch. But putting other people down for how they choose to enjoy games is just lame.
If you enjoy the hobby/art of games with a passion and like exploring the rich history of games and gaming culture you probably self-identify as a core gamer. And you may look aghast at all the people trying to "take" the gamer label from you and your fellow enthusiasts.
If you just enjoy the occasional game now and then and don't want to be associated with "those people" gamer stereotypes by your non-gamer friends/family you probably self-identify as a casual gamer.
There are some genres that are more likely to appeal to one or the other, time-consuming RPGs or quick and simple phone games for example. But ultimately is the guy/girl who has spent 1000 hours fine tuning his skills in an online FPS any more or less of a gamer than the person who's spent 1000 hours on a phone game, or the Sims, or Final Fantasy? It's just another case of people drawing artificial lines so they can feel superior to someone else. And there are people who self-identify on both sides who are guilty of propagating negative and hurtful stereotypes.
PS- For me personally, I say PC and older consoles are where it's at. And I've gotten a good laugh at the current consoles themselves and this mess of a launch. But putting other people down for how they choose to enjoy games is just lame.
They're meaningless terms.
At some level, sure - you could say that a "casual gamer" might be someone who plays a casual game on his phone on the way home from work, while a "core gamer" is someone who considers gaming to be a major hobby. But the reality is people who consider themselves "core gamers" (because they play a certain type of game, or use a specific platform) just brush everyone else off as "casual gamers", which makes it have zero meaning in terms of being a term that can actually have a widely accepted and easily understood meaning.
As it is, I have no idea if a person is called "casual" because they play Angry Birds for 10 minutes every now and then or because they devote 40 hours a week to gaming, but only on a console. Or only play adventure games. Or rarely play their games to completion. Or whatever other random requirement the "core" gamer is making of other people who enjoy games.
At some level, sure - you could say that a "casual gamer" might be someone who plays a casual game on his phone on the way home from work, while a "core gamer" is someone who considers gaming to be a major hobby. But the reality is people who consider themselves "core gamers" (because they play a certain type of game, or use a specific platform) just brush everyone else off as "casual gamers", which makes it have zero meaning in terms of being a term that can actually have a widely accepted and easily understood meaning.
As it is, I have no idea if a person is called "casual" because they play Angry Birds for 10 minutes every now and then or because they devote 40 hours a week to gaming, but only on a console. Or only play adventure games. Or rarely play their games to completion. Or whatever other random requirement the "core" gamer is making of other people who enjoy games.
Core gamers will have a non-smart-ass answer to that question.
Casual gamers won't know how to define core and casual.
Wait, crap. Does that make me a core gamer? I unintentionally defined them but the point of what I just said was to admit that I among others don't know how to go about doing it.
I think I confused myself...
captcha: confused cosby. It seems I also confused Bill Cosby. I'm sorry Bill Cosby.
Casual gamers won't know how to define core and casual.
Wait, crap. Does that make me a core gamer? I unintentionally defined them but the point of what I just said was to admit that I among others don't know how to go about doing it.
I think I confused myself...
captcha: confused cosby. It seems I also confused Bill Cosby. I'm sorry Bill Cosby.
You're already a core gamer for caring so much about games that you even bothered to join on the Escapist and make many posts on these game boards.Auron225 said:
A couple of trolls aside, we´re all core gamers here, some with good taste and many with bad taste in games, but core all the same.
Those denying the core/casual distinction may actually be more elitist than the most rabid casual-hater out there. We all have some idea of what is meant when somebody says casual gamers, casual games or casual play and it's a bit late to try and deny really enjoying games when you arrive at this place.
Not too late to hide your hobby from other communities elsewhere, but over here such denial is both pointless and incredible.
Is "casual gamer" now an insult? Why do we need to put everyone in tiny boxes. Female gamer, male gamer, casual, core... I can understand why someone wants to feel united with a specific group, but now you can only be a "core gamer" if you are a pc gamer? Look, consoles are just easier to acces. Plug it in and you're good to go. As a pc gamer you need to buy new parts, etc. It's easier to buy a console for your child, and when you grow up with consoles you tend to keep using them.