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[skaldicpoet9]

So I have seen a lot of people claim to be "hardcore" gamers of late. Mostly this entails 360 and PS3 owners that are much more "hardcore" then those silly kids and elderly people who own Wiis. I am at a loss here. What exactly makes someone a "hardcore" gamer? Is it pining over Halo 3? Praising the graphical prowess of Assassins Creed? I am quite confused. Now, I am not trying to start anything I am actually just asking a straightforward question. I want to know what makes someone "hardcore". Where I am from "hardcore" is those punk kids that beat the shit out of each other at shitty punk shows and then brag about how hardcore they are. Is there someone here that can maybe elucidate this claim for me? I am in serious need of a detailed explanation pertaining to this designation.

[Jolli]

its just a stupid term people use to catagorize gamers by what they play 

[J.W. Hendricks]

A hardcore gamer is one who truly gets into the game, if you will. They have gained tons of experience at the game. They know almost every secret and bit of info.

[Michaël Samyn]

Chris Bateman considers the hardcore gamers (as opposed to casual ones) those who have made a hobby out of gaming.

[.TakaM]

The fake definition is something like "people who kill time to play games" when casual gamers "play games to kill time"

Personally, I find 'hardcore gamers' to mean basically the same thing as 'fanboy' or 'asshole'
like they'll kill you when you ask them not to so you can test something in a game, then they'll use the excuse "relax, it's just a game" when they're obviously taking it much more seriously because they can't stand letting an easy kill pass by.

I just believe I "love gaming"
I play old games more than I play new ones, which is absolutely not the case for a lot of self proclaimed 'harcore gamers'


It's like "next gen"
it no longer means what it should, it's just turned into a stupid fuckin buzz phrase that the stupidest have bought into

[skaldicpoet9]

Yeah, I am just tired of hearing the phrase "I am a hardcore gamer" from everyone and their mom. I think that it is just a bullshit designation. It is also funny that according to many mainstream media outlets hardcore gamers are comprised of 360 and PS3 owners which implies that being a "hardcore gamer" has something to do with hi-def graphics, blue ray tech and so on. I like to play games plain and simple. Call it what you want.

[Tondog]

Hardcore gamers in my opinion are people willing venture out try any game, often looking beyond the mainstream into more obscure games and into the indie scene. Hardcore gamers are likely to play Halo, Knytt, Cave Story, Madden, Ico, or anything that intrigues them.

I also think there's another category of gamers that have popped up in recent years, especially with the Xbox generation. That category would be known as casual hardcore. These people are hardcore gamers but only really play what's in the mainstream. Basically, they only play stuff like Halo, GTA, Gears of War, Call of Duty, Guitar Hero, etc.

If you want me to expand on that, I'm willing to.

[Radnom]

I dunno about where you lot are, but Guitar Hero is very much a niche game where I am... I only know one other person with it, and only because I convinced him to buy it.

Otherwise, I totally agree with Tondog.

The definition of 'hardcore gamer' depends on how you are defining 'hardcore' really.

[moshboy]

I've always been fascinated by all types of games from free to shareware to flash to commercial and the words 'hardcore' and 'casual' aren't even thought about in my world. I get that its human nature to categorize things but makes things pretty boring. It's almost like the definition is there so you either have to be one or the other.. you can't like both. And then ofcourse there's the general perception that casual gamers are sissies or something. Load of crap.

[skaldicpoet9]

And then of course there's the general perception that casual gamers are sissies or something. Load of crap.

Yeah, I don't know what that is all about. I don't know if you are any less "hardcore" of a gamer if you are a soccer mom who plays Bejewelled like it is going out of style. What really gets me is why there is all of this animosity from 360 and PS3 owners toward the Wii. It is infinitely interesting as to why there seems to be a sudden resistance to the advent of a new way to play games. You would think that this new technology would be embraced more. Why is it more hardcore to stick to the tried and true tradition of gamepad/console/game? We have been sticking to the same notions of what it means to play video games for a long, long time.

If I were to invent any sort of definition for a "hardcore" gamer it would have to be close to what Javet was saying: someone who explores and completes every single inch of the game. Someone who goes the extra mile and plays the game to it's fullest potential.

Personally, I find 'hardcore gamers' to mean basically the same thing as 'fanboy' or 'asshole'

And I tend to agree with this sentiment somewhat as well :D

[moshboy]

That's precisely why it's best not to bother coming up with a definition.. if Javet's definition was the accepted one than that would again create another divide because then there would be snobbery towards the people that actually don't bother exploring every pixel in a game - and nor should they have to.

[Seth]

I don't really like the word "gamer" either.  I play games, I do not game them.

[skaldicpoet9]

That's precisely why it's best not to bother coming up with a definition.. if Javet's definition was the accepted one than that would again create another divide because then there would be snobbery towards the people that actually don't bother exploring every pixel in a game - and nor should they have to.

I agree with that tremendously. I feel that classifying people separates us and breaks people up into smaller "elite" groups which are a hindrance to the social nature of games.

I don't really like the word "gamer" either.  I play games, I do not game them.

That's exactly what I am saying. People for whatever reason need to group everything into specific labels that sometimes goes so far as to allow people to create pseudo-identities based upon their adherence to a particular label. I like to play games that's all. It just kind of irks me that the media feeds into this stereotype but I suppose that is to be expected from the media these days.

[Xander]

Players of the hit 'BATTLE RAPER!' series?

[___]

Hardcore gamer to me means as much as next-gen.  ...so, absolutely nothing.  Marketting buzzword that's gone out of control.

[moi]

For me the distinction is simple:
-the hardcore gamer is the guy (or girl but you know it's rare) who can invest hours of his life into a videogame in order to complete it or to gain mastery of it. The hardcore gamer has generally few other hobbies outside of computers.
-The casual gamer is everybody else who plays but don't want to waste too much time into it.

According to this definition, the young male teenager who play sports games occasionally on XBOX isn't a hardcore gamer.
I know the distinction is artificial, but it does designate something real.

[skaldicpoet9]

I don't know...that sounds a little too simple for me. There are varying shades of gamers within the frame you have discussed.

*Weekend Warriors (those who work all week and play all weekend)
*Children age 10 to around 14
*Teens 14 to 17
etc...

I don't think I would classify these groups as either "hardcore" or "casual" (as per your definition) due to the fact that each one exhibits some tendencies of both of these distinctions. And I don't see how you have to be so "hardcore" as to neglect other areas of your life besides those that relate to computers and video games.


But alas, as it has been mentioned before, I believe that there should not be specific types of "gamers". To be a "gamer" is to be the same as a connoisseur of fine wines: you must be able to differentiate between a plethora of superb tastes and varieties of wine in order to be a true "connoisseur" of wine. Ultimately I think that a gamer is anyone who takes the medium of gaming seriously (not necessarily obsessing or devoting an immense amount of time to it either) and is willing to try new things to push the boundaries of what is possible within the medium.

[george]

For me the distinction is simple:
-the hardcore gamer is the guy (or girl but you know it's rare) who can invest hours of his life into a videogame in order to complete it or to gain mastery of it.

I agree that time spent is a big part of how I would define it. Maybe the biggest part.

In marketing speak hardcore equals spending $$$.

I play many different kinds of games, console, casual Flash, indie shareware, free muds and IF, but I don't spend enough time on the hobby to call myself 'hardcore'.

[moshboy]

I'm not so sure that I'd agree that it's all that 'real'. There are guys who have a lot of time on their hands to play videogames some parts of the year and hardly any at other times - are they part time hardcore gamers?

I think passion for videogames, regardless of how much time you spend on them, means a lot more than this hardcore/casual shite.

[Michaël Samyn]

What if casual games are too hardcore for me?