I notice that many people still don't agree or know how to define hardcore and casual gamers. I urge everyone to adopt Chris Kohler's classification of gamers because it very descriptive and far more specific than most classifications. Note OTE the following was written in response to Steve Kent's Wii bubble will burst comment but the classifications are very good:

1) Hardcore Gamer

Set apart from "people who play games a lot," these are the people who are deeply into video games, gaming subculture. Can spend more time a day reading game websites and posting on forums than actually playing games, sometimes. Love sales charts and interviews with executives. They have huge collections of games. Played ICO and Katamari Damacy back before it was cool.

Percentage of audience: Small. While they are the trend-setters, the early adopters, the vanguard, they are dwarfed by the #2 Casual Gamers, who make up the vast majority of console owners. They make up for it by being really loud and buying more software than anyone. So brand-loyal that a small company can eke out a living selling games just to these gamers, although it is a fine line they have to walk.

Console buying habits: They buy the major game consoles as soon as they come out, or as soon as they can afford to. (If they can't afford to buy all consoles, will choose one and become a rabid fanboy of that system to make up for it.) It's not that they are completely price-insensitive: they wouldn't drop $600 on a 3D0. Are not quite sure $600 on a PS3 is a good idea, either, but it's definitely tempting, which is significantly more than can be said for the other groups.

Affected by "Wii bubble burst": Minimally, if at all. Remember, these are people who even today will go back and play Revenge of the Gator on the black and white Game Boy. They like hot graphics, but by and large, as long as the gameplay is compelling, it's not critical.

2) Casual Gamer

The original "blue ocean" that Sony triumphantly sailed into in the mid-nineties. 18-34 year old males who think games are awesome but only own three of them, and two of those are Grand Theft Auto. Maybe they read IGN and put down preorders for Madden, but that is as dedicated as they get.

Percentage of audience: Huge. Sony sold most of their PlayStation 2 consoles to these guys.

Console buying habits: The prime example in the game industry of "price elasticity of demand." They want an Xbox 360 but most aren't willing to put down a huge chunk of change for one until there's a price drop and a game they've just got to have. As the price drops, the number of "casual gamers" you can get grows exponentially. Past a certain price point, they don't care a bit about longevity or making an investment. It's an impulse buy.

Since Wii was priced right off the bat at an impulse price, it is snatching up a number of these casual gamers earlier in the lifecycle. This is one of the ways that Nintendo "disrupted" the console market, because historically, you sell the early adopters an expensive machine, then gradually drop the price. Nintendo came in with a low-priced entry which was immediately appealing to the mass market, thus disrupting Sony and Microsoft's ability to rely on things happening the way they always have.

Affected by "Wii bubble burst": Significantly -- maybe. This is where the "Wii bubble burst" might have an impact. As the price of the Xbox 360 drops and more of these guys get high-def television sets, which are also plummeting in price, the Wii's price advantage might not matter as much, and the old tech might dissuade them. The novelty of the controller might not be enough of a counter-balance. Then again, it might be. This is where software becomes crucial.

3) Expanded Audience

These are the people being referred to, these days, as "casual gamers." The new "blue ocean." They're being targeted by Nintendo and by EA's new "Casual" division. Coveted -- but totally unreached -- by Microsoft. It's your grandma, and your dad, and everyone who would not have even considered for a second buying a PlayStation 2 -- even though they spent the last ten years playing Solitaire on their work computer and Bejeweled on their phone.

Percentage of the audience: Unknown. Nintendo says it's going to be massive. Skeptics say they are smoking crack. Nintendo's billions of dollars add a certain credibility to their position.

Console buying habits: They are buying the Wii, or nothing. Price is extremely important, which is why Wii was designed to be small and inexpensive. The vast majority of them would still not consider the purchase of an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, nor would they have paid $400 for Wii. Much like "casual gamers," each successive price drop on Wii will bring in exponentially more of them. (In theory.)

Affected by "Wii bubble burst": Minimally, if at all. They don't know high-def from high-top sneakers. Sure, they might own an LCD television, but to them the advantages are that it's flat, easy to dust, and matches the curtains. Could not care less if the Xbox 360 has better graphics because it's not at all appealing to them.

4) Kids

Like people, but smaller. Enjoy playing Hannah Montana and Spongebob games, but also family-friendly hardcore gamer fare like Zelda. Wish Pokemon were real.

Percentage of the audience: Sizeable. Are sort of like a combination of #2 Casual Gamers and #1 Hardcore Gamers because while games might be an obsession for them, it's also an obsession for all of their classmates. Kids might love games more than #1 Hardcore Gamers, but they don't buy as many of them: they only get them for birthdays and Christmas, so they play the heck out of fewer products. Can be lucrative with the right approach.

Console buying habits: None, because they don't have that kind of money. They have to convince Mom and Dad to buy it. And since Mom and Dad aren't going to play the thing, price elasticity of demand is huge here, since the one and only thing that affects M&D as consumers is price. Whereas #2 Casual Gamers might up and decide to forego food to blow way more than they can afford on a PS3, Mom and Dad never will.

Now, it's true that unless they're total jerks, M&D won't buy the kid a console he doesn't want. But when they're faced with getting a $250 Wii or not getting a $400 Xbox 360, you'd be surprised how fast kids change their console allegiances.

Affected by "Wii bubble burst": Minimally, if at all. Kids don't buy thousand-dollar home theater setups. They put sandwiches in the VCR. They just want the games that appeal to them. Since Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 will be far less packed with kid-friendly content, the Wii, very much like GameCube before it, is going to be the kids' dream system. [Note: if they suddenly express the urge to get an Xbox 360 because they want to kill people in 1080p, your little angel has just grown up and graduated to a #2 Casual Gamer.]

Hmm im not in there...

Wheres the core gamer? I'm guessing thats the casual gamer?

your missing the class of professional gamers which is even smaller and have more depth then Hardcore.

 I think that would be the hardcore classification. Also notice Kohle's classifications aren't always using terms that everyone is familiar with but his classifications are very detail and help bridge the gap between this generation and the previous ones. Afterall when did the Madden and GTA only buyers of the PS2 era became hardcore gamers?

His definitions for casual and Hardcore are far to rigid, most gamers on this site seem to fall in the giant gap separating them.

edit: Also I thought the entire point was to keep Hardcore/Casual as undefinted, it's got a much nicer mistique that way. 

You're probably right but they are probably too small and probably share much of the same qualities as hardcore. They are just more hardcore than other hardcore gamers.

goods description and classes. I will be adopting these forth with.

I was about to say something like "bugger off and stop telling me how to use my language!", but then I read your copypasta, and found myself completely agreeing. Not sure why you're directing this specifically to Nintendo fans, since everyone uses these terms when discussing games and gamers.

I especially like how these definitions offer a good way to view the view the leaps from the SNES to the PS1, and the PS2 to the Wii. The NES, SNES, and N64 appealed to groups 1 and 4. The PS1 and PS2 appealed to groups 1, 2, and 4. The Wii and DS appeal to groups 1, 2, 3, and 4.

I really don't fit into any of these. I'm somwhere between 1 and 2, since I buy a lot of games, but I really don't play the obscure ones.

srry i don't see different classes we are one