Skill was always involved in the arcades. You don't beat Pac-man if you're bad at games, and I bet the guy who has the world record in Donkey Kong doesn't play modern complex games.

I can agree with simple control and instant gratification, but not about lack of skill. Not eveyone wants to shoot stuff or listen to "amazing" storylines, etc either. It's all about presentation, content and intuitiveness, not difficulty. Many "casuals" I know kick ass at Pac man, teris and Guitar Hero.

Hobby gaming vs non-hobby gaming is an OK definition, so why not just use those terms instead. It would make for much nicer conversations without the degrading/elitist tones.

I agree that  Pac Man took skill, but then again arcade games were seperated by skill. The fighters were for the moderate and higher level players most of the time growing up. Most of the other games were just for fun, but yes they can all be mastered.

You should see my family in awe when they watch me play Halo, God of War or COD. They are in awe of the graphics and way videogames are today, but put a controller in their hand and watch them squirm. No doubt if they had the patience they could learn just like we did, but the Wii would be a better fit for them as it sorts through the fundamentals. Thats where Nintendo went wrong, they got the casuals with the instant gratification and then left them there without a follow up. Casuals will not chase something that isnt staring them in the face, so Nintendo better smarten up.

But are they interested enough to play themselves? I bet if they had any interest they'd learn to play those games rather competently.

I edited this into my previous post:

"Hobby gaming vs non-hobby gaming is an OK definition, so why not just use those terms instead. It would make for much nicer conversations without the degrading/elitist tones."

I edited my post. Sorry about that, but I had some extra stuff to add.

I can see it clearly, your superior gaming skillz, they call you a god in your tribe.

The bottom line is that the Wii U's launch has been a MUCH greater success than the launches of the PS3 and 360, and if a console at $300-$350 launching with a 2D Mario and with Wii Fit U right around the corner is experiencing slow or "lagging" sales, then I am T-E-R-R-I-F-I-E-D for Sony and Microsoft's next home consoles. I don't know what games or price tags they could possibly launch with that would give them a leg up over Nintendo here.

Bold is the important bit. After Wii Music (which was a horrible failure and an embarrasment to Miyamoto's track record) Nintendo just made sequels to their popular Wii games without exploring that direction further. And when they didn't keep delivering on their promise, hype gradually decreased as people lost interest. Had it not been for New Super Mario Bros, the Wii would have declined even earlier, and faster.

Don't be mad at them, it's a defensive mechanism so those "h4rdc0r3 g4m3rz" can feel superior at something, however meaningless it might be.

Don't go there, but you know very well that games today to the average onlooker demands a much higher level of hand-eye coordination than decades before the turn of the century. If I was a casual I would be intimidated as well. I was playing UFC with my friend and his uncle came in and saw us playing the game and started cheering us on. He asked to play and when he asked what the controls were it was like handing him a laundry list that he didnt have the time or patience to sort out. Remember the days when you could play a game and just punch and duck like the old boxing games on Sega? Yeah, those days are over. 

UFC is separated by three types of gamers (from online experience):

1. The spammer: Generally a casual without the patience to learn how the games core mechanics work. They just want to punch and kick their way to victory. Their victories generally come by surprise if they beat anyone above their skill level. Remember the game does have flash knockouts so they do have a shot.

2. The moderate player: This player knows how to reverse sometimes, but knows the essentials moves and use a balanced attack.

3. The hardcore gamer (technician): Not only knows how timing works, but how to create advances on their opponent, reverse at the right time and force them into submission or take them out whether on the ground or standing. They not only know the essentials, but the extra parts, like knocking your breathing off course with calculated punches and picks to the stomach and wearing out their opponents stamina. They understand that if they cannot win one way they always have  other options. The other two might get stumped because of it. They wear out every button the controller has to offer for every situation.