Me said:
Taken from Wilkepedia (below) - i notice in both definitions it doesn't state it's defined by the type of game you play so where is this Industry Definition you constantly throw into the conversation? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardcore_gamer Hardcore gamer is a widely used term applied to describe a type of video game player. There is currently no unanimously agreed upon definition for the term (see Usage of the Term). Some describe hardcore gamers as those whose leisure time is largely devoted to playing or reading about video games. This type of gamer prefers to take significant time and practice on games, in contrast to a casual gamer. Many hardcore gamers pride themselves on mastering the rules or use of a game, although this is not a strict requirement. Conflicting opinion argues that it is not so much the time spent on games however, as casual gamers can spend hundreds of hours on games without ever mastering them. |
This pretty much sums up what the industry thinks core gamers are:
http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20000801/adams_01.htm##