You should now that it varies but neither (and at the same time, all) of the given definitions are correct, there are Casual games and there are the other games that are not casual these are not called hardcore games, this belief of if you prefer ''trend'' started when the term Hardcore Gamer was introduced around the PS1/N64 era and was used to describe a person that not only plays games for fun but for the sake of completing the game and is not satisfied even after re-playing the game several times until he had mastered every weapon, every character, every way of playing and discovered every secret, every unlockable and even every glitch; It has been deformed since then into whatever meaning you think it should have today which is debatable, the same happened to ''hardcore game'' which was inveted ''around'' this deformation. Or that's my definition.

That's actually a pretty good definition!! Now, THAT'S something a can call hardcore gaming!!!

There is no such thing. There are good games. There are bad games. And some games in between. That's all that matters.

However, if you want a definition that applies to people who insist on using it, here it is:

Hardcore game = game I like
Casual game = game I hate, but everyone else loves

But that would mean 2D and 3D Mario should be considered core...

Haha lulz! Yeah, that seems pretty accurate ^^ But I agree; to me there's only good games, bad games and decent games ^^

Essentially. There is still grey area but I find concentrating those terms on the consumer yeilds more understanding. That doesn't mean games are meant with certain audiences in mind based on their structure, story, and gameplay though. Some things are just not meant to be played casually. Those games are considered hardcore. Like Dark Souls, that game has very limited if no casual interaction because of its play style, but is a big hit with quite a lot of hardcore gamers.

What's the difference between core and hardcore? =/

Yeah I think I get what you're getting at...

The way I see it, a hardcore (or core) game is one where the player makes a significant investment into the game whether that be in the time it takes to play through (e.g. sandbox like GTA, Skyrim, most strategy games like Civilization or Starcraft), an emotional investment with the story/characters (e.g. RPGs like Dragon Age or Mass Effect) or in attempting to master the mechanics (God of War, Mario). They're essentially games that require the player to immerse themselves into one or more of these aspects to get the most out of it.

That's not to say a game can't be both casual and hardcore as games like GTA, CoD and Mario can be played casually or a player can invest and immerse themselves into the game. Bridge titles that balance both core and casual elements are what developers and publishers really strive for but rarely succeed in.

Well, that I can agree on! Hardcore- hard games that's deeper and more immersive than casual games. Core- Deeper and immersive games. Casuals- fun (and sometimes addictive) games that's easy to pick up and play and don't require much skill