What Defines A "Casual" Player To You?

[Laylla]

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

 

 

Uh what? I'm a casual gamer. I dont raid because real life doesnt allow me time to. But Im a gamer. I play those 3 hours a night that I can and some on the days Im not at work. I have zero interest in Farmville.

 

Farmville and SWTOR are not the same for me.

[Laylla]

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

 

What game rules exactly do we not care about? This makes no sense at all.

[SnoggyMack]

What game rules exactly do we not care about? This makes no sense at all.

 

Rule 34 for starters.

 

Also, 3 hours of playtime per night is more than enough needed to raid. If you play a game 3 hours a night most nights in a week, you're not really casual anymore.

Edited February 18, 2012 by SnoggyMack

[rzrknight]

Casual player is a person that play the game just at most 1 hr a day and do the things he has fun doing , dont put effort in grinding , just play and get things with time.

 

I dont hate casual players , i HATE QQers that ask for all to be skill based , to no more grind to exist so the game really become a game you either play 1 hr a week , or you get burn out for not getting nothing new out of it in 3 days playing for 5 hrs.

[Andryah]

What game rules exactly do we not care about? This makes no sense at all.

 

I think he was trying to be clever by making an ad hominem attack on what he considers to be a "casual player". So don't try to understand his statement from any rational context.

[Laylla]

I don't understand why casuals are so adverse to this; it's something they can do at their own pace on their own terms.

 

Is it just a matter of perception? As in, do they feel icky if they need to use math skills or the forum's advanced search feature?

 

I spent an hour during a Saturday morning down time several weeks ago researching my class (juggernaut), as well as TOR specific threat generation mechanics, etc.

 

Is the thought of doing that intimidating to a casual?

 

 

I'm a casual. if find my dps is bad, or Im dying entirely too quickly or my companions just flat out SUCK, I research why. I find out what I can do to improve this.

 

So, Sorry, this doesnt fit the definition of casual either.

[grueber]

A casual is someone who does not min/max a large portion of their game.

 

When you min/max you are taking time out to analyze your talent build, gear, skill rotations, etc.

 

Casuals are terrified of dps/heal meters.

 

A hardcore does min/max. Truly hardcore does have to commit alot of time to play the game in order to do the most difficult content.

 

There are people in-between. Decent number of ex-hardcores who play "casually" in terms of hours but when they play it's hardcore in mindset.

[Laylla]

I always picture casuals as those people who can't be bothered to figure out how to play their class to it's fullest. The melee hunters who we're not the boss of who can play the way they want to play because they're paying for their own subscription!

 

The people who never, ever figure out what's actually happening during boss fights and who always end up dead on the floor from sitting in fire, and yet still expect to get their purps like everyone else.

 

The people who are itemized wrong, who're using the wrong gear, who have the wrong specs, and who use the wrong skills in the wrong orders.

 

 

Wow, that's insulting. I would never play that way! And yes. Once again. Im a casual.

[Laylla]

Rule 34 for starters.

 

Also, 3 hours of playtime per night is more than enough needed to raid. If you play a game 3 hours a night most nights in a week, you're not really casual anymore.

 

My three hours a night usually dont start until after midnight and never on the same night. So no. I will not make promises to a raid group if I cant keep them.

[Laylla]

I think he was trying to be clever by making an ad hominem attack on what he considers to be a "casual player". So don't try to understand his statement from any rational context.

 

I'll be taking that advice, thank you

[SnoggyMack]

My three hours a night usually dont start until after midnight and never on the same night. So no. I will not make promises to a raid group if I cant keep them.

 

Raids are usually scheduled, a lot of MMORPGs have lockout timers on their raid content so it can't be done every single day. So for instance, your raiding day in your guild could be on Wednesdays and Fridays. That leaves the rest of the week to do whatever. And there are quite a few guilds that raid from midnight on. Both my EQ guild and my two WoW guilds raided in the midnight to 3 a.m. time slot way back when. And scheduled raid nights twice a week.

 

I just don't see how you can't raid. 3 hours a night is an adequate chunk of time to raid in any MMORPG I've ever played.

 

Certainly more than enough time needed to raid in THIS one. Heh. This game is nowhere near the timesink Everquest was.

Edited February 18, 2012 by SnoggyMack

[Emeda]

Casual player is a person that play the game just at most 1 hr a day and do the things he has fun doing , dont put effort in grinding , just play and get things with time.

 

I dont hate casual players , i HATE QQers that ask for all to be skill based , to no more grind to exist so the game really become a game you either play 1 hr a week , or you get burn out for not getting nothing new out of it in 3 days playing for 5 hrs.

 

Casual in the way everyone uses it has nothing to do with time. If someone only logged in for 1 hour a week and in that week he did nightmare operations then what is he?

 

Like you said I dont have any problems with casuals at all its the fake casuals

[Emeda]

Wow, that's insulting. I would never play that way! And yes. Once again. Im a casual.

 

Your the good type of casual.

 

I bet you dont care if someone has something you dont and you dont expect to get it unless you do what they did to get it.

[SpankyMcFlych]

Wow, that's insulting. I would never play that way! And yes. Once again. Im a casual.

 

If the shoe fits....

 

 

I wouldn't think my view on casuals would be insulting unless I hit the nail on the head. Are you a former melee hunter?

 

And if my post doesn't describe you, then I don't really consider you a casual. This is after all a thread asking what defines a casual to all of us. Not just to laylla.

Edited February 18, 2012 by SpankyMcFlych

[Vikassi]

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

 

Yes,you have it right?

[Kaelshi]

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.

 

this sounds about right to me. Casual play is not defined by overall amount of time played. There are occasionally days where I might spend 4 or 5 hours throughout the day online.

 

I also have weeks like this last one where it took me a full rl week to get from level 24 to level 25.

 

I think where the real clash happens is that in reality a vast vast majority of players are casual players to one degree or nother.

 

Real hardcore players are relatively few and far between, and also tend to be the loudest, youngest, most immature(and least employable....).

 

You can usually tell when like a conversation about lfd breaks out or whenever an mmo reduces xp requirements to level or makes content more available to people. They tend to call people lazy and make assumptions that just because they have 70 hours a week to dedicate to gaming everyone else does. They like to call people lazy for not being happy with things like grind-requirements.

 

They think getting through content first means they have a higher skill level than someone who has not spent the same amount of time gaming as they have etc.

 

they would view a post like this listing how they act as jealous and likely label me unskilled for not even being level 50 yet despite playing for more than a month etc. etc.

 

It is what it is!

[Concession]

Casual=baddy=unskilled=low play time=useless player to the Elites among you

[gurugeorge]

Casual = has a life and a job, and probably a gf

 

Hardcore = has no life and no job, and probably no gf

 

Joking aside, one thing that I think developers need to stop being hypnotized by in this day and age: the idea that casual = solo player and social player = guild.

 

There are plenty of casual players who are social and like to group, but have no interest in guilds and that kind of commitment. So there definitely has to be room for PUG-ing, in a way that makes it so nothing crucial depends on it (so people don't get annoyed if things don't go well).

 

If City of Heroes taught the world anything new or interesting about MMOs, it has to be this.

Edited February 18, 2012 by gurugeorge

[Emeda]

If the shoe fits....

 

 

I wouldn't think my view on casuals would be insulting unless I hit the nail on the head. Are you a former melee hunter?

 

And if my post doesn't describe you, then I don't really consider you a casual. This is after all a thread asking what defines a casual to all of us. Not just to laylla.

 

Your thinking of the fake casuals. There are two kinds

[GalacticKegger]

I always picture casuals as those people who can't be bothered to figure out how to play their class to it's fullest. The melee hunters who we're not the boss of who can play the way they want to play because they're paying for their own subscription!

 

The people who never, ever figure out what's actually happening during boss fights and who always end up dead on the floor from sitting in fire, and yet still expect to get their purps like everyone else.

 

The people who are itemized wrong, who're using the wrong gear, who have the wrong specs, and who use the wrong skills in the wrong orders.

The players who fit the description of "can't be bothered to figure out how to play their class to it's fullest" but are effective (just not extreme) at: figuring out & adapting to boss fight mechanics, modding, gearing, specing skills, grasping how skills affect abilities, and ultimately applying their abilities ... how would you classify them? I ask because I consider myself a casual and "effective" is the level I play at during my 10 to 20 hrs a week. Am I a hardcore with a casual's commitment? Or a casual with a hardcore's skill set? Might there be such a thing as a casual-hardcore hybrid? Edited February 18, 2012 by GalacticKegger

[face_hindu]

I am reminded by a post I saw a couple months ago on this topic, went something like this:

 

You're playing a video game. There is nothing hardcore about any aspect of what you're doing. -Unknown

 

Made me laugh at the time, and I haven't forgotten it.

[Scilent]

I'm a casual player and here's why.

 

1. I've got a 2 and a half year old and a 6 month old. They have to come first.

 

2. I've got a wife that needs help with this kiddos.

 

3. Full time job that when I'm not actually there, I'm on call for emergencies.

 

4. I only one day a week where I can play 7 hours non-stop. Rest of the week, nada.

 

BUT.... I use to be much more hardcore..... before marriage, I'd play 6 to 7 hours a day.

 

It's just that RL takes priority.

 

So, before any of you have these commitments.... enjoy it while it lasts.

[archifikoss]

I always picture casuals as those people who can't be bothered to figure out how to play their class to it's fullest. The melee hunters who we're not the boss of who can play the way they want to play because they're paying for their own subscription!

 

The people who never, ever figure out what's actually happening during boss fights and who always end up dead on the floor from sitting in fire, and yet still expect to get their purps like everyone else.

 

The people who are itemized wrong, who're using the wrong gear, who have the wrong specs, and who use the wrong skills in the wrong orders.

 

I'm a person who said that we all have different views and none of us are really wrong - except for you. You not only didn't hit the nail on the head, but the hammer actually flew out of your hand and killed your cat. I am a casual player but I won't go stacking aim on my Sniper, or sit there taking potshots at a mob with a big circle of death around my character.

 

Casual has more to do with a "play when I have time" rather than a "make time to play" mentality, and not necessarily bother to be the best as far as gear "level" and progression is concerned (or if they do bother with it they'll take their time). That doesn't mean they'll play their class wrong.

Edited February 18, 2012 by archifikoss

[GalacticKegger]

Casuals play when they have time after RL-issues.

Hardcore plan RL according to there gaming schedule.

Mikey likes this one.

[gurugeorge]

The players who fit the description of "can't be bothered to figure out how to play their class to it's fullest" but are effective (just not extreme) at: figuring out & adapting to boss fight mechanics, modding, gearing, specing skills, grasping how skills affect abilities, and ultimately applying their abilities ... how would you classify them? I ask because I consider myself a casual and "effective" is the level I play at during my 10 to 20 hrs a week. Am I a hardcore with a casual's commitment? Or a casual with a hardcore's skill set? Might there be such a thing as a casual-hardcore hybrid?

 

Yeah I agree with this, that's not the way to divide casuals and hardcores. I'm like you, I'm a casual player, so I don't have the time to get all the leet gear, but with what I've got I min-max as much as I can, and I do my conscientious best in teams. I don't care about being first at any number rankings, but I do care about pulling my weight and not causing wipes, etc.

 

So yeah, "not being bothered to figure out x, y, z" isn't really a distinguishing mark for casuals. It's more what the guy said above - casuals prioritize rl, hardcore prioritize their gaming time (or simply have more of it, because they're young, students, rich, or don't care about rl issues).

Edited February 19, 2012 by gurugeorge