Halo isn't the best example using your definition....

The gaming media just replaced kiddie with casual and mature games with hardcore.

My definition of casual is the style you play a game. For example I am casual fighter gamer, but a hardcore RPG player. Almost any game can be casual and hardcore depending how you play it.

Of course Mario is casual. Just like WOW, Modern Warfare and Gran Turismo are casual.

Mario is quite casual, I remember my mom and one of my aunts used to stay up all night playing SMB 2 and 3 and Duck Hunt. Why is it so bad that someone calls it casual (or calls a shovel a shovel)?
It attracts both casual and "hardcore" gamers and that equals a lot more sales. And that's a good thing, right? So what's with the complaining over this?

Yea after reading back i agree casual/hardcore depends on the gamer than the game itself because of how they play the games. 

Just checking everything said in the thread.

Because Mario is a casual game.

Casual games = Everyone plays.

Hardcore games = Only hardcore games plays.

Mario = Everyone plays = Casual games.

If they stayed up all night playing it then they weren't playing it casually.  Just because they're your mom and aunt doesn't automatically mean they can't be playing a game in a hardcore manner. 

Mario has always been casual.

My colleagues on primary school know and play Mario, not to finish. They played once a week or month just for fun or to show a friend who had a game.

That in 1990.

The fact that they picked it up shows that it is casual, they also played games like Tetris and Dr.Mario somtimes, the fact that you can play it like a "hardcore" shows that its a casual title at the core which can be explored and mastered, much like WoW. Easy to get into, difficult to master like someone above me mentioned.

By the way, seeing as how they're my mother and aunt I happen to know for a fact that they weren't hardcore gamers... at all. My dad's kind of the same, he never sits down by himself to play games, but if I bring a console and a cool racing game he's all excited and gladly joins in!

I'm sensing that this might turn into another "what is a hardcore gamer?" discussion, though I hope it won't. I see myself as a hardcore gamer, not because I have an awesome talent or because I look down on those who don't share my interest but because I spend heaps of money and time on gaming, I spend time online discussing games, I strive to beat high scores and times and games are generally a big and important part of my spare time.

It isn't casual normally, but in all but kart, rpg and adventure he IS casual

gee man your making me sound like i despise casuals lol.. im happy nintendo is expanding the audience.. i just though casual games are something like wii sports and thats it, i didnt know thats the definition of casual lol,