There have been many a thread on this website trying to define hardcore. Some just say anything with blood and guts is hardcore, some say fps, and others pretty much what they just like. There is much argument over what is hardcore and what is casual. Little Big Planet? Animal Crossing? Mario? Well I think i have done the impossible. I have come up with a definition....and a way to get everyone to agree on a definition for casual and hardcore.
Hardcore Game - A game that requires a degree of skill which can be perfected with time.
Casual Game - A game that can be played from the get go without much effort.
Well that maybe a definition but how do we test this out. Ladies and gentleman i present to you. The Soccer Mom Test. Yes the ultimate way to determine a game is hardcore or not. How does this work?. It's simple. Give a middle aged non-gaming mother the controller and have her play the game to be tested. If after 30 mins she is still playing at a skill level that would be enouph to finish the game; it is officially casual. On the other hand if she is still bumbling about like a guy paralyzed from the waist down trying to walk or just gives up in frustration; it is officially hardcore.
There are still some games in the middle though that appeal to both hardcore and casual gamers. I listed one of them above. Little Big Planet. The gameplay itself is casual, however the level creating as simple as it maybe will easily brush off casual gamers who just want to go online and play some levels.
CURRENTLY PLAYING: Warframe, Witcher 2
