Do Hardcore Gamers become Casual as they age?

[Hawk]

Kasz216 said:
I think there isn't any thing as a "Hardcore" game.

Just popular games and niche games.

I don't see how the guy who plays Mario and Sonic at the Olympics 5 hours a day is any less hardcore then a guy who plays COD4 5 hours a day or what makes one game more "Hardcore" then another.

Games like Halo, COD4 and GTA3 are actually VERY casual... otherwise they wouldn't sell as well as they would

 

HappySqurriel said:

This is one of the main problems with using a term like "Casual" to imply so many things ...

"Casual" gamers (initially) comes from MMO games where the "Casual" gamer wanted not to be punished for lacking the free time that other gamers had. In this way most gamers become more casual as they age, and they will favour games that do not require the time investment that a youger gamer may crave; many older gamers I know (who loved online FPS games when they were 16 to 24) avoid any online first person shooters because they don't have the time to memorize all of the maps, and stay "in practice" ...

   I personally have different opinions of what 'Hardcore' and 'Casual' mean than what they seem to be used for all the time.  I worded my OP using what I think are the more commonly used meanings  Casual games being more family friendly games, and Hardcore meaning more adult oriented. 

   The thread this came up in, I think people were suggesting that gamers play more family oriented, lower budget, and party games as they get older and stop playing the more adult oriented games.  People were arguing that the casual gamer is taking over, and developers are going to shift spending to 'casual' games.  And a few people said that as gamers get older, they will become 'casual' gamers.

  I find it humorous so many people seem scared their 'Hardcore' games are going away because the 'Casual' Market is expanding.  And they don't seem to realize the same people, the same demand, that there has been for the 'Hardcore' games is not going anywhere or decreasing.  So why would 'Hardcore' games go away?

   But this explination that older gamers turn from Hardcore to Casual was a new arguement to me.  One I wasn't sure if it had any validity to or not.