[Warning – long post and one that uses a lot of broad generalizations to keep it from being even longer]
The reason for the division between “Casual Gamers” and “Hardcore Gamers” is more a social issue than a gaming issue. It reflects with surprising accuracy the normal and expected behavior of some distinct demographic groups.
I’ve never seen an exact number but I think it is no secret that the vast majority of “Hardcore” gamers are males between adolescence and 35. This is far and away the most competitive and aggressive group in society. They tend to bond primarily with their peers and have less interest in interacting with people outside that group. Excluding a desire to interact with members of the opposite sex which is a wholly different type of interaction and somewhat limited. In other words they may be strongly attracted to a particular female but no desire to hang out with a group of females or participate in “female” activities.
This group is very anxious to demonstrate their prowess, and protective of their “turf”. This desire to bond with peers in shared competitive/aggressive behavior in its unhealthiest form would include street gangs and in a more acceptable form in joining a clan and participating in an intense aggressive and competitive online game. FPS games are especially popular.
This is not meant as a criticism of this group. They are genetically and hormonal programmed this way since they are the warriors class that protect the rest of us.
Females of all ages and younger and older males tend to be socially less isolated and more inclusive in the groups they are willing to participate in activities with. They are generally less aggressive and competitive. They are more likely to tolerate interacting with people of a much lower skill level, such as very young children.
Now we have two basic types of gaming console. One type is particularly well suited to immersive, realistic and often violent games. The other has a much shorter learning curve and is much more accessible. “Even my grandmother can play Wii sport”, “I have a Wii mainly because of – my girlfriend – my younger brother – parties”
So is it surprising that the core fans of the HD consoles are male, 15-35, that like to play games like COD4, GTA, MGS. They like intense competitive play but exclusively with their peers. As Sony put it “we don’t care about the golden agers.” They look down their nose at “Casual” gamers who play games that are less aggressive and competitive “Wii Fit isn’t even a game” “GH is a very casual game wjich is why it sold best on the Wii” (a quote from a forum today). These gamers are xenophobic enough about their gaming that they resent and feel threatened that these “casual” types even call themselves gamers. “It’s like calling yourself a war veteran when you never had anything but a squirt gun.”(Also from a forum posting today.)
The difference with everyone outside this group is they are more likely to enjoy a game that isn’t so competitive or even goal oriented – Nintendogs. They also are more social and like games that permit a wider range of skill levels. They are not necessarily looking for as immersive an experience and gaming is less likely to be a central part of their life and their identity. The only thing is that there are more of them so their preferred console sells more units.
Arguably the most well balanced individuals are those that have both a HD console and a Wii because they are able to satisfy their competitive as well as their socialization needs.
