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[Barnimal]

i dunno about you guys but for the last half of this gen i've been reading more about games than buying and playing em. i dont play madden and the last game i bought was...errrr...i dont even remember but i only bought it because it was a game i missed out on and it was $10 down from $50 when it was released :lol I used to consider myself a hardcore gamer but as time goes by i find myself being really selective with the games i purchase and spend time with.

I can remember a time where I was buying atleast 2 games a month and playing on a daily basis. these days i barely wanna touch a game unless its something fresh (been playing wario ware TWEETED :lol this weekend). I'm almost positive that Joe Casual has spent more money than I have in the past year. even if it was on crappy games and sports titles. Wouldnt that make him more of a hardcore gamer than I?

 

[Fifty]

This title should read "Am I a casual gamer?"

 

[aoi tsuki]

As we get older, gain real responsibilities and outside interests, we have less time to game, and sometimes less interest. That's where i am right now. i used to game everyday, especially when i worked at Gamestop. i had a lot of gamer friends from that store, so we were always playing something. Now, i don't have the time, and when i do i feel like i should be doing something else.

Ironically, i just picked up Ridge Racers, my first game in over a month. Sweet monkey Jesus this game is hot. i played it on the trip to see my family, and can't put it down. Playing it at night while riding on the highway, using my Sony SX-70SLs, i wished the ride would never end.

 

[Barnimal]

but what defines hardcore these days? I still love to keep up on whats going on in the industry, reading the argumentative sales threads, making the trip to e3 every year(fuck e3 sucked this year) but i just feel like when i do fall into the hype of a title and rushing out to buy it it ends up being more "oh" than "wow". Dreamcast had me stedily buying games and so did the ps2 and xbox but to a lesser extent because after a few years we just started seeing sequels all the damn time.

 

[SpeedingUptoStop]

I don't consider myself casual, I'm just more of a budget gamer. I'm closer to hardcore because I have a greater knowledge of games than the casual person. A casual person could play a ton of games, but be terrible at all of them, but a hardcore person could play very few, but know everything about them. Knowledge is part of being "hardcore", not just playing the most games.

 

[Lakitu]

I haven't played a game since RE 4 and have no interest in playing games, like it was said, I have other responsibilities now and lack of time, but I'm still interested in games, and I'll try to play whatever I can if I get the time.

 

[SolidSnakex]

but what defines hardcore these days?

Hardcores are generally the gamers that can nitpick away at basically any game. A casual can take the same game and not even notice any of the flaws the hardcore game is seeing. It's why Mortal Kombat is so popular with casuals and hated by so many hardcores. Casuals take it and just see a game that's easy for them to play and has alot of cool moves. Hardcores can name of tons of reasons for not liking it.

 

[Aruarian Reflection]

I certainly write about games more than I play. And even when I do play games, I play the same couple games over and over instead of digging into over a hundred sealed games lying in my room

 

[Slurpy]

I'm hardcore in terms of being knowledgeable about the industry. But as far as playing #of games, and time spent? Hell no. I'll buy anywhere from 2-5 games a yr. This yr, 1 so far. And I have a feeling total will be 2.

 

[ArcadeStickMonk]

Being hardcore is not about money spent, it's about commitment. And that means different things to different people.

To me, commitment means that if I'm going to play a game, I'm going to do all I can to ensure the best possible experience. This is why I upgraded just for Doom 3, waited months for a solid block of days to play MGS3 and RE4, use different arcade sticks per fighter, and why it typically takes me around 2-3 hours to configure my controls for a new PC game.

So I haven't bought a game in over a month, I'd bet, and I haven't even played it yet. But the games that I have played in the meantime... hoo boy.
I do it right.

 

[therock07]

ive slowed down alot but im still playing 4-6 hours a day couple years ago I could play 8-11 hours a day. I've been playing Roller Coaster Tycoon2 a fuckin LOT game rules

 

[Barnimal]

so i'm still hardcore then. *whew* :lol

 

[captainbiotch]

Being hardcore is not about money spent, it's about commitment. And that means different things to different people.

To me, commitment means that if I'm going to play a game, I'm going to do all I can to ensure the best possible experience. This is why I upgraded just for Doom 3, waited months for a solid block of days to play MGS3 and RE4, use different arcade sticks per fighter, and why it typically takes me around 2-3 hours to configure my controls for a new PC game.

So I haven't bought a game in over a month, I'd bet, and I haven't even played it yet. But the games that I have played in the meantime... hoo boy.
I do it right.

Agreed.

 

[miyuru]

Casual gamers are the suckers that are prone to buying games, for example, based on movies and other pre-existing franchises even if the game sucks (well, the casual gamer wouldn't assume so).

 

[Tarazet]

I don't consider myself casual, I'm just more of a budget gamer. I'm closer to hardcore because I have a greater knowledge of games than the casual person. A casual person could play a ton of games, but be terrible at all of them, but a hardcore person could play very few, but know everything about them. Knowledge is part of being "hardcore", not just playing the most games.

Cool, then I'll make Phantom Dust 'my' game...

 

[Wunderchu]

Hardcores are generally the gamers that can nitpick away at basically any game. A casual can take the same game and not even notice any of the flaws the hardcore game is seeing. It's why Mortal Kombat is so popular with casuals and hated by so many hardcores. Casuals take it and just see a game that's easy for them to play and has alot of cool moves. Hardcores can name of tons of reasons for not liking it.

IMO, noticing flaws, and other negative aspects of games is not the only thing that makes a hardcore gamer


IMO, hardcore gamers notice more positive aspects of games than casual gamers do, as well

for example, many hardcore fighting game fans love games in the Virtua Fighter series.. they can appreciate the balance and the subtlety of the Virtua Fighter games, and they are not deterred by it's somewhat steep learning curve.


..... in other words.. IMO, whether it's positive or negative, hardcore gamers notice more of the little things that make up a game. Hardcore gamers notice little nuances that casual gamers would not pick out... IMO, it's a bit like how true hardcore music connoisseurs can pick out subtle aspects of a piece of music (whether those aspects be positive or negative), whereas a casual music lover may just know if they like a song or don't like a song..

Being hardcore is not about money spent, it's about commitment. And that means different things to different people.

To me, commitment means that if I'm going to play a game, I'm going to do all I can to ensure the best possible experience. This is why I upgraded just for Doom 3, waited months for a solid block of days to play MGS3 and RE4, use different arcade sticks per fighter, and why it typically takes me around 2-3 hours to configure my controls for a new PC game.

So I haven't bought a game in over a month, I'd bet, and I haven't even played it yet. But the games that I have played in the meantime... hoo boy.
I do it right.

nice points.. I agree as well...

 

[SonicMegaDrive]

Not I. I spend roughly 4 hours a day playing video games. I usually spend between 20 and 30 minutes a day on this board.

Am I a hardcore gamer? Well, probably not. At least not anymore.

What defines a hardcore gamer anyway? I'd think they would have to meet several qualifications.

1) A hardcore gamer plays(And completes) mostly every 'big' game available on the current market.
2) A hardcore gamer looks at older games and newer games in the same light. To him, a good video game is a good video game, be it a PS3 game or an Atari 2600 game.
3) A hardcore gamer knows the industry well. He's not only familiar with the games he plays, but also the creators and stories behind those games as well.
4) A hardcore gamer imports a majority of his games from Japan. However, this trait is not a prerequisite.
Other symptoms of a potential 'hardcore' gamer:
5) His room/house is covered in video-game related merchandise
6) He owns at least 150 different video games(preferably from different manufactuerers)

But those last two are also symptoms of the video game 'collector', which is much different than the 'hardcore video game player'.

That's just my take on it anyway. I'm not 'hardcore' by that definition, as I don't play the latest and greatest games(mostly due to the fact that many of the 'greats' today I don't find all that great, but that's another story.)

I'd say I'm more of a 'niche' gamer. I'm more likely to pick up a game without much knowledge of the game itself based simply on the fact that it looks different. For instance, I'm more likely to pick up something like Alien Hominid or Mad Maestro than the popular games like Resident Evil or Metroid Prime.

But at the subject at hand, I'm definitely not a 'casual' gamer. I think of casual gamers as those guys who browse the Wal-Mart racks and are more likely to pick up a Racing game, Sports game, or Deer Hunting game. That to me is casual.

 

[Zaptruder]

I'd just call a hardcore gamer anyone with significant knowledge on the subject of videogames.

I've got my softcore friends. They play a good deal of games too, but they don't actively seek out any information... my one friend doesn't even delve too deeply into SC and WC3 that he really likes... mostly just figuring out how to do stuff by himself... as opposed to actively seeking out information of strategy and what not.

Really though, a hardcore gamer's only quality needs to be that he has discernment above that of a casual gamer.

 

[John Harker]

I agree with you.

I read about games/talk about games a lot more than I do play them these days.
I liked being younger better.

 

[sprsk]

we arent casual, we arent hardcore gamers either


well, most of us anyway, id say the majority of the forum is made up of hardcore fans of gaming, but not actual hardcore gamers (IE people who play tournament level stuff, speed runners, faq writers)

 

[Wario64]

i always thought that the difference between hardcore and casuals is that one is passionate about the hobby and is always knowledgable about release dates, new game annoucements, etc. while the casual gamer just buys whatever game ad they see on TV or games based on movie licenses like miyuru said. hardcore gamers dont have to nitpick games or have godlike skill.

 

[sprsk]

i always thought that the difference between hardcore and casuals is that one is passionate about the hobby and is always knowledgable about release dates, new game annoucements, etc. while the casual gamer just buys whatever game ad they see on TV or games based on movie licenses like miyuru said. hardcore gamers dont have to nitpick games or have godlike skill.

theres a difference between a world ranked SF player and a fat guy that makes threads about gamespots anti xbox bias.

 

[Musashi Wins!]

theres a difference between a world ranked SF player and a fat guy that makes threads about gamespots anti xbox bias.

:lol i was inclined to agree with wario until this.

 

[BlueLegs]

we arent casual, we arent hardcore gamers either


well, most of us anyway, id say the majority of the forum is made up of hardcore fans of gaming, but not actual hardcore gamers (IE people who play tournament level stuff, speed runners, faq writers)

I agree with what you say but i'd go one step further and say we are more like critics of the gaming industry as a whole rather than just the games themselves.

I'm not sure if anyone here is all that godlike at games, and if they are they certainly don't talk up about it.

 

[fortified_concept]

Hardcores are generally the gamers that can nitpick away at basically any game. A casual can take the same game and not even notice any of the flaws the hardcore game is seeing. It's why Mortal Kombat is so popular with casuals and hated by so many hardcores. Casuals take it and just see a game that's easy for them to play and has alot of cool moves. Hardcores can name of tons of reasons for not liking it.

According to this I'm definately a hardcore. And btw Barnimal please don't use the lol emoticon so often, it makes your posts look immature.

 

[sprsk]

I agree with what you say but i'd go one step further and say we are more like critics of the gaming industry as a whole rather than just the games themselves.

I'm not sure if anyone here is all that godlike at games, and if they are they certainly don't talk up about it.

well critics are really just educated fans, so yeah same thing

 

[Slo]

I think most of us belong to a third group, the enthusiast. The hardcore are the people that sp0rsk mentioned, the people that put videogames above everything else in their world, usually to their own detriment. Casuals are the dumbfucks that buy whatever game has got the most dismembered breasts on the box cover.

 

[Sinnick]

IMO, a hardcore gamer is someone who:
1) values gameplay over other aspects (sound, visuals, & content matter).
2) can analyze different aspects of a game – gameplay in particular.
3) plays a wider variety of games for longer periods of time than your average gamer.

By my own definition, I used to be a hardcore gamer. However, I'm no longer one due to my free time becoming more scarce and my growing annoyance with the state of the industry. I’m trying to reclaim my “hardcore” status though...

 

[Barnimal]

i kinda agree with the enthusiast statement. that kinda fits well.

 

[opkal]

Play some games, have some fun. Why bother fretting over the amount of time you spend doing this and the lack of time spent doing that. Just have fun dammit.

 

[Pellham]

casual gamers do not read video game message boards.

The fact that we're all here indicates we're hardcore gamers.

Seriously, casual gamers are usually kids, or adults who just buy a video game console out of boredom, maybe play a game or two every now and then. They don't make it a hobby, it's more of an extension of their entertainment center, and they don't buy 5 games a week, more like one game every 3-4 months if that.

I know what it's like to be a hardcore gamer for a while, then after a while, you lose interest in actual gaming and just care about gaming politics/news. I've been that way for several years now, and if anything, i've just turned more into a collector. That's still hardcore though.

 

[Troidal]

Because I work in the industry, I know a lot about games but just because I am doesn't mean I am hardcore. Skill-wise I am pretty average in most genres.

To me, I'd classify hardcores in 2 categories: (1) people who practice or play a lot - more time than they should put - to become more skilled than others (i.e. fighting games, MMORPGs) and (2) people who spend shitloads of money on lots of games especially imports, and I mean like a LOT OF MONEY and a LOT OF GAMES.

 

[Speevy]

I've always been a pretty casual gamer.

Before this generation, I only owned Nintendo systems and had a maximum library of about 16 games without trade-ins. (plus rentals)

Now I'm making it a mission to play everything that I can stand for more than an hour. While this still excludes quite a few games, my total is up to 67 games and counting. I'll get a PS2 this Fall and see what the self-proclaimed "hardcores" have been playing.

Then I'll take a little break from gaming. Amid my rants about the next generation coming a just the right time, I forgot about college graduation. So three systems, access to thousands of games potentially, that'll set me on the road to enlightenment.

However, at this point I will say that people who avoid games like

-Panzer Dragoon Orta
-Psychonauts
-Pikmin 2

and others are pretty dumb. But I'm not hardcore for having played and completed these games, just observant.

Oh, and as I've said before, I absolutely suck at most games.

 

[Starfire]

I havn't been gaming as much lately other than pretty casual 5-minutetype stuff...but I started playing Grandia last Sunday, and then I got my PSP on friday and both Lumines and Ridge Racer have devoured my soul, and now all that's left of my poor free time is reserverd for eating and sleeping. I just cannot seem to balance between the 3 games either, I'm really interested in all 3 right now. Arrrrggh, curse you PSP, and you Lumines and your 2-hour life-eating marathons!!!

I was just starting to get some work done for my demo reel too

 

[Keio]

As a lot of people on these boards work in the industry, I think that "we" fall outside the casual/hardcore categories.

I'd say that no, no one here is "casual" in the sense that their gaming/buying habits don't coincide with the charts and most prediction threads end up horribly wrong (e.g. we can't deduce the tastes of "casuals").

Then again - I don't see myself as a "hardcore" gamer; a lot of times I even hate games, gaming and the culture surrounding it - and then again I love all that at other times.

I probably spend more time reading GAF, magazines and writing about games than playing them. But that has been good - it has turned fandom (where the roots of probably everyone working in the industry are) into a more analytical perspective.

 

[FortNinety]

Casual gamers are the suckers that are prone to buying games, for example, based on movies and other pre-existing franchises even if the game sucks (well, the casual gamer wouldn't assume so).

I dunno... there are plenty of Capcom/Square/Nintendo/SNK fanboys out there that are far from casual.

 

[demi]

I'm casual.

 

[AstroLad]

I play maybe a few hours a week tops, and I go weeks without playing sometimes, but I still hang out here a few hours a week since I used to back when I was last really into gaming (and had the time for it) during the Dreamcast days. That being said once you're "hardcore" (whathever that means exactly) you're always "hardcore" in terms of your knowledge and appreciation for games. Even though I don't get to play them as much I still own all three consoles and plan on buying a 360 and likely a PS3 at launch and there are still games I get really excited about and really get into a few times a year (e.g., Winning Eleven, always one or two role playing games, and a few puzzle games as well), I just can't be all over every halfway-decent FPS/racing game/fighter/platformer but that really doesn't bother me too much.

 

[ViDnEz]

Hardcore gamers = Intelligent people.

Casual gamers = Stupid people.

 

[OpinionatedCyborg]

I could care less if I uncover all 97 hidden magical frying pans in Spanky's Collectathon 2, so no, I'm not hardcore -- my interests are too well rounded to allow for that.

 

[Sea-Dragon]

but what defines hardcore these days?

In gaming, as in most fields, "hardcore" is that element that makes you feel guilty about enjoying something (popular) that the hardcore doesn't enjoy, and will be angered/condescending toward you for having the unmitigated audacity to enjoy something that they don't.

Gaming: Final Fantasy X
Music: Pearljam
Books: Harry Potter

etc., etc.

 

[Chrono]

hmm. I'm in a really weird situation. I remember playing my cousin's NES but never owned one. Later I bought a SNES and played the hell out of super mario world and many other games but I don't even remember most (there's this one that was based on a soccer anime...) and I'm sure they never included Final Fantasy or Zelda. My cousin insists that I played Mario RPG though. -_-

Then I forgot about games until I was too bored and got an N64. I bought it because I remember the first time playing Mario 64 on my cousin's imported one. I also got a PSX but just never got in MGS or GT (played FFIX until the final boss though and loved it, completed the game later on PS2) so I continued playing OOT, Majora's Mask, Mario 64, Perfect Dark, Mario Kart/Tennis, etc..

It's around that time that I started keeping up with the latest news, found out about basic industry stuff (2nd/3rd parties, etc..), and visited half a dozen nintendo fan sites for gamecube (or starcube heh) info.

So the day arrived and I purchased a Gamecube with Luigi's Mansion and Rogue Squadron. I didn't give LM time to familiarize myself with controls and RS sucked. Time passed and I barely played games. I barely kept with the news (though I remember stuff like the Celda unveiling) and games like Wind Waker and Metroid just sat there in their wrap unopened for MONTHS. Why is a longer story...


Anyway it was fall 2003 that I opened Wind Waker and replayed FFIX (then moved to X) to the end this time. I played little games until E32004 which sparked my interest in games again and I played Metroid Prime. I didn't play more games but I bought A LOT. Especially RPGs from the PSX era and half of them are sitting in my backlog while I traded in the rest. Last game I played and enjoyed was RE4 which was the greatest thing after metroid prime and since then I've also played God of War and started (just to get an idea) Maximo/Shinobi/DMC3 and right now I'm playing Tales of Symphonia, just a an hour and a half in.

Oh yeah I forgot to mention Advance Wars. Only game I was constantly playing even when all my consoles were in a closet.

So, am I a hardcore gamer? Definitely not. Am I a casual? Well I try to keep up with the news that interests me and I think I know a bit more. I think 'enthusiast' as someone said describes me perfectly. Though I'm the only one here who can count the retro games he remembers on one hand and probably played the least games of the current-generation. Hell, I'm not sure what I like. I have several SRPGs and I don’t think I like the genre, but I'm not sure. These days I'm tempted to replay the good games I know instead of trying new ones. Tales of Symphonia is shaping up to be a nice one. Btw if anybody actually read this entire post, give yourself a big cookie because you deserve it. :lol

Gaming: Final Fantasy X

Aweome game!

 

[lexy]

Gaming: Final Fantasy X

One day I'm watching X-Play and they're complaining about Final Fantasy games/fans when all the while I'm thinking to myself when did it become "cool" for hardcore gamers to hate Final Fantasy? I thought that maybe it had to do with Final Fantasy VII bringing Final Fantasy to a more mainstream audience but most hardcore gamers seem to like that game and the hatred is directed at the series in general not a specific game in the series. I dunno, RPG's have always been and still are one of the most niche genres so it's a little bit ironic from my perspective. The degree of hatred seems to be disproportionate to the perceived quality of the Final Fantasy series.

The same thing is starting to happen with anime/manga. It seems like it's cool for elite nerds to look down on lesser nerds who like anime/manga. What's up with that?

 

[XeMinus]

This is a question I never know how to answer for myself... I've been into (electronic) games since I have memory: Sinclair Spectrum, PC, NES (clone), Game Boy, SNES, PS1, PS2, GC, GBA, NDS...
However, as it have been said, I found very little time to enjoy gaming nowadays, and what is more important: MOTIVATION. I usually feel kind of 'guilty' because I know the little time I have could be being spent on something more 'intelectually productive' (let's say: reading). I've assumed that electronic games are some kind of drug for me, it's something that I only do for the sake of pure basic enjoyment but that, rationally, I know is a waste of time.

The only solo games I enjoy now are some games on the DS (Yoshi Touch & Go, Polarium, Feel the Magic, a bit of Wario) that really have that pick-up-and-play attitude I need (I couldn't agree more with Miyamoto's recent statements).

Instead of playing a lot of different titles and spending a lot of time on it, I'm lately loving collecting the most unconventional (and usually funnier) gaming experiences: dancing games, Donkey Konga, Jungle Beat, Pac-Man VS (and I'd love to play Four Swords, but I don't have the kind of friends needed for it).

Am I hardcore? I don't know I don't care.
(But I've realized how much I like to talk about me :lol )

Have fun.

 

[Ranger X]

Being an hardcore gamer doesn't really mean you buy alot of games (read "alot of shit").
It means you know your business and your dollars are actually well invested. I think it would also mean that you always perform better than most people in most the games you play. Or maybe there's 3 kind of gamers?

1-Casuals -- buy a game (or shitty game) here and there. Performs bad.

2-Hardcore -- buy truckload of games (many shitty ones i guess) and perform great (and actually doesn't do much else in his life)

3-Real gamers -- buy carefully and with taste, performs great and also have a life of some sort.

 

[djtiesto]

One day I'm watching X-Play and they're complaining about Final Fantasy games/fans when all the while I'm thinking to myself when did it become "cool" for hardcore gamers to hate Final Fantasy? I thought that maybe it had to do with Final Fantasy VII bringing Final Fantasy to a more mainstream audience but most hardcore gamers seem to like that game and the hatred is directed at the series in general not a specific game in the series. I dunno, RPG's have always been and still are one of the most niche genres so it's a little bit ironic from my perspective. The degree of hatred seems to be disproportionate to the perceived quality of the Final Fantasy series.

The same thing is starting to happen with anime/manga. It seems like it's cool for elite nerds to look down on lesser nerds who like anime/manga. What's up with that?

Speaking from experience, the people who hate FF nowadays are the people who played the series pre-FF7 and enjoyed it very much... people who's first FF was 6, 4, or even 1 (such as me). And they don't like the direction the later FFs are heading in - 10 was extremely linear and simplistic (although I liked it more than 8 or 9), and the less said about X2, the better. If FF12 ever comes out (obligitary duckroll reference), and it lives up to the Matsuno (whew, got that right this time) pedigree, I'm sure FF will draw back the crowds.

And yeah, isn't it ironic that the people who got teased and ripped on by the jocks and preps in HS are prone to discriminate against other nerds. The PC gamers looking down on the console gamers, the console gamers making fun of PC gamers. The hardcore anime nerds looking down on DBZ fans. Whether you play D&D or you prefer console RPGs, the point is joe sixpack still thinks you're a nerd!

 

[djtiesto]

I buy a lot of games, but I stick to the usual genres. I know what I like, and buy carefully. RPGs, SRPGs, shooters, adventure titles, the occasional fighter. I won't play and finish any big name game in every genre (like, for instance, I played God of War and couldn't bring myself to play for more than 4 hours, just got too bored with it). I follow the industry a lot, I import, I play lots of older games, enjoy lots of games that have "hardcore cred" (Ico, Gunstar Heroes, Sin and Punishment, games like that).

But at the same token, I don't play games competitively, honestly I'm not really all that great at games (I'll go 1 for 30 on Third Strike on Live, for instance... and I'm horrible at Halo 2). And I try to have a life, too... there's no way I can spend like 10 hours a day just playing games (though I'll play maybe 45 minutes to an hour most days). I have no idea what I am... enthusiast sounds like the best pick.

 

[Dilbert]

My own working definition for "hardcore" is based solely on average time spent per week playing games. It has nothing to do with skill or taste or how many games you buy.

 

[TheDiave]

I've given up on trying to label myself, or anyone else, as hardcore or casual. Every time I present my argument about who's who in terms of labels, the only people I can count on to agree are my friends. The status quo 'round here refuses to put any stock into it.

In my eyes, there's only old school and nuevo gamers. If your first game was on a PSOne, you're nuevo. Period.

 

[sammy]

The pace of my life has changed as well, and the only thing that can keep-up is portable games/consoles ----- they're just so versatile and come with so little anxiety.

I can't remember the last RPG i finished on a console, sitting in front of the television for 80 hours --- but on handhelds I go through rpg's like candy, and it helps to that people are more likely to experement with portable-games.

The size of the PSP and DS hasn't bothered me, I've always had like a man-purse sorta thing that I carry my sketch-book, magazines, and reference --- so portables are no issue... but I can undesrstand how some people have a hard time keeping a portable on them at all times.