Define "Casual"

[ikinai]

 

These labels are not very sticky. They fall off all the time.

 

Yup, these labels are like my pants, they fall off all the time too. What? I lost some weight, my pants are too big now!

[TheRandomno]

Well casual can mean a range of things. If you play every day for 8 hours, but don't gear up your class or do any HMs, then you could be casual. If you play very rarely and don't have a 55, you're also casual.

[AlienEyeTX]

Yup, these labels are like my pants, they fall off all the time too. What? I lost some weight, my pants are too big now!

 

Time for some new britches. Or suspenders. Or just to make every day No Pants Day.

 

[ikinai]

Time for some new britches. Or suspenders. Or just to make every day No Pants Day.

 

 

Well, good thing everyday is casual day for me

[Grayseven]

Ok, so I'll concede that time played isn't the only definer of what constitutes casual. It appears that a number of people have much more time than I do to play but use their game time in a more of a "winging it" fashion.

 

I've always hated the limited time I have to play online, though I found quickly during a 7 month hiatus from the rest of my life due to recovery from a surgery that unlimited play time quickly leads to burn out.

 

So if we define casual and hardcore based not on time spent but on actions taken, how can we then justify wanting a game to cater to people who...in their own words...just "do what they want"? How can a game design company keep dangling the "reward" carrot to players who hate the "effort"?

[Halinalle]

If you play every day for 8 hours, but don't gear up your class or do any HMs, then you could be casual.

 

I don't do HMs for multiple reasons:

 

- People have unrealistic gear requirements for tanks (168 for FPs and 180 for ops)

- People expect tank to know every instance so well that he/she should be able to solo it blindfolded

- "Tank is a leader"

 

Casual SWTOR player is someone who doesn't play much and generally doesn't take learning (class & fight mechanics) seriously.

[Kantaso]

In few words, casual players play for fun, hardcore play for bragging rights.

[tdmaha]

That's casual to you?! What is "hardcore" to you then? Geezus man...

 

"Casual" isn't solely defined by the length of time played, it has as much to do with the players attitude while they play.

 

You are aware at the low end of his example is a whopping SIX HOURS A WEEK!!! How is the world is that not casusl to you?

 

Sorry six hours? It doesn't matter the attitude in any mmo that would be casual.

Edited August 21, 2014 by tdmaha

[Nickious]

I'm casually hardcore.

 

Really, I don't know what I am. I play alot per day, I'm on everyday I can be. I don't really raid heavily. nor am I into ranked pvp. Does that make me a filthy casual?

Edited August 21, 2014 by Nickious

[Brewski]

So if we define casual and hardcore based not on time spent but on actions taken, how can we then justify wanting a game to cater to people who...in their own words...just "do what they want"? How can a game design company keep dangling the "reward" carrot to players who hate the "effort"?

 

I think this misses the point, actually. I consider myself casual, yet I still make goals and seek rewards. I just pick goals I believe I can reach in the time I have to play. I don't set a goal for any of my characters to have BiS gear, because I don't have the time to raid enough to be able to handle Nightmare Raid content. At the same time, I don't begrudge the player who do have the time to do so exclusive gear or content I'll never have access to.

 

As long as Bioware continues to set goals at all levels of play, I'm content, as I can pick what goals to hit.

 

I'll never have PvP ranked rewards or Nightmare gear, and I'm okay with that. I content myself to having achievable goals I can reach, and that I enjoy doing.

 

I think it's wrong to define "Casual" as "wants everything to be easily achievable within the time they have". That's a subset of casual players who have no empathy towards Hardcore players, and frankly, I think they are wrong.

 

Just as wrong as the subset of "Hardcore" players who insist they should always have the 100% exclusive skins, gear and content that is totally locked out from anyone who spends less time or effort than they do.

[Kantaso]

I'm casually hardcore.

 

Really, I don't know what I am. I play alot per day, I'm on everyday I can be. I don't really raid heavily. nor am I into ranked pvp. Does that make me a filthy casual?

 

I see what you did there, can I say I am hardlycore casual?

[TUXs]

If it isn't about the time involved, what is it about?

It's a game...it's ONLY about having fun...no matter what you're doing.

[TravelersWay]

So if we define casual and hardcore based not on time spent but on actions taken, how can we then justify wanting a game to cater to people who...in their own words...just "do what they want"? How can a game design company keep dangling the "reward" carrot to players who hate the "effort"?

 

Because, I think in the end, the "effort" that the MMO genre has developed isn't really all that fun after a while. Hence, we have people more focused on the meaning of the reward than what really should be the true reward - experiencing the gameplay in a manner that one finds enjoyable. That "carrot on a stick" methodology came about because the industry needed something to keep people paying for a game they already bought - and they used a bit of human psychology to do it (kinda in the same manner that people complaining about RNG "gambling" packs blame the industry for using). So long as people perceive some value in the reward, then the gaming industry has their hooks in them for that monthly transaction regardless of how well or fun the actual content they have to play is. Hence we have the situation we have now where everyone is looking for something to be different than the game they are playing, and then are inevitably disappointed when the next new shiney doesn't offer them what they want.

 

This is why the paradigm shift towards Free to Play can become a real boon to the industry. If the carrot that's on the end of the stick can now be bought in a cash shop, what's the motive to keep playing the game? The motive then has to be focused on fun, interesting, and engaging content. By doing this, the content becomes addictive and keeps drawing people back.

[TUXs]

You are aware at the low end of his example is a whopping SIX HOURS A WEEK!!! How is the world is that not casusl to you?

 

Sorry six hours? It doesn't matter the attitude in any mmo that would be casual.

Right - there was also a high end in his statement as well.

[Mirab]

I'm casual. Still I have studied my rotations and ultimate spec, I know what stats I should have etc.

The thing that makes me casual is the fact that I like to play this game without tutorials. So most of the time instead of using LFG tools I try to two man fp's and four man HC's with a friend of mine.

It's fun, it's challenging and sometimes takes up a lot of time. And it also keeps the game fresher for a longer time.

There is also this feeling of knowing that someone is having your back when you play with someone you know.

Downside: the few times I've done four man runs I've realized that I position sometimes in a totally wrong way.

 

What I'd love to find is other people who would be willing to do the same with dungeons. Just walk there and figure out how the place works.

 

Happy gaming to everyone

[Khevar]

You are aware at the low end of his example is a whopping SIX HOURS A WEEK!!! How is the world is that not casusl to you?

 

Sorry six hours? It doesn't matter the attitude in any mmo that would be casual.

For a few months now, I've only been able to play about six hours a week. I'd like to see you try and convince one of my guildies that I'm a "casual" player. They'd laugh in your face.

 

I'm a wealthy player, credit wise. I have many alts, most of which are level 55. I'm do NM raids. I built a web application to compare and analyze parses to see where I was falling down compared to top dps players. I once spent 7 months in a thread on these forums trying to convince people that HM LI was not overtuned.

"Casual" isn't solely defined by the length of time played, it has as much to do with the players attitude while they play.

TUXs has nailed it. This is 100% correct.

[TravelersWay]

You are aware at the low end of his example is a whopping SIX HOURS A WEEK!!! How is the world is that not casusl to you?

 

Sorry six hours? It doesn't matter the attitude in any mmo that would be casual.

 

Ahh but therein lies the problem. Just like time spent playing the game does not define the category you fall into, neither should the driving reason you are playing it. That is where I think the industry, the studies, and the community fall short. We are still trying to place only one overarching description to a category that simply cannot be categorized in such a way because of the very nature of the media we are talking about.

 

Hence, my added descriptions from an earlier post: dedicated and recreational. Take sports for instance. You have fans, but within that broad category you have fans who are more than fans, and then you have fans who are just fans. You can say a sports enthusiast is the hardcore fan while the guy who just watches games on Sunday afternoon is just the casual fan. The enthusiast knows all the player's stats, knows the best match-ups, knows the ins and outs of the rule book, etc. The casual fan just knows he wants his team to win and might not even know all the players' names on the team, let alone the stats.

 

However, if the enthusiast does not have season tickets (perhaps because he cannot afford them), does that make him any less hardcore? What if the casual fan actually has a minimum season ticket plan - does that suddenly make him more hardcore than the enthusiast? I don't think so.

 

To me, someone can most certainly place value on the experience of playing the game, and place little value on the rewards, yet still be very much hardcore. They can do endless gameplay videos, they can spend as much time on the forums as they do in the game, they can work to learn the best rotation or spec for their class, they can play every aspect of gameplay in the game regularly. They can do this because the experience of doing such is enjoyable to them over the rewards they get in the end. If that is still not hardcore, I simply do not know what it is.

 

In order to accurately define hardcore and casual, we simply must use more than one descriptor in order to do so. Being hardcore/casual is more than just the reason you are playing. It is the amount of time you spend playing; it is the amount of time you dedicate to the game outside of your gameplay sessions; it is the amount of time you spend learning the nuances of the mechanics and gameplay. By not taking these, and more factors into account, we are simply doing disservice to any discussion on the topic at hand (and thusly, any study does a disservice to itself and the industry as well).

[Spekle]

I always knew I'd never really get into Elder Game content (what I refer to using the universal MMO term: "Raiding"). I've played several MMOs, and long ago learned that I have no interest in two things: Raiding and PvP. I avoid them both in every game I play.

 

My point is that I never got into the routine of running "Dailes" for gear. It just seemed like a trap. Even with all the time I have to play SWTOR, I could not bear the thought of feeling that obligation to play specific content each day because ... well ... because it's what we do, right? I view Dailies the same way I do Facebook and Twitter (and, yes, in RL, I resemble my avatar on this forum): They're time traps. Once you start to dabble in either, you get drawn in and wake up one day unable to not rely on them. One more burden on my time each day.

 

When I log into SWTOR, I don't know what I will do. I could spend time crafting decoration stuff. I will likely send my comps on Crew Missions for more mats to make stuff to get stuff for my houses. I may just spend five minutes watching the Tatooine sunset. I have some alts I need to progress, so I may work on one of them. I like the not knowing. The not having any in-game commitments (either to others or myself). I like the autonomy.

 

I play around 40+ hours each week. I am casual and proud!

 

This is how I define casual play as well.

I choose not to do some things, because I know I am not that good at them.

That does not mean I don't enjoy the game, or expect the game to "stoop" to my level.

[TUXs]

TUXs has nailed it. This is 100% correct.

Hmmm...that'd make a good sig, but I believe I've seen something too similar to it before...

[Khevar]

Hmmm...that'd make a good sig, but I believe I've seen something too similar to it before...

Heh. Tru dat.

[Nickious]

For a few months now, I've only been able to play about six hours a week. I'd like to see you try and convince one of my guildies that I'm a "casual" player. They'd laugh in your face.

 

I'm a wealthy player, credit wise. I have many alts, most of which are level 55. I'm do NM raids. I built a web application to compare and analyze parses to see where I was falling down compared to top dps players. I once spent 7 months in a thread on these forums trying to convince people that HM LI was not overtuned.

 

TUXs has nailed it. This is 100% correct.

 

Quality over quantity I guess.

[Thoronmir]

So if we define casual and hardcore based not on time spent but on actions taken, how can we then justify wanting a game to cater to people who...in their own words...just "do what they want"? How can a game design company keep dangling the "reward" carrot to players who hate the "effort"?

Unless you're speaking of the (in my estimation) vast minority of players who expect the same rewards for specific content (PvP, Ops, whatever) without doing that content, then you miss the point of being "Casual." It doesn't matter what carrot BW dangles. We find our own fun in the game. We don't need any other motivation than what we already have.

 

Playing the game is its own reward.

 

And since we all know you actually are talking about that vast minority of players, who cares what BW decides to give them? I don't ask to get free Rancors, and Strongholds, and OPs armor, and PvP rewards, and whatever players deem the swag du jour. But BW offering such rewards without requiring the commensurate "effort" does not affect anyone. It doesn't make the recipients "better" players and the doctrine of natural selection will weed out the undeserving.

[DataBeaver]

A casual player plays 1-2 hours a day and wants to jump right in, and not spend more than 5 minutes setting things up. They play for immediate enjoyment rather than long-term goals. They don't plan their characters very far in advance, although they may have an eye for picking the good choices.

[DomiSotto]

Here we go, Merriam-Webster has a great one for you:

 

(2) : lacking a high degree of interest or devotion <casual sports fans> <casual readers> (3) : done without serious intent or commitment <casual sex>

[LordArtemis]

IMO players are defined by what they pursue in gaming, not by total time they play.

 

If you generally pursue reward and recognition, you are a hardcore player. If you play for the experience and pursue and enjoy content....and reward/recognition is less important to you (or only so important as to facilitate an easier pursuit of your primary goal of experiencing content) you are a casual player.

 

So, simply put, what you desire out a game defines whether or not you are casual or hardcore IMO.