Proves my point I would consider some of those Hard Core games, That do take time and you can't just pick up and play. You have to spend time to get good and go places.

Those are the opinions which the next defintion is derived from, so you have to define a great deal of other things to be able to reach an agreement on the next defintition.

You won't be able to find a real definition of 'hardcore', 'core' or 'casual' gamers or games, given that those are completely artificial terms.
'Casual' is usually used to define a non 'traditionnal' game or gamer. Typically young boys, girls, adults, old people (pretty much anyone that is not a young male) and their games. It has no relation with the amount of time or money spend on those games, nor their qualities.
As such 'Core' and 'Hardcore' only are the 'traditionnal' market (from the PS2 era at least). Typically 16-25 years old male.

Nah, all of those can be played either or. Theres plenty of Grey area.

Shooters, playing the single player is the hardcore aspect of the game seeing as how the point isn't to just play, it's to advance the game, the multi-player is the casual aspect. You just play it to win. No real point, other than just playing :P

Same with racers, You can't beat the final boss in need for speed with your starting car, you NEED to advance in the game to get better cars. HOWEVER, a game like rockband, if the final song was unlocked, could you beat it on Expert if you were an extremely advanced player? Absolutely. Yet no matter how good you are at driving, you will NOT beat that final boss with your shitty jetta :P

Fighting games are generally casual, you'll see them often in Arcades. Totally meant for two people who hardly know each other to walk up and start fighting. The only goal outside of that is to set a high score, which isn't the point of the game, just a personal goal, and if you take it upon yourself to get that goal, you are playing a CASUAL GAME, in a HARDCORE manor. But the game is still very casual.

Most RPG's really can't be casual, because you can't "casually" just sit down and play it 5 minutes out of every month. I mean you could, but you'd have to have a fantastic memory.

Games like WoW are also in the grey area, some people play it to learn the lore, advance in the story to get more missions, etc etc etc. Some people play it to socialize and be active at the same time :P You don't HAVE to know anything about WoW's world to play it.

I have friends that spend a lot of money on games but never finish them. I buy pretty few games but I try to squeeze every little piece of content out of what I have.


I first heard about the "hardcore gamer"-concept "post-XB release" but still the "XB-generation" defines for me everything that is not core at all, more the spoiled kid that wants a new game every week gamer (ok, I know that I'm generalizing).

Core gamer - A term developed by elitist nerds to elevate themselves above everyone else

Casual gamer - a term developed by elitist nerds to describe everybody else.

 Great definitions!

And as we all know elitist nerds never need (or are capapable) to operationalize anything whatsoever, so, case closed! 

 exactly.

See I think theres a few factors.

I think there are casual games and hardcore games, and I think there are casual players, and hardcore players. Some combinations of the two just don't mix lol.

Elitist -  term developed by people without the standing they want to descripe thoose who have it.

It's BS, that's what it is. I still think of hardcore gamers as the "educated" and people who don't ONLY play the big pop culture games (Smash, Zelda, Halo, Madden, CoD, you know). A hardcore gamer just focuses on what are "good", outstanding and/or original efforts in videogames, whether it's tracking down Panzer Dragoon Saga/Radiant Silvergun on eBay or getting into GTAIV.

Casual gamers are people who don't take the hobby seriously enough to really know what games are out there. There's nothing wrong with that really. But people seem to think that buying a lot of games, often more violent ones, qualifies as "hardcore". And graphics can be as important to you as gameplay, but a hardcore gamer knows not to outright dismiss any game based only on graphics.

I have no idea how these terms started to be used as such. I think it was a reactionary thing, against the Wii, honestly.

 But just doing something a bunch doesn't mean you're "hardcore". Playing Street Fighter II everyday doesn't mean you're a "hardcore" player if you never get better or explore the gameplay. Hardcore is supposed to be an avid fan and in-depth knowledge of something.