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Forums - Nintendo Discussion - People label "casual" for almost any wii release?

dharh on 08 December 2008
Killergran said:
dharh said:

One is really just a way to simplify the other: 'pick up and play' is implied by the 'games with don't require time investment to gain mastery or to advance'.  The easy part is subjective, though a consensus can be reached based on age group.  The varying degrees by which a game might or might not reach these criteria is why again I use a scale with these two goal posts as markers.

I'm sorry, I don't really understand your definition...

For me, pick up and play means that it requires no dedication or time to enjoy, have fun with. That would not really have anything to do with mastery or advancing. It simply means it's accessible. Accessible games can have depth, just as the games that are not accessible can be shallow. 

If your pick up and play definition does not have anything to do with accessibility, only depth (takes time to learn and master/advance), then you're missing a key ingredient. If it does include accessibility, then I really cannot see how you use it.

The Ghost of RubangB has outlined the flaw in the 'pick up and play' argument, in that there are plenty of hard to master/advance games that are pick up and play, so we'd have to drop that part.  And no it doesn't have to do with accessibility because you could make a game easy to learn but hard to master, ala chess.

 



A warrior keeps death on the mind from the moment of their first breath to the moment of their last.
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dharh on 08 December 2008
The Ghost of RubangB said:
I don't get all this mumbo jumbo about "pick up and play." There was a time when almost all games were pick up and play. If you put a game in an arcade that wasn't pick up and play, nobody would put a quarter in. Chess is pick up and play, and if anybody calls chess casual I'll never read another one of their posts.

Of course games started out that way, but gaming has evolved to include alot more types/styles of gaming.  While hardcore gamers (those who spend all their free time gaming) has pretty much always existed in gaming, games geared to people who want more depth, a learning curve, investment to advancement, etc has in general been niche until these last few generations.

The only problem I have with Nintendo is they just don't have enough of those games with depth, a learning curve, investment to advance, etc.



A warrior keeps death on the mind from the moment of their first breath to the moment of their last.
psychoBrew on 08 December 2008

I don't get what the big deal is.  To me, hard core gamers are borderline clinically insane.  Playing games is more of an addiction than something done simply for fun, and many hard core gamers are willing to do anything or spend any amount of money to get the systems, games, and any peripherals they think have even a remote possibility to give them a leg up on the competition.  People like this are more likely to play first person shooters and WRPG's (including MMO's).

Are you willing to spend $15.00 a month to play Animal Crossing?

Are you willing to spend a grand on a computer (or $600 for a PS360) just to play Animal Crossing?

Are you willing to spend the night in front of a store to buy Animal Crossing (or do the same to get an expansion pack if one existed)?

Are you willing to play Animal Crossing for 48 hours straight, possibly neglecting to eat, drink, use the bathroom, or shower (in some cases neglecting yourself to such an extreme that you die while playing)?

Are you willing to alienate your family and friends to play Animal Crossing?

Are you willing to let your performance at your job suffer to satisfy your urge to play Animal Crossing?

Are you willing to steal your parents retirement savings so you can run away just to play Animal Crossing without interruptions?

Would you go to Animal Crossing conventions?

The list could easily go on, but you get the idea.  When I think of hardcore games, I think of games that illicit the extremes of human behavior in at least a small percentage of the game's fans.  When players of Animal Crossing start doing any of the above points, I will consider Animal Crossing a hard core game.  Until then, enjoy playing your fun game and be happy you're not associated with hard core gamers.