What Defines A "Casual" Player To You?

[Distilde]

In my opinion casuals are people who can be excited about games and can stop gaming when there's a new hype. They will play fifa if they like football and their friends are playing, they will play call of duty if their friends play, but they don't know any game news. They only know some info about the popular games. You cannot have in depth conversations about games with them, cause they don't know what your talking about.

 

Now if you are the type of gamer as the op, you are a gamer, not a casual, just a gamer.

[Mephismo]

agree.

Hardcore players usually dont have a job or school,etc.

 

This is not true many hardcore players have jobs.

 

Personally its more about attitude, not play time or even skill.

 

[Man-Kar]

A meaning of casual player (in an MMO) for me (which is probably also about me) is:

 

1. Player, who has no commitments and can come and go as he wishes (no raid or instance times, no responsibilities in guilds etc.)

 

2. Player, who is focusing more on what is fun for him, with no sense of having to work "hard" or be serious about anything in-game related

 

3. The sense of "freedom" and in general relaxed and mature atmosphere (in psychological sense) is much important aspect

 

Personally for me, when I go into virtual world, I want to rest from work and routine in real world (even though I love my work and life), so it's no way I will start "working" in a game.

 

It doesn't relate much to playing time, which can be sometimes up to 5 hours per day, but it tends to be irregular. Which means, any time I log off I do not know when I will log on, for how long and if I will at all I played one and only MMO 4 years casually, I would say, I could compare my knowledge of game and class, as well as skills with so called "hardcore" players, but it's just that all the points above were important and very much true for me.

Edited February 17, 2012 by Man-Kar
some explanations in brackets for clarity

[ShotByBothSides]

Casual:

 

OMG I PLAY DIS GAME FOR TEH STORY!!

HE GOT TO LVL 50 IN A WEEK, WHAT A NOLIFE LOSER

HE HAS BETTER GEAR THAN ME, WHAT A NOLIFE LOSER

HE IS NOT CLICKING HIS SKILLS, WHAT A NOLIFE LOSER

HE HAS MORE THAN 1 ACTIONBAR, WHAT A NOLIFE LOSER

HE HAS FULL BM/RAKATA, WHAT A NOLIFE LOSER

HE CAN AFFOR SPEEDER PILOTING RANK 3, WHAT A NOLIFE LOSER

HE IS NOT WEARING FULL GREEN GEAR, WHAT A NOLIFE LOSER

HE PLAYS MORE THAN 2H A DAY, WHAT A NOLIFE LOSER

HE IS BETTER THAN ME, WHAT A NOLIFE LOSER

HE TYPES EVERYTHING IN CAPS, WHAT A NOLIFE LOSER

 

Eszi, WHAT A NO LIFE LOSER

[Darth_Beans]

I'm casual because that whole, you know, real life thing gets in the way of me playing alot.

[Darth_Beans]

Casual:

 

OMG I PLAY DIS GAME FOR TEH STORY!!

HE GOT TO LVL 50 IN A WEEK, WHAT A NOLIFE LOSER

HE HAS BETTER GEAR THAN ME, WHAT A NOLIFE LOSER

HE IS NOT CLICKING HIS SKILLS, WHAT A NOLIFE LOSER

HE HAS MORE THAN 1 ACTIONBAR, WHAT A NOLIFE LOSER

HE HAS FULL BM/RAKATA, WHAT A NOLIFE LOSER

HE CAN AFFOR SPEEDER PILOTING RANK 3, WHAT A NOLIFE LOSER

HE IS NOT WEARING FULL GREEN GEAR, WHAT A NOLIFE LOSER

HE PLAYS MORE THAN 2H A DAY, WHAT A NOLIFE LOSER

HE IS BETTER THAN ME, WHAT A NOLIFE LOSER

HE TYPES EVERYTHING IN CAPS, WHAT A NOLIFE LOSER

 

And this totally runs through my mind all the time while i am playing...and it's in caps too...um, yeah.

[Mercia]

I class my self as casual

 

I raid 2 times a week for around 3hrs each raid and play in my spare time

 

I dont aim to kill the hardest content but i gear my toons to the best available standard i am raiding or otherwise

 

I min/max and try to maintain the best balance of my stats and i always choose the best professions for raiding

 

I stim/flask every raid

 

Some people mistake casual for lazy/incompetent which annoys me becouse im not a screw up im a skilled ex hardcore raider that is married and will be having children in the near future

 

Saying casual is very differant from saying hardcore for example been hardcore is the ultimate maxium and is easily defined with no debate, casual is basically a massive umberella which has so many meanings that basically everyones opinion differs from you will never find a one true answer to the question what does it mean to be casual

[EssBen]

at the moment I'm getting 2-3 gaming sessions per week, sometimes I will play ToR, sometimes I will crush entire systems on Sins of a Solar Empire......I consider myself very casual.

[Ravbek]

I would say that casual is a playstyle more than a "time in game". I would class myself as casual, I want to do the Operations but won't grind them to get the top gear. I'll do all the FP on HM and try and do all the content but in a way that takes time.

 

I basically don't want to be forced to do anything like Ops 3 times a weeks or something.

 

We have people in our guild who I would call borderline hardcore They are pushing to get through the Ops in HM and getting the Rakata gear, currently doing 3 Ops a week...that is where I'd say it turns away from casual.

[Sharee]

I'd say a casual player is one that schedules his gaming around his life, not his life around his gaming.

[Tekkoclarky]

Casual = Player who doesn't play that much. Can be a great or bad player.

 

Hardcore = Player who plays too much. Can be a great or bad player.

 

For a % ratio of good/bad players, you would probably find casual has more bad players, as they would tend to care less and do less research etc.

 

Being a hardcore gamer, doesn't make you a good gamer though, I've played with some terrible players in my time who just have too much free time.

Edited February 17, 2012 by Tekkoclarky

[DieAlteHexe]

I'd say a casual player is one that schedules his gaming around his life, not his life around his gaming.

 

I think this is just about right. When I am in game...I'm intent no matter what I'm up to but life comes first, always. It was a hard learned lesson back in the orginal EQ days and one I've never forgotten.

 

I actually have MORE fun when I'm not frothing at the mouth chasing that carrot.

[areto]

Presumable it's about the attitude rather than the time played. A casual player is casual about things..say...going to make a coffee while their character is standing somewhere dangerous, that would be casual. A hardcore player is someone who takes the game seriously, fussing over numbers and ranks and whose the best and knows which guild is which and what the server progression looks like and uses three letter acronyms for everything because if you were to use the names not only would it take up several more milliseconds than using the acronym but also because the actual name is just 'fluff' like all graphical, story or human elements within the game.

 

Basically a casual is like neo before he became the one, just happy to be able to do some kung fu, and a hardcore person is like after, all they see is lines of symbols and numbers.

Edited February 17, 2012 by areto

[EssBen]

Casual gamers are those who don't spend much time researching and trying to learn all the nuances of their profession/class, stats, gear, etc.

 

They play merely to have fun and even socialize. They don't feel the need to raid or PvP all the time. When they do those things, they do it simply because they want to. Not because they are trying to outfit with the "best" gear. If they get the gear, that's an added plus.

 

While it is true that many don't play as many hours as hard-core gamers, I don't see time restrictions as a defining thing. It's possible to play many hours a week and still remain "casual". In otherwords, it's more a mind-set and attitude than anything else.

 

I'd say what you've described are bad or lazy players, some of those will get better in time, some of them will always be bad and or lazy.

 

I read class forums, my gear has the correct stats and is the best that the commendation vendors on the planet have to offer, most of my abilities are bound to a razer naga, the rest are bound near the WSAD keys (with A+D re-bound to strafe rather than turn), I never "give up let them win FFS" in PVP no matter how bleak the outlook and will take as many imps with me as I can before I'm dropped.......I could go on but as always, time is against me

 

I'm casual, because for all this, ToR is not my top priority and so gets fit in as and when there is space for it.

 

I consider myself a fairly good player in spite of only getting on a few days each week....and of course I have been hardcore in the past when IRL has allowed for it and still bring with me decades of gaming experience.

 

Calling hardcores no lifers would be calling myself in the past or myself in the future one which seems silly

[krinaman]

Casual - plays the game for fun. Considers it a game.

 

Hardcord - plays the game as a competition. Considers it a sport.

[Gwal]

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.

 

Same here.

 

Life, ladies and my career have removed those 20 spare hours a week but my skills are still intact. This why I object to the requirement to grind to be able to compete in this game.

[Malpracticex]

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?

 

 

yeah it is a 2nd job, thats for sure. In the beginning it didnt feel that way, but at the end I was so burned out it wasnt enjoyable anymore, raiding 5 nights a week till 12am and then having to get up for work at 5am. I still like to raid on occasion but enjoy it now much more not feelng like I'm being rushed. Not to mention I dont miss all the drama about loot.

[Rudrash]

casual players are players with real life

[RachelAnne]

How would you define the "casual" player?

 

I see myself as a Casual because,

 

I put my RL before any game.

I play for fun and not loot or meters.

I dont insult players in my group for their bad performance.

I have days or weeks where I dont play at all.

 

 

A casual is not defined by its hours of play at some days, its more a long term thing and how important the game is for that person.

 

Someone who does play every day 1 hour is still not a casual, while someone that plays 4x a month for a few hours is.

 

I read class forums, my gear has the correct stats and is the best that the commendation vendors on the planet have to offer, most of my abilities are bound to a razer naga, the rest are bound near the WSAD keys (with A+D re-bound to strafe rather than turn), I never "give up let them win FFS" in PVP no matter how bleak the outlook and will take as many imps with me as I can before I'm dropped.......I could go on but as always, time is against me

 

A Casual doesnt care enough about these elitist things and he doesnt has the time for all that research.

 

A casual does come on and wants to play, he doesnt want to study first for weeks

 

Where I agree is the fact that Casuals can be good players, but to be good you dont need any research etc.

These "leet" specs, macro management etc. are not needed until you play the game professionel.

Edited February 17, 2012 by RachelAnne

[Cukshaik]

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?

 

Zero tolerance for attitudes? That has nothing to do with the amount of time you play a game.

 

If you're a casual gamer, my answer to your question is unoriginal. A casual gamer is unoriginal!

 

"When they pat you on the back..." really? A casual gamer is just this: someone who is no longer a gamer.

[Ansultares]

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

I play the game because I want to have fun. I want to experience a deep world with challenging content and some interesting time sinks.

 

PvE in this game felt like playing a SPRPG using cheat codes, in particular the complete lack of any sense of achievement for "finishing" the story.

[Cukshaik]

I play the game because I want to have fun. I want to experience a deep world with challenging content and some interesting time sinks.

 

PvE in this game felt like playing a SPRPG using cheat codes, in particular the complete lack of any sense of achievement for "finishing" the story.

 

Do people not understand that fun is the reason people play games? It does not need to be expressed. It is understood. This would be like me saying "I drive to get places." People understand obvious things, try to delve deeper into your mind and tell us things we didn't already know.

 

If you truly want a challenge go play EQ1. I bet you won't however, because a challenge isn't what you're truly after.

[archifikoss]

casual players are players with real life

 

This is quite a generalization my friend, and not always true. One of my best friends is a hardcore gamer (not an MMOer though) and is both a marathon runner and a hit with the ladies, thing is he's self employed and actually very good at organizing his time. Yet another one of my buddies is a hardcore gamer and guild leader in WoW, he has a full time job and a very happy relationship.

 

Let's not drag the thread down to levels it doesn't need to be in. Casual gamers are not necessarily bad players, and hardcores are not necessarily losers in real life

[Yfelsung]

Considering this game has no PvP-looting and no perma-death, we're all casual here.

 

It's not hardcore until you can lose all your stuff, including your character.

[Skuldar]

You're the blight that game developers are obsessed with catering to, while sacrificing the entire original premise behind 'MMO', which was once this bright promise of a virtual online world, and was in the early years. But, we've learned the dark side of the human psyche as "MMOs" stopped intrinsically forcing players to function as members of their given online society, by introducing more and more "solo" content.

 

There is nothing more vile and vicious than an MMO community, and what's even more enlightening is what it says about humanity as a whole: that as soon as we think there are no repercussions for acting in a vile manner, we're going to go ahead and do so. If there was ever a better argument for a police state than MMOs-and the internet in general-I can't think of it.

 

So people that play solo in MMOs are giving in to their dark side? That's a pretty absurd assertion. Most soloers are either time-constrained or simply want to avoid the bother that grouping can often involve. It is selfish players that turn some off to grouping; someone ninja-looting a boss or needlessly needing a roll or instigating drama instead of fostering fun.

 

For myself, I try to complete most of the content, including Heroics as I level, but getting groups can be frustrating most nights if you're outside the initial bubble of leveling players. I will confess to lacking a fondness for raiding and some forms of PvP; I don't care that much about having the top gear or the top score. But I do research builds and make an effort to effectively allocate points and gear out companions. I've played MMOs since EQ and I've done my share of raiding and grinding, but that style of play lost much of its appeal for me years ago. I don't think I was ever truly hardcore but I'm still not what most people think of as casual either.

 

The so-called blight is really just a changing gaming landscape. MMOs are not the niche curiosities they once were. They go for a broad market and therefore seem ill-fitting to those that want a hardcore masochistic experience that punishes the unworthy masses. But those invading casuals with their vile refusal to group with you or meet your standards are paying for your game, as they are for all widely popular online games. That does not mean that games couldn't make it easier or more beneficial to group, but with so many players needing to play in shorter chunks of time, forced grouping leads to alienation which leads to drop out which leads to less money and fewer players which leads to game stagnation.

Edited February 17, 2012 by Skuldar