Back in my day being a "hardcore" gamer just meant you played a lot of games and knew a lot about games. It meant you knew the Konami code and carried a Gameboy or Game Gear in your backpack.
When did "hardcore" start having anything to do with the game's content or theme? When did gamers start caring about being "hardcore"? Probably around the time the internet turned happy console players into crazy hate filled fanboys. Before the internet we didn't know Mario 2 was Doki Doki Panic. Before the internet if you had a Genisis and your friend had a SNES it mean you'd play each other's games. Now fanboys hate each other just for playing games on a console that isn't their favorite. And apparently the word hardcore is something worth arguing over because nobody wants to just be a casual gamer.
I like movies, but I don't go and see every single one. If you called me a casual movie watcher I'd be OK way with that. But, for some reason getting called a casual gamer is like calling someone retarded.
