See my thread on the subject: http://www.vgchartz.com/forum/thread.php?id=59782&page=1
| metalmonstar said: These two terms are thrown around very loosely on any gaming site. So who are the hardcore gamers? Is a hardcore gamer someone who plays FPS, RTS, Action, WRPGs, some JRPGs, and some racing sims and casuals are the people who play the other genres? Is a hardcore gamer the person who goes out and buys games that only get 8s-10s on review sites? Some will tell you that the hardcore gamers are the ones of ages 16-25 year old males. You can't confuse hardcore and casual with demographic. Although many understand what is being meant when the terms hardcore and casual are used, the definition of either is incredibly shaky. The truth of the matter is that you cannot define someone as hardcore or casual by what they play ir who they are. That is like telling someone they aren't an acoholic because they don't drink vodka. That is like defining someone as a casual smoker by what brand they smoke. From a market standpoint, this is a sales site, casual and hardcore are defined by how much of a product they purchase. A casual smoker only smokes a cigarrette on occasion, while a chain smoker goes through pack after pack. A hardcore gamer probably buys 10+ games a year while a casual gamer only purchases 1-3 games a year.
Are there a lot of casuals on the wii? Yes there are. There are casuals on any system. Not everyone can afford to buy that many games a year. Companies compete for the purchases of the casual. If DQ monster and pokemon come out in the same year, the hardcore will probably end up with both. On the other hand, casuals with ask others which one they should buy.
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I agree that purchases should represent "casualness", but apparently this is not the case:
The Wii, that is supposed to be the most casual, has a decent software attachment rate right between PS3's and 360's. (and a leading "overall software sales" number).
Actually, these games that are considered casual, (Wii Sports, Wii Fit, etc), are getting played as much as some "hardcore"-labeled games.
BTW, even the purchases factor is misleading. I know people who bought The Sims 2, and no other game, or console ever. (not even the EPs). Yet they played with it every day, for months or even years.
Are they casual gamers? Even though they, play it REGULARLY, even visited fansites titled for "HARDCORE Sims fans"? :P
Casuals are those who play on irregular occasions, for example, Guitar Hero at a house party, or a flash game found while browsing the net.
For example, my sister, who played The Sims 2, that I bought for myself, for a few hours before getting bored, and also plays games on her mobile phone, would be a casual gamer.
