DieAlteHexe Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I am talking of serious pursuit and investment. If you are setting aside time for this, and calling it one of your hobbies. You are hardcore. I don't see how that fits...at all. Sorry, I just don't. Because I take photographs and set aside time to go out and search for subject matter, that suddenly makes me a hardcore photographer? Not trying to be argumentative, just not following the thinking. If you game when a spare hour pops up that you had nothing else planned for it... and that brings you to the keys to log in. If during that time something else comes up and you drop the game to do that other thing on a dime... If the game is ONLY there as a back up... you are casual. I do this, as well. Sometimes I go for a week or two without gaming at all. Sometimes I game daily. What's my label then? Heh. Look through this topic and the replies. You will notice a trend. The casuals throw terms like 'Real life' around.. Explain they have kids, a family, OTHER pursuits that are of importance than gaming. No kids...empty nester. But I do have family, obligations that are way more important than any of my hobbies. So...does that put me back in casual? My head is beginning to hurt. Hardcore golfers pull their hair out too.. Actually I think this is all kinda silly. There never will be an accepted defintion. Especially whilst we all hurl "hardcore" and "casual" at each other in a derisive manner. We're gamers, that's good enough for me. It's not a contest to see who's a BIGGER gamer, or at least it shouldn't be to my thinking. It should be about having fun and that can only be defined by each individual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WickedDjinn Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Let's put it this way. A hardcore gamer is worried about what Bioware is doing. Worried about what EA is doing. A casual gamer cares about one thing, whether they enjoy what they are playing or not. A hardcore gamer will whine for months about a game they seem to hate while still paying for it. Casual gamers simply stop playing when the game fails to hold their interest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blotter Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 (edited) Let's put it this way. A hardcore gamer is worried about what Bioware is doing. Worried about what EA is doing. A casual gamer cares about one thing, whether they enjoy what they are playing or not. A hardcore gamer will whine for months about a game they seem to hate while still paying for it. Casual gamers simply stop playing when the game fails to hold their interest. I dunno man, I would change what you said as follows: "A childish, immature, poopsocking gamer is worried about what Bioware is doing. Worried about what EA is doing. A normal, realistic, mature person cares about one thing, whether they enjoy what they are playing or not. An irrational, borderline obssessive-compulsive maladapted person will whine for months about a game they seem to hate while still paying for it. Healthy, well-adjusted people simply stop playing when the game fails to hold their interest and don't quit and then haunt the forums with their negativity and tantrums." hehe Edited February 17, 2012 by Blotter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uben Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Actually I think this is all kinda silly. There never will be an accepted defintion. Especially whilst we all hurl "hardcore" and "casual" at each other in a derisive manner. We're gamers, that's good enough for me. It's not a contest to see who's a BIGGER gamer, or at least it shouldn't be to my thinking. It should be about having fun and that can only be defined by each individual. Casual and hardcore does not have to be terms that are derogatory. The sooner you look at it like such, the easier it will be to boil down the terms and look at them un-jaded as they stand upon their own for true meaning. I think the OP is asking about opinions to guage base definitions. Not to make one or the other be the insult to another... you must remove yourself from the equation and shake it out un-biased to truly see the main derivative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uben Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 (edited) I dunno man, I would change what you said as follows: A normal, realistic, mature person cares about one thing, whether they enjoy what they are playing or not. An irrational, borderline obssessive-compulsive maladapted person will whine for months about a game they seem to hate while still paying for it. You are talking about football, right? Those guys are crazy... Edited February 17, 2012 by Uben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blotter Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 You are talking about football, right? Those fans are crazy... LOL...I can see it now...small herds of WoW and SWTOR players all painted up and wearing costumes like nutty football fans do at a game....oh wait.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scorpienne Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Wow, that's a large diversity of opinion, and an important discussion to have. My guild is "casual". *I* know what that means to me, but now I'm wondering what it means to the other folks in my guild. BW originally defined it as 10h or less a week. Maybe it's time that we, as a game-playing community, shed that term? Perhaps it's better to replace it with a content/endgame descriptor? Some sort of idea whether folks are more interested in the journey or the destination? Paige Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archifikoss Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Proffessional just means you get paid for it. As in; it is your profession. The hardcores are the ones that are there for the hobby of running. The ones you claim are there to beat their own times and records. The ones that do it 5 times a week instead of once a month comparitively. The latter is the casual runners. Mostly there for something ELSE than running. Be it fitness, socialising, trekking through the park for the enjoyment of the day more than the running part. It is the same as my example. Which is why I wrote the final paragraph in my post, to acknowledge that you make the separation between hardcores and casuals in a different way than me. We're essentially just thinking on different terms here, neither of us is right or wrong really I think that in the end hardcore and casual does not matter because each and every one of us is different and plays differently. We're all gamers after all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notebene Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 When you talk about it, please differentiate between time and style. For me, I'm hard core relative to the 'time' I spend playing. I'm most definitely casual with respect to 'how' I like to play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uben Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 LOL...I can see it now...small herds of WoW and SWTOR players all painted up and wearing costumes like nutty football fans do at a game....oh wait.... I was thinking more of that rabid fan that thinks the team sucks but goes to every game. Or, at least watches them and yells at the television set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DieAlteHexe Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Casual and hardcore does not have to be terms that are derogatory. The sooner you look at it like such, the easier it will be to boil down the terms and look at them un-jaded as they stand upon their own for true meaning. I think the OP is asking about opinions to guage base definitions. Not to make one or the other be the insult to another... you must remove yourself from the equation and shake it out un-biased to truly see the main derivative. Of course it does not have to. I fully agree with that. But it is. I don't think in those terms but many, many do. If you have missed that on gaming forums, well...not sure what to say. It is a fact that this battle between gamers of differing philosophies has been going on since gaming has. I find it a bit...specious because there will never be a consensus. I do, however, always find it interesting because I enjoy seeing how others think and perceive. If I were forced to label myself, best you'd get from me is simply: I'm a gamer. All the rest is opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blotter Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I was thinking more of that rabid fan that thinks the team sucks but goes to every game. Or, at least watches them and yells at the television set. haha, yeah...altho I'm sure there are plenty of kids out there screaming at their monitors right this very second over a Hutbball or Warsong Gulch match or because somebody wiped the raid lol. Anyone got a link to one of the youtubes of kids going comlpetely ballistic on Vent during MC? hahaha...that stuff is too funny... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uben Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 (edited) When you talk about it, please differentiate between time and style. For me, I'm hard core relative to the 'time' I spend playing. I'm most definitely casual with respect to 'how' I like to play. I don't think time has anything to do with it. If after you get home from that 10 hour shift at the mill, get the kids fed and put to bed. Make sure yer wife is happy before she knocks off. Finish your chores. Then take the 2 hours you have for the whole week and spend it on a game treating it as your hobby... forgoing anything else that comes up because you have set time aside to specifically pursue such a hobby. You are hardcore. If on the other hand you have time to play the game but ANYTHING else should come up, and you drop the game to do that instead. Not caring to play or not to play in any given time frame... Regard it as a past time that is there when NOTHING else is available... you are casual. Edited February 17, 2012 by Uben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blotter Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 The true hardcore gamers: Until you've gone that far, you have no right to use the word "hardcore" to describe yourself haha I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that means 99%+ of everyone on this forum is merely "casual," including myself, because, well, OMGWTF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dumpiduke Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 (edited) A casual is someone that’s not afraid to walk away from the game, knowing full well that there will be more to do the next day. I, too, am a recovering "hardcore" player that has learned that casual is the way to go. Experience has taught me that plowing through the game just leaves you wondering what there is to do next. I play roughly 2 to 3 hours a day now, which I think is casual for an MMO player, and whenever I sit down I enjoy every minute of my play time. I love it. I love that I'm not forced to log in nightly just so I don't miss that first boss kill. I love that I can stop playing at any time and feel content about not playing. No more "I have to log on and pick flowers for 3 hours so that we have a chance to down this boss." I especially love that the game isn't a second job. Of course, that’s not to say that I don’t miss my "hardcore" days. Those moments were some of the most rewarding experiences ever, and it was truly an epic feeling when our guild downed a boss that we were struggling with for months. I just don’t have the time to commit like I used to, nor would I want to—because in the end, you never really actually get the carrot. It sure is fun chasing the damn thing though… I’m glad that TOR has catered to a more casual play style because in the end, it’s what will make the game successful; however, I feel for those "hardcore" players. They may never get to experience that epic boss encounter that takes weeks or even months to learn. I hope that Bioware considers making nightmare mode operations geared more for the "hardcore" players because I want newer hardcores to experience what I once did. There’s no reason for Bioware to completely avoid that crowd, especially with operations having 3 difficulty modes. Provide something for everyone and this game will have no troubles staying afloat. Edited February 17, 2012 by Dumpiduke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florial Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 For me, "casual" describes an approach to gaming. I enjoy the game but I play it when the mood strikes me. Some days I don't log on at all, other times I may sit down for a multi hour gaming session. I'm in no rush to 50, I have no inclination to raid. I may try PvP at some point but will probably dabble in it and not pursue it with complete focus. This is not to say that I'm not reasonally competent---I do try to read up a bit on my class, listen to tips from other folks, etc. Ironically enough though, I haven't felt motivated to do this at all in this game. I would say that I'm probably ultra casual at this point. In the past, I've been more "hardcore" about things. Never hardcore enough to join a serious raiding guild because I hate scheduling my time around gaming events and it is so hard with two younger kids. But I've played with much greater intensity in the past and with much greater focus. I guess that my tastes have changed quite a bit since my first MMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jellosandwich Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 (edited) 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. This right here. I started defining myself as a casual after I quit my last raiding guild in WoW. It has nothing to do with the amount I play, as I can still put in 20+ hours in a week, but it's what *I* want to be doing, when *I* want to do it. I still min/max my character to the extent available to me, I still theorycraft the best specs/gear combos. I'll even still raid sometimes, if I happen to see a pug starting when I'm hanging around the fleet, but I no longer plan my real life schedule around my raiding schedule, nor am I letting anyone down if I don't feel like logging in for a day or two Edited February 17, 2012 by jellosandwich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senga_J Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 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? This post is winning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IceJudge Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Meh, for me "Casuals" are generally gamers who make short sighted statements about things in the game without the ability to see how it could effect other aspects, or those that gravitate towards the gimmicky stuff. I.e. the people that grab a m203/rpg first thing in a fps, those that expect the game to become instantly easier when they're stuck on something relatively simple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philophobic Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Usually, a "casual" is a nice person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morpholinium Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 "Casual" is hard to define, as there is no clear line delineating "casual" from "hardcore". But for some perspective: 2 to 4 hours played daily, especially with additional play time on the weekend, is an equivalent time investment to a part-time job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoodlumpriest Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 Casuals aren't gamers..farmville or SWTOR is the same for them. yeah right whatever Casual for me is someone who is nice and relaxed about gaming, does not need to play 50 hours a week, does not go into spasm when they see sunlight or girls, mostly they do not cry about every little thing that upsets them. Some of them are damn good at gaming too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pmunro Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I am a casual player. I pvp. I do crafting. I run heroics. I run flashpoints. I play with my guild until I fall out of my chair laughing. I play everyday. I sometimes play for hours. I care about my own gear to help my teammates. I enjoy the game very much. So I describe myself as a casual player. Pyre Empress Tita:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanzoV Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 I honestly don't know. I've often considered myself a casual, but at the same time, I know that if I had this very game 10 years ago, I'd be playing it a lot more than I am right now. So is the true difference between a Casual and a Hardcore, opportunity? I'm casual because I can go a long time without playing any games. I'm not casual because once I start gaming again, I want to do it pretty much all the time. I'm not casual because I've played multiple MMOs since I started in 2003. I'm casual because I've only made it to level-cap/end-game on maybe 2 MMOs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SushaBrancaleone Posted February 17, 2012 Share Posted February 17, 2012 i give 2 interpretations to the word. one is the specific word casual player from the comunities/industry point of view then there was i think of casuall players the truth is id like to think many as casual players but they are not TEchnically, I would consider a mmorpg casual player anyone who doesnt explore end content. Its not about time, you could send your wife to her parents and kids to firends for a weekend and play 48 hrs non stop. that i shardcore playing, but it doesnt qualify as hard core gamer. I suppose there is a distinction between pro gamer and hard core gamer that we sort of forgot about... to define casual we've gotta define hardcore. and tbh non hardcre players just become causals. HC players are those who finish content before most of the player base, they are those who play 5-6 daysa week (doesnt have to be more than 3-4 hrs a day) and know the game in its intimate details... everybody else, falls soewhere inbetween these definition. regardless spending 36 hrs palying non stop doesnt make u haarcore. Traditionally mmo causaly stop playing before they even reach cap lvl.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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