I'm pretty sure I spelled tl:dl wrong.... Let me just started by saying this.... There is a huge difference!
Let me begin with the casual gamer.... This is section 1 of a long, yet intriguing thread :3
~ The Casual ~
When I think of casual, I pretty much think of somebody that plays games about once a month, or when they are sick and can not go out to play. Some people feel very strongly towards gaming, as shown in a Nintendo Power Magazine article. The article contained an angry letter insulting the hardcore, many people likely ignored it, but it kind of made me think.... What if the casual are more then we thought?
Some casual gamers can play as good as the hardcore on some occasions. I know people who can play the hardest game I've ever played, and he plays video games on occasion. The game being Devil May Cry 3, which is notoriously hard In My Opinion. Being Casual does not by any means that you can not play games, so what does it mean, you ask?
It simply means they are not amazed by games as much as us, or that they tend to play less often than us. The fact that a game is easy does not mean that it is exactly 'casual', there seems to be two definitions for this.
Casual 1: A person who chooses to play games to a lesser extent, or to not obsess over the subject.
Casual 2: A term used for games that appear easy to some people, or to not appear good at video games, which is an over-generalization.
This means that while there may be the people who tend to play games less, and those who are not particularly good at all games. Some people can be Casual-RPG gamers, while they are still a(n) Hardcore-Action-Adventure Gamer. This can definitely change between genre. Now to the hardcore gamers.
****
~ Hardcore Gamers ~
This is what I think about when I think of most of you, or myself. This is someone who often shows a mastery in gaming, but can still be slightly luster in some genres which I explained before. Hardcore gamers play much more than the average gamer. Some hardcore gamers can base their life, and entire future on gaming. This is someone who usually plays games two or more hours a day, and can beat about any video game that they specialize in.
When somebody may think of 'hardcore', they may think of a person who plays mainly First-Person-Shooters, but this is not true in many cases. They can also enjoy casual games as well. They can play Mario, Boom Blox, Kameo, and other such games, as well as enjoying them to a point. This does not mean they only play the hardcore metal chewing, sword squishing games they are often associated with.
Casual gamers and Hardcore gamers can be compatable in many cases, which I will discuss now...
Bridging The Gap
There are games that can be considered Casual and Hardcore. They often differ from difficulty in most cases. One being Super Mario Galaxy, this game has many hard levels, but enough casual levels to beat the game. This does not mean that a casual gamer can not beat it by any means as you read earlier, it is for the most often term for casual people often associate casual with.
There are games that can brake this gap, and there are much more than one simple game. Popular games can also bridge the gap, as some Casual Gamers only play Blockbuster games rather than every small game. In short, there are many differences between the two, but they have ways of braking this invisible wall many people happen to lay up for themselves. This does not just go for Nintendo, it goes for the other companies that produce software. All consoles, as well as handhelds have their share of casual games.
***
I hope you enjoyed that thread :)
super mario galaxy didnt have any legitimately hard levels. otw i agree for the most part.
Quote from: Jono2 on October 27, 2008, 05:15:24 AM
super mario galaxy didnt have any legitimately hard levels. otw i agree for the most part.
Galaxy was easy as all crap X_X;;
It bothers me that people associate casual gamers as the ones Nintendo's been appealing to. That's not the group they've been marketing towards: They market towards non-gamers. Non-gamers are the people who have never played very many video games before, and will dish out the money to play a lot of the poop and shovelware being put out. I see casual gamers as those that plays video games here and there, but at least can appreciate games still. Hardcore gamers to me are the people that play heavily and somewhat obsessively.
well said. Casual gamers can play games they specialize in really well too. There's people like me that will play only a few different games like Brawl, Mario Kart, Madden, or Guitar Hero and are really good at them. I play Brawl around 3 to 5 days a week and I'm pretty good at it. The I'll go through a two week period not playing it at all. And sometimes after that I'll get really into it again. And often I'll only play a particular game or two and nothing else for a while (cause the only games I've played lately are Brawl and Guitar Hero). I think the lesson here is for hardcore gamers not to automatically consider casual gamers pushovers.
Quote from: Nayrman on October 27, 2008, 07:02:30 AM
Quote from: Jono2 on October 27, 2008, 05:15:24 AM
super mario galaxy didnt have any legitimately hard levels. otw i agree for the most part.
Galaxy was easy as all crap X_X;;
It's like Nintendo is saying, "Let's not make out games impossible -- but not too hard."
I pretty much agree with that.
I guess I'm in the middle then. I play games. But not ALL THE TIME. But not just every once in a while, too.
I consider casual gamers to be people who play video games regularly but usually play them just on their downtime or when they feel like it every so often. Hardcore for me is someone who will go out of their way to play video games and give up other fun (or important) things to do so. Casual might even play as much as hardcore...it's just the mindset. Casual gamers think they have better things to do sometimes than play video games. Hardcore gamers live the games.
lol, I don't know what to consider myself any more.
I only play games in my downtime.
I play games quite a bit lol... too much downtime between school and work with nothing to do.
I'm not obsessive over games, I play them to have fun.
I have ridiculous results in most games.
I drive like 12 miles (one way) to go to an arcade, and do so about every other week.
I've never been to a serious gaming tournament (only SSBB Release at Gamestop and one for SSBM for my casual buddies)
Recently, I've been to midnight releases for SSBB and Halo 3 (not even a big Halo fan, I just had nothing better to do and I had downtime that week since I got my wisdom teeth pulled the morning of Halo 3's midnight release... I romp games while I'm on vicodin ;) haha).
Edit: What would you guys consider me? I think I'm the healthy in-between haha
Casual or Hardcore, it makes no difference to me cause I don't care.
As Friendly_Hostile easily seperated the "non gamers" from the Casual ones.
Since Old sider, I was always mad off at Nintendo for making these crappy/idiotic/easy/childish games Directed at those who don't play video games.
I can name a few games that are (IMO) made just for people like my Grandma. :|
or that of my father.
Wii Fit? ........... um, yeah what am I gonna do with that piece of crap?
Balance myself on a board? Are you kidding me??
*sighs*
There are some games Nintendo has made (or is making I Guess) that can satisfy both sides of the gaming spectrum when it comes to people but honestly,
they can do better then this.
*decides not to type anymore*
lol
Hmm...
I've got an interesting question...
Where does DDR fit in the spectrum of casual and hardcore games?
I've seen idiots go up and try DDR all the time... but I suppose everyone starts somewhere.
Like it's a game you can walk up and play
It's also a game you can master beyond belief, and it takes a lot of time and practice for that (I almost beat my first Heavy song Friday)
What kind of game could it be considered?
It's supposed to say "too long; don't read;" I don't know if you can get that out of "tl:dl." Why does it have a semicolon anyways?
Quote from: ninja on October 28, 2008, 02:33:30 PM
Hmm...
I've got an interesting question...
Where does DDR fit in the spectrum of casual and hardcore games?
I've seen idiots go up and try DDR all the time... but I suppose everyone starts somewhere.
Like it's a game you can walk up and play
It's also a game you can master beyond belief, and it takes a lot of time and practice for that (I almost beat my first Heavy song Friday)
What kind of game could it be considered?
DDR and Pump It Up have a lot of mainstream appeal and recognition, but only those who care to learn it really get past Light or Standard. I know DDR was MY first game I excessively practiced and tried at, and it took me like 5 months to get to heavy (I was 11-12).
Personally, I'm probably better than some casual gamers, but only at a few games. On weekends where I have nothing planned, I usually just sit around and play Smash or try beating a game I've put off.
But only owning maybe 20 games (and not caring for first-person shooters past Metroid), I suck at most mainstream games like Halo, but I'm really good at stuff like Smash, DDR, and the 80's arcade classics.
I dunno. I'm well above average amongst the people I know, but if I entered a tourney I'd probably get blown away. I got 2nd in my GameStop Smash tourney though. >.>
I'm kinda in the middle. I play games like once a month or something, not very much anymore. But I can still pretty much beat any game with ease.
Quote from: ninja on October 28, 2008, 02:33:30 PM
Hmm...
I've got an interesting question...
Where does DDR fit in the spectrum of casual and hardcore games?
I've seen idiots go up and try DDR all the time... but I suppose everyone starts somewhere.
Like it's a game you can walk up and play
It's also a game you can master beyond belief, and it takes a lot of time and practice for that (I almost beat my first Heavy song Friday)
What kind of game could it be considered?
I think DDR as it is could be considered casual if you're just playing on Light or Standard, but it has a very large hardcore following which makes it hardcore to that crowd, and to people who have seen a real DDR player perform. Those people that crowd around a person mA-ing Paranoia Survivor MAX on Oni mode know that this person has to be extremely skilled to pull off such a feat (fyi, this is an extremely rare and difficult feat that only the best can pull off). So DDR can be more hardcore than other games, but it has a casual fanbase, too, while regular hardcore games do not.