In the appropriate terminology

Core gamers are gamers that devote a lot of their time in video games. Spends most of their time playing a certain game that they're trying to beat (achievements or high scores).

A casual gamer is just a gamer that plays games whenever they have time due to work, school etc. It mainly stems from a lack of interest. Just something to do.



But their meanings have evolved to something comepletely differen't due to todays society. It now describes people who thinks of themselves as an "elitist." It's someone who thinks they're so high and mighty, that everyone else who play games that are not "hardcore" are below them. Thoes hardcore games are games that are usualy marketed as M rated. These gamers think that just because they play Mature titles makes them "Mature" in the sense of, only games with violence and gore are "hardcore." But there are some games that are not M rated are accepted as mature and thus are consisdered hardcore. Basicly they see these games as something "cool" and everything else is not so they belittle them.

In fact, because they forget about the true meaning of casual and core gaming, A lot of them are unaware that these games they think are hardcore are in fact casual. A perfect example would be games like FPS. The gameplay is so simple anybody can just pick up a controller and start shooting. But A fighing game on the other hand requires a combination of button inputs to do a move. Though that doesn't make it necessarily hardcore. since there really is no proper classification for games that are not casual.

This is the best I can describe it. To anyone else correct me if im wrong.

I think it would be important to separate players from games and genres when referring to casual and hardcore.  I believe about any game requiring some skill can have hardcore players associated, even games called "casual" games.  And games with some accessibility, even if seen as "hardcore" can get casual players interested in them and playing them.

An example of what I mean is chess.  Chess, by videogame standards, gets lumped into the "casual" category.  But, there are hardcore players and casual players of it.

Casual gamers play games to have fun. Hardcore gamers play games so they can complain about them online and feel they are elite because they are better at pushing buttons than the casuals.

I play all games from Bejeweled to Halo and Cut the Rope to Earth Defense Force. I call myself a gamer.

For fuck sake I lost my ability to edit, and quote. Buttons don't work.

Anyway richardhutnik well like I said there is no such thing as a hardcore game. Only these elitists or core gamer call them hardcore. Hell Tetris is as casual as it can get, but the hardest of the core play it like crazy scoring like 2 400 lines in one session. Thats who you make a game like Tetris hardcore

Yeah it is important to seperate them but they'll always be mixed in with the rest. An elitist will call any hardcore gamer of videogame chess casual because VG chess doesn't fall into their perception of "cool" a.k.a. "hardcore."

Okay, clarification time, please. What are we talking about here, exactly? "Core" and "hardcore" are not the same thing at all. A hardcore player is usually just a very dedicated, sometimes fanatical, player. They are often core, but not necessarily. I know a woman who plays more puzzle games in a day than I play video-games all week.

Microsoft designates four types, three of which most of us on websites like this would describe as "casual": Dabblers, Family-Timers, Connected, and Core. In their terminology, core is mainly defined by genres played (RPG, Action-Adventure, Shooters, etc.) and by a generally higher level of technical savvy. "Core" is not a dirty word by any stretch of the imagination. Actually, "hardcore" isn't either, as I've known hardcore players who are very open-minded. Hardcore in no way automatically equates to elitist. Generalizing core or hardcore is just as bad as generalizing casuals.

Wow another casual and hardcore topic...
Here is my answer, I can played Skyrim all day in weekend (sat-sun) and I can played angry bird all about 2-3 hours a day and sometime I got gold tanooki. I'm a gamer and I open for every great and fun games.

Core gamers like talk too much about vgames, casuals play videogames

I think that is the worst description of hardcore and casuals gamers i have ever seen.

When i think hardcore vs casual i think of hardcore as gamers who play games as their hobby. Where as casuals play games to fill time.

I think the most appropriate way to distinguish "hardcore" and "casual" gamer is to focus on time, energy, and money dedicated to playing video games. So-called hardcore gamers spend a lot more time and a lot more money buying, playing, and learning about games. Casual gamers spend much less time and money.

But they're counter-productive terms. More often than not they start a fight instead of a productive conversation about the industry and about the community of video game enthusiasts.

The dichotomy we should be focusing on is good games vs. bad games. Not hardcore gamers vs. casual gamers.

In what other medium does this conversation even come up? Are there hardcore movie watchers? Or casual book readers?

Trying to nail down this issue is a bit like trying to nail down jello here.  I did end up swapping core and hardcore here, partly to save space, and also blurring of things.  To nail down the issue, I can see there are a number of elements (Microsoft did do a decent labelling there actually):

* Degree of commitment to a particular game.

* Degree of commitment to a given genre.

* Degree of commitment to a certain platform.

* Degree of commitment to games in general.

* Competency and expertise at playing or mastering.

* Environment one plays in.

* Degree of depth in a given genre and level involved to master it.

* Appeal of a given genre to dedicated vs casual play.

Well, I may of missed some, but that is a bunch.  I would, out of this, then have to ask: As one gets more dedicated, how exactly does one's thinking change towards things?  In my case, I cringe whenever someone equates a game I have created or play to: Chess, Checkers, Risk or Monopoly.  Yes, people will see that and not pick up the nuances.