...is getting pretty rediculous.  I realize that many people on this board consider themselves hardcore gamers, and there are differing opinions about what counts as a hardcore gamer and what doesn't.  However, regardless of who you think is hardcore and who you think is casual, insulting casual gamers has got to stop.  Saying that they are ruining gaming or games developed with them in mind are destroying the industry is both absolute rubbish and at the same time biting the hand that feeds.

Casual gamers are the ones who carry this industry and they don't seem to get any respect.  They account for the largest percentage of money spent on video games (not individually, but combined) and yet receive the smallest share of the respect and attention given out by other gamers as well as most developers.  I saw the same bull-crap attitudes all the time while playing various MMO's.  Everquest was carried by casual players, and yet almost everything in it was designed with the hardcore players in mind.  Hell, the hardcore players even had the temerity of complaining when one of the expansions was designed for casual players instead of them.  Just as a quick aside, I was a hardcore EQ player...3 accounts, 4 years and over 250 days played on my main character with 10 months in the top guild on my server (for those math challenged, that averages almost 6 hours a day over those 4 years...its a wonder I finished university at all haha).

If you like hardcore games, you better bow down and kiss the ass of the next 100 casual gamers you see because they are the reason you have games to play.  I don't care if you buy 30 games a year and spend thousands of dollars on video games, you still barely make a dent in the overall picture.  If a thousand hardcore gamers buy 30 games a year, but a million casual gamers buy one game a year, who do you think is carrying the brunt of the sales here?

That is all...feel free to continue with the usual "casual's are ruining my hobby" crap, but don't be surprised if you wake up one day and have nothing worth playing...

Disclaimer: This is my opinion and nothing more.  Feel free to disregard it if you choose.  If you expect me to provide links, you'll be waiting a long time since not only do I have none, I doubt they exist to be found.  This is purely annectodal evidence on my part and is based primarily and solely on my personal experiences...however since I am always right, if you reject my opinion don't blame me if you suddenly burst into flames or a missile accidently lands on your house, as you have now been amply warned that my opponents have a strange habit of dying suddenly and mysteriously.  If you want proof, just ask them.

I have no idea how much those "casual" gamers contribute but I don't disagree what you say about those "hardcore" gamers referring the Wii/"casual" gamers ruining their gaming experiences. Overall though, I find there's little to be proud about playing games, especially playing them excessively...

People who watch crappy movies carry the movie industry, should they get respect?

Same with people who listen to crap music.

 If you think there's little to be proud of playing games, why are you in a gaming forum spending extra time talking about games when you are not playing them? Surely it's a waste of time by this logic.

offtopic addition: ... or watch reality shows

What is this a threat that games will end? Or are you saying all future games will be casual? Eitherway it makes me even more wary of casual gamers...

 Reality show watchers contribute to tv stations making money, should I respect the people who watch that garbage?

Except the movies that are valuable have artistic merit. The "great games" you speak of do not, and usually have less maturity than the casual games. That's my problem. The "crappy movies" you talk about are things like Pirates of the Caribbean, and Blade, and Spawn, and Men in Black, and Independance Day, et. al. Correct? Then please notice this:

These are big budget movies with tons of action, usually a good deal of violence, and often a good deal of sex. They usually target 15-25 year old males first and foremost.

The "great games" you're talking about have tons of action, usually a good deal of violence, and often a good deal of sexuality. They usually target 15-25 year old males first and foremost.

It's games like Gears of War that are analogous to those "crappy movies." 

The art house flicks are usually low budget, have little violence or action, and are enjoyed largely by adults.

The casual games are usually low budget, have little violence or action, and are enjoyed much more by adults than hardcore games.

It's the games like Wii Sports and The Sims that are analogous to art house flicks.

I've said this before, Ck, but you have it backwards. If you MUST make this analogy, it's God of War/Gears of War/Heavenly Sword that are equivalent to the crappy, blockbuster movies, and the casual games that are equivalent to art house flicks.  

You generalize again as always that games are not mature and mini game collections are and there's no convincing you otherwise, because supposedly popping balloons on screen is the mature thing to do and fighting people on it isn't.

Also do you want me to go again into the artistic games debate: Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, Okami are games that are artistic. It's up to the people who make games to decide how artistic they make them.

Wii Play and this crap is equivilant to an art house flick in one way only: they are cheaply made by gaming and movie standards. Just cause these games are simple and made on the cheap doesn't make them art house flicks. If I went out now and taped a bunch of crap and then made it into a movie it wouldn't be artistic cause it's cheap...

Also if you think arthouse movies aren't violent and sexual then I dunno what you are talking about. Have you seen independent movies? they push those boundaries a lot more than the blockbusters that cater to the teen or M ratings.

Furthermore, you claim that supposedly these games are played by adults and you completely forget to mention that they are also played by children. Have you ever seen a little kid go watch and arthouse film? no, because it's boring to them.

Get over this nonsense about these games somehow being artistic and accept them for what they are: cheaply made simpler games that appeal to people who don't play games because they are simple and easy to manage without them necessarily having to invest time in them. These are even less artistic than Gears with its crappy story.