Let's start by saying that there is no black and white. Nowadays we have so many people playing games and such a wide variety of games that it is maybe time to come up with a new system to classify games and gamers. However, when people talk about hardcore and casuals a do have some, yeah maybe cartoonish, ideas that come to my mind.
Hardcore Gamer (let's paint his clothes black): A single guy with some economic independence whose passion for videogames makes him spend most of his free time and money in games. He owns a PC and several consoles and handhelds. He loves hitech stuff. His collection is pretty big, easily more than 100 games, but that's only those which deserve to be kept. He's the kind of gamer that finishes the games in 100% and keeps on playing them. For him, there is something called "History of Videogames" and he knows about every platform and every game ever. This guy pre orders his games or buy them on day one. Why? Because he knows the release dates in advance. How? Surfing the web and being aware of every little news about the development process of his upcoming games. He not only knows how are the games reviewed but he writes reviews about games he had played. Sometimes they are good reviews, but most of the times they are bad reviews. Somehow, he can't get satisfaction anymore. As a hardcore, he is very demanding of the product; after all he is a very important consumer.
Hardcore games: high maintenance guys like this need games with the following features
Immersive: Fantasy and situations far from reality need it
Single player: To be absolute in control of this escapist trip
Balance between novelty and repetition: Needed to keep player hooked
Rewarding difficulty: Is this game worthy of a true hardcore/experienced gamer?
Violent actions: Perfect place to do what you can't in real life
Casual Gamer (let's paint her clothes white): This is a married woman with kids also with some economic means at her disposal. She is a super mom who has a job and takes care of her children and husband. Along with him, she decided to buy a Nintendo Wii in Christmas "for the family". The older son already had a ps2 in his bedroom, but this new white machine was put in the living room. She hasn’t played much, actually. What she does is organizing little family parties around the Wii, mostly the weekends. They play Wii Sports and Wii play. She has also bought some Mario games for the little kids, a WW2 shooter for the husband, and RE4 for the older son. But her favorite game is Wiifit which she plays alone and also shows off to her girl friends. The next game she's planning to buy, mainly because of the little kids constant nagging, is Wii Music. Maybe she'll get it in Wallmart for Christmas.
Casual Games: To this kind of customer we need the following features
Pick and play: games must be designed for short sessions and taking turns
Social: The real fun is in the simultaneous interaction
Intuitive difficulty: If this kind of games need a tutorial, they are no good
For everyone: No sensitive topics or previous deep knowledge should be required
Well, now that I have finished posting my opinion I must say that these descriptions are ridiculous. Way too accurate. And the real gamers are way to damm different between each other. If somebody is offended because they are called hardcore or casual, well, sorry. But this is how the people in marketing work to try to come up with products every time more close to our personal and unique taste.
"So, convince me that "hardcore games" actually exist. How do you define a "hardcore game" - or, for that matter, a "hardcore gamer"? What creates such a stark difference between "hardcore" and "casual"?"
So... to answer your question, the difference between hardcore and casual is created by the developers and publishers. They just want more money and the market of the hardcore can be very difficult to please. So they are going casual. And some hardcore gamers are living an existential crisis just because of the very existence of the Nintendo Wii! The difference with the casuals is that they just don't care. For this people, videogames are just another form of entertainment. Some hardcore gamers call themselves like that trying to feel special, different, and superior; like the little circle of people who can really appreciate the fine art of videogames. Casuals don't even know they are called casuals; they have other things to care about.
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