What Defines A "Casual" Player To You?

[GalacticKegger]

CASUAL [kazh-oo-uhl] adjective: seeming or tending to be indifferent to what is happening. Not serious.

 

Some "casual" players (numbers unknown) are ex-hardcores who burned out on the click-n-go loot piñata race for item level supremacy being a 2nd full-time job. No more grinding 20+ dailies and heroics. No more farming 2 nights a week to support raids. No more 4 hour wipe nights 3 times a week with multiple back-to-back 6 hour boss grinds on the weekends.

 

Casuals. They still have viable skills and can hold their own in a fair fight. They excel in team environments and have zero tolerance for attitudes. Their perfectionist edge is gone because they chose to let it go. They bask in the heat of battle but have no desire to fight an entire war. They play to win - just not at all costs. When they pat you on the back, you can add it to your resumé. And when they drink, they drink Dos Equis. Stay thirsty my friends . . .

 

I can say this because I am one of them. I'm a recovered hardcore. I'm a casual and I'm proud of it:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWH1jEgiO0w

 

How would you define the "casual" player?

Edited February 17, 2012 by GalacticKegger

[iResist]

I would say the casual player is one who plays 20 minutes or less a day.

 

The actual average casual player only plays 20 minutes a WEEK.

 

 

(This is going by another game where the developers specifically said what the average time played was for the playerbase. I know that's from another game, but it gives you an idea of the casual player play time.)

[Kheld]

Casual players play the game because they want to have fun.

 

They dont grind for Gear or Rank as that ISNT fun.

[Bionixx]

Casual players play the game because they want to have fun.

 

They dont grind for Gear or Rank as that ISNT fun.

 

Isn't fun for them. And that's fine. But it is VERY fun for other people, myself included. Those are the hardcore. And there is the subset of the hardcore players, often mistaken for the whole group, who claim that only the hardcore play style is correct. those are the elitists.

[Kaskava]

I define a casual player as someone who plays when they have time, but don't really schedule into their lives, or set aside time especially for the game.

 

I do not define casual or hard core based solely on skill.

[Ebbikenezer]

<snip>

 

They dont grind<and snip>.

 

Fix'd.

 

Hehe, that's how I feel anyways, it's he reason i went "casual". I don't have the time to invest in grinding things out, it doesn't mean I lost the intelligence or skill gained form years of hardcore gaming.

[JeremyDale]

CASUAL [kazh-oo-uhl] adjective: seeming or tending to be indifferent to what is happening. Not serious.

 

Some "casual" players (numbers unknown) are ex-hardcores who burned out on the click-n-go loot piñata race for item level supremacy being a 2nd full-time job. No more grinding 20+ dailies and heroics. No more farming 2 nights a week to support raids. No more 4 hour wipe nights 3 times a week with multiple back-to-back 6 hour boss grinds on the weekends.

 

Casuals. They still have viable skills and can hold their own in a fair fight. They excel in team environments and have zero tolerance for attitudes. Their perfectionist edge is gone because they chose to let it go. They bask in the heat of battle but have no desire to fight an entire war. They play to win - just not at all costs. When they pat you on the back, you can add it to your resumé. And when they drink, they drink Dos Equis. Stay thirsty my friends . . .

 

I can say this because I am one of them. I'm a recovered hardcore. I'm a casual and I'm proud of it:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWH1jEgiO0w

 

How would you define the "casual" player?

 

Well like I said in that other thread everyone has their own ideas about this. But I think Casual Gamers tend to be the players who do not commit themselves to the game, where as Hardcore Gamers do. I think that's the basic rub between them.

 

In other words, if you are the type of gamer who logs in at a specific time every couple of days to do a hardmode flashpoint with your guild then you are what I think the term hardcore is meant to describe.

 

If you are the type of gamer who takes the game in stride and only does things when you feel like it with no real commitments to keep then I think that's what the term casual means.

[Dyvid]

Casual to me is a player who has 1-3 hours a day to play.

[GalacticKegger]

Well like I said in that other thread everyone has their own ideas about this. But I think Casual Gamers tend to be the players who do not commit themselves to the game, where as Hardcore Gamers do. I think that's the basic rub between them.

 

In other words, if you are the type of gamer who logs in at a specific time every couple of days to do a hardmode flashpoint with your guild then you are what I think the term hardcore is meant to describe.

 

If you are the type of gamer who takes the game in stride and only does things when you feel like it with no real commitments to keep then I think that's what the term casual means.

Great to see you again JD. Cheers! Edited February 17, 2012 by GalacticKegger

[Noirmorris]

Casuals aren't gamers..farmville or SWTOR is the same for them.

[Ebbikenezer]

Casuals aren't gamers..farmville or SWTOR is the same for them.

 

Lol. SO what you're also implying is.....

 

Gamers aren't people.

 

 

That would follow your logic then right? They are actually no-lifers living in mom's basement, nerds, no Girlfriends/Boyfriends, no life, no job, no car?

 

Casual or Hardcore, a gamer is a gamer.

 

Farmville is for FB fanatics, web-based mouse clicking isn't really "gaming" insomuch as "wasting time" with browser apps.

 

I've been on both sides of the fence, casual and hardcore, and ultimately the reason I went "casual" with the same exact raiding schedule but different people is because "hardcore gamers" like yourself have exactly that attitude you used in your post.

 

Interestingly enough we have the same progression, more fun and less grinding for min/max nonsense.

[Uilretep]

Like what OP said.

 

I define my self as causal because:

 

1. Only have few hours to play (due to jobs, RL stuff etc...)

2. Can't commit to fix schedule (work, kids, dinner with friends, etc...)

3. Hate drama (flaming, hating is for the younger me, in life you want to be friendly)

4. Realize that we have limited time, and try to prioritize tasks that max what you can do

 

To me that translate to solo-able quests and PVP. Quest is awesome in SWTOR and PVP has potential to be fun if they fixes the faction and population imbalance.

 

There are so many "causal" players out there, as many of us who used to hardcore and now have jobs and family. If Bioware can make a game to suit this group, it's a huge market. Twenty dollars a month is disposable (really, how much you pay for gas....) and this group will gladly pay if they can have fun few hours a night, whenever they want.

[FerrusPA]

"Someone who isn't particularly interested in endgame content and the inner workings of the game" would be my definition. This concerns altaholics, roleplayers and people who are neither avid raiders nor PvPers.

 

The dichotomy Casual/Hardcore is still stupid though. There are a lot more types of players and the above definition only applies to a minority.

Edited February 17, 2012 by FerrusPA

[Noirmorris]

Lol. SO what you're also implying is.....

 

Gamers aren't people.

 

 

That would follow your logic then right? They are actually no-lifers living in mom's basement, nerds, no Girlfriends/Boyfriends, no life, no job, no car?

 

Casual or Hardcore, a gamer is a gamer.

 

Farmville is for FB fanatics, web-based mouse clicking isn't really "gaming" insomuch as "wasting time" with browser apps.

 

I've been on both sides of the fence, casual and hardcore, and ultimately the reason I went "casual" with the same exact raiding schedule but different people is because "hardcore gamers" like yourself have exactly that attitude you used in your post.

 

Interestingly enough we have the same progression, more fun and less grinding for min/max nonsense.

 

A gamer plays following and caring about the "game rules" . Casuals are ppl but not gamers in my opinion. That's all.

[GalacticKegger]

Like what OP said.

 

I define my self as causal because:

 

1. Only have few hours to play (due to jobs, RL stuff etc...)

2. Can't commit to fix schedule (work, kids, dinner with friends, etc...)

3. Hate drama (flaming, hating is for the younger me, in life you want to be friendly)

4. Realize that we have limited time, and try to prioritize tasks that max what you can do

 

To me that translate to solo-able quests and PVP. Quest is awesome in SWTOR and PVP has potential to be fun if they fixes the faction and population imbalance.

 

There are so many "causal" players out there, as many of us who used to hardcore and now have jobs and family. If Bioware can make a game to suit this group, it's a huge market. Twenty dollars a month is disposable (really, how much you pay for gas....) and this group will gladly pay if they can have fun few hours a night, whenever they want.

LOL. TOR's $15 a month equates to like 3 venti Starbuck's Frappuccinos ... or 50¢ a day if one prefers cash.

[Valens_Andorius]

Well I don't think Casual should be defined by play time.

 

Some days I'm damn busy and can only play for an hour and get some dailies done, doesn't mean I'm a moron that doesn't know how to play my toon.

 

Casual is different from lazy or clueless.

 

Lazy- **** WZs I just wanna shoot stuffz.

 

Clueless- Whats a turret? I thought If I shoot stuff we winz?....

 

Casual- Well I got a WZ win, but my GF needs a good shagging, bbiab...

Edited February 17, 2012 by Valens_Andorius

[Stealthy_Monkey]

There is no definition of casual. People will throw out casual as a bad thing if their point relies on it, or casual as a good thing if their point relies on it, like you did.

 

It certainly has no basis of skill though. There are bad casuals, there are good casuals, there are bad hardcores, there are good hardcores

 

I used to raid 3 days a week, I now raid 2 hours a week in wow. Outside of that though I have spreadsheets for theorycrafting and I know how to generate stat weightings. Whatever label you want to stick on that is your call.

Edited February 17, 2012 by Stealthy_Monkey

[Hypernetic]

To me casual just means less time played and has no bearing on skill, intelligence, or anything else.

 

Example: I know many "casual" WoW players who are former top 20 raiders. They simply don't have the time to play like they used to anymore.

[Arigo]

I'm a casual player. Ex-hardcore.

 

I have more important things to devote my time to these days than maximizing my play time for server firsts. Job, family, life outside.

 

But I still love my MMOrpgs.

 

I'll log on several times a week for 2+hours at a time. On the weekends I may binge a bit and spend an entire evening/night in game instead of watching tv. I just no longer really care about my /played time or if I killed/participated in *super-elite boss mob/event 10000005*. If I do, groovy. If not - oh well, there's something else for me to do.

[FerrusPA]

It certainly has no basis of skill though. There are bad casuals, there are good casuals, there are bad hardcores, there are good hardcores

 

Usually people associate a certain degree of accomplishment with the term "hardcore" so someone can't be both a bad player and a hardcore player.

[PanikSpreder]

I define a casual by the time they do content and mind-set. Overall, I think casuals enjoy the content more then those who rush to end-game to be über pwners (in both PvE and PvP).

 

By experience I enjoy grouping with casuals more then hardcores. There is less moaning and more joking around. And by no means does casual mean bad (some of the best tanks and healers I've stumbled upon has been very casual).

 

Heck, by that definition I am a casual player. I play when I feel like and dont give the game a 2nd thought after logging out except for the occational "I'm looking forward to planet x" or "I wonder if this spec is worth it?" and then maybe do a little research. Other then that I play the game for what it is and try to enjoy myself.

 

Which reminds me of something a friend of mine once said: "The only thing a hardcore hates more then a casual is someone that doesnt play". You have one guess to which WoW era he said that in

[mezamashii]

The only consistentency I ever see in the casuals vs. hardcore debate always boils down to "do you min/max or don't you?"

 

That's it. It's not time spent, or skill level, or dedication, or raiding, or anything like that.

 

It is simply whether, for the tasks you are interested in (be it pvp, pve, raiding, crafting, or other), do you feel compelled to min/max your character, at practically any cost, to gain every known/possible statistical advantage, whether or not you actually have any practical need to do so? Do you prioritize these tasks above more "fun" tasks during your playtime? If yes, you are not "casual".

 

Or do you feel fine with good enough? It bosses/opponents are dying and you are able to access and complete the content you care about, what does it matter if your toon could theoretically be more optimal? Do you see optimizing stats as pointless after a certain point, namely being the point at which you are already conquering the content you care about? Do you prioritize "fun" over min/maxing once you have reached this acceptable level? If so, you are "casual".

 

So casual has nothing to do with time spent or activities enjoyed (pve vs pvp vs etc), or even necessarily the specific activities performed or even the outcomes gained. Casual simply means that after a certain point you no longer care about min/maxing. In contrast, non-casual means you feel compelled to prioritize min/maxing even if there is no longer a practical need for it.

Edited February 17, 2012 by mezamashii

[Evertal]

Casuals play when they have time after RL-issues.

Hardcore plan RL according to there gaming schedule.

[MithurElb]

I define a casual player as someone who plays when they have time, but don't really schedule into their lives, or set aside time especially for the game.

 

I do not define casual or hard core based solely on skill.

 

Sir, you are quite rigth.

 

I'm a casual. I play one hour a day, when I can. If I can, I play 12 hours in a row, but that doesn't happen a lot.

 

I have no problem in grinding, but migth be some grinding I like.

 

Also, even if I don't have the best gear (Simply, no time enough in game, and no schedule for raids, of course), I think I don't lack skill.

 

So, that's the thing. Casual is that gamer who doesn't put their MMORPG in a schedule. He plays when he can. And usually never compromise to play at a certain time.

[Zannis]

To me, a casual player is anyone who will not commit to a set Operations schedule. Once you make a commitment to show up on a schedule and maintain an attendance rate above an agreed upon percentage, you've crossed the line from playing for fun when you feel like it to being obligated to play, regardless of whether you want to or not.

 

That's the dividing factor for me in trinity MMO's.