I think you might have missed the point a little; the whole idea was to attribute hardcore gaming to an actual measurable metric that makes sense rather than attributing it to playing a particular type of game (such as Mario, Halo, shooters in general, games that sell well and are hyped as the end-all-be-all, online gaming...). This means that even those who own a wii, which is usually considered casual could by this definition be considered hardcore.

You on the other hand somewhat argued in favor of those that consider the Wii casual by defining my lack of hardcoreness simply because I don't care much for Mario. You've applied the exact same reasoning that defines Wii as casual simply because of the games that are available.

I would ask a bunch of questions.

Are video games your favorite type of entertainment? maybe
Do you play almost every day? yes
Do you prefer to spend most of your disposable income on games? another maybe
Have you played your whole life? I guess
Do you enjoy most genres of games? yea
Do you follow video game news sites or magazines often? yea
Do you know at least some of the history of video games? yes
Do you watch television shows about video games? none around here
Do you daydream about video games? sometimes
Do you discuss video games online? yes
Are you constantly planning the next games you will play? ughm... maybe?
Do you own multiple systems at the same time? I guess
Do you play retro games? yes
Do you beat a majority of the games you play that you like enough to beat? what?
Do you challenge any games on their hardest difficulty level? rarely, usually go with "normal"
Have you ever purchased a video game soundtrack? I did pay extra to get "collectors edition" or something like that that included it
Have you ever read a book based on a video game? don't think so
Do you have any clothing or accessories with video game characters on them? only got a pendant with my Lunar EBC, never wore it though

Eh, I'm sure there's more but I'm tapped for the moment. I would think there are different levels of hardcore as well. I answered yes to every question except "Have you ever read a book based on a video game?"

That said I fully recognize that there are people who would be considered much more hard core. I wouldn't be able to do an actual list of games I've beaten or played a lot because I lost count back in the NES days. Although I wish I had documented that through the years.

edit: I meant novel not strategy guide, but that might be a question as well.

It was a joke.  Mario games are easy, and you've played several of them, so I figured you would've completed one by now.

I don't believe in hardcore gaming, and I think the harder you try to define it, the vaguer it will become.

Look at it this way: we were all non-gamers when we picked up our first game.  We were lucky enough (some of us anyway) to have started gaming before there were a bunch of whiny haters who thought we were a threat when we started playing.

If you have kids, and they enjoy games, but only 1% as much as you do, are you going to call them casuals and tell them they're not as hardcore as you?  I'd rather say "welcome to the party" and give them Tetris.

I don't believe in hardcore gaming, and I think the harder you try to define it, the vaguer it will become.

Look at it this way: we were all non-gamers when we picked up our first game.  We were lucky enough (some of us anyway) to have started gaming before there were a bunch of whiny haters who thought we were a threat when we started playing.

If you have kids, and they enjoy games, but only 1% as much as you do, are you going to call them casuals and tell them they're not as hardcore as you?  I'd rather say "welcome to the party" and give them Tetris.