Contextual Studies

What is the Difference between Hardcore and Casual Gamers and how do we identify them?

These days, with so many different gaming platforms, games and genres, it’s hard to ignore the commonly used terms “Hardcore” and “Casual” gamers. But what exactly is it that we mean when using these terms? Gaming as an industry and a pastime is becoming increasingly more mainstream and according to ESA (Entertainment Software Association) 72 percent of American households play computer games. This suggests that the average player is aged between 18 and 37 and that 29% of these players are aged 50+ (ESA, 2011). These statistics are interesting but they don’t help us identify the casual or hardcore market, nor does it help us identify them as players. 

Why exactly do we need to distinguish the difference? Well, in theory there is no need to but when trying to figure out a market, especially from an aspiring game developers point of view, it makes sence to split the market. In theory there will be more money and more games for different people but then again there will also be smaller markets to work to. With the introduction to more and more phone and hndheld games its hard to ignore all the so called casual mini and indi games flying around on the market. Anyone who can make a ball roll across the screen in Flash is a games designer nowa days. It’s all become too easy, an ironic statement when looking into the industry itself. Has it all become too easy? We often find ourselves wanting harder challenges when games appear “too easy” but when they are too hard we moan all the same. There is apparently no happy medium so why should we split the market up to mirror this? 

The supposed casual market really came around when the saturation of the original (and only) gamers died out. The game companies needed more players to make more money and, in many ways, “sold out” to the public. Trying to make game games that were so easy anyone could play and become attracted to video games. They started targeting younger children, females, people who just didn’t spend hours playing games and people who could get easy acess to games and making those game easy to play. 

Looking back before gaming became a part of modern culture it is easy to identify who could have been considered a hardcore gamer. Coin operated arcade machines became incredibly popular among a small, “hardcore”, demographic between the late 1970’s and the late 1980’s with the introduction of games such as “Spacewar”, “Pong” and “Pac-Man”.  Although at this point gaming was still unknown to the masses it was called the “golden age of arcades” (Wikipedia, 22^nd October, 2011) and was the only place gamers could play. Of course the point to remember is that only a small percentage of the population played games or knew anything about them so does this mean we must consider them “hardcore” of just people who enjoy playing games?

A real divide between Hardcore and Casual gamers came with the introduction of consoles. When the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was launched in 1985, the industry saw a rise in percentage of people who were playing games. Back then video games were simple; the NES had a rectangle control with a D-pad and two buttons often resulting in basic controls and movement in game. Games were often either side-scrollers or had top down views with very basic graphics. Most people who even remotely associate themselves with gaming will tell you that they played a game on the NES, games such as Super Mario Brothers 3, The Legend of Zelda or Kirby’s Adventure. These games were all primarily marketed for children and were easy enough for just about anybody to have a go themselves. Say hello to the Casual market.

With modern day gaming rapidly evolving it is fairly simple to divide gamers up by console, genre or game interests from the previous 10 years to the present day. If we were to divide between consoles and PC then most modern gamers  would consider the Nintendo Wii  to attract many casual gamers. Many games on it are marketed at families and children making it easier for the mass market to play. Hardcore gamers are considered to typically stick to PS3, Xbox and Pc. However there are flaws with this theory. If we venture into the games on each platform it becomes apparent that most platforms cater to the casual market as well as the hardcore. Examples include genres like quiz and party with games such as “Move – Start the Party”, “EyePet” and “Buzz!: Quiz TV” which are found across various platforms. Some people would argue that PC is the only hardcore gaming platform left. 

Many other factors are considered when trying to identify between Hardcore and Casual gamers. Hardcore gamers are often stereotyped as playing games for hours every day, always buying triple A titles, buying brand new releases, special editions, collectable items, buying games with mature ratings containing violent complex storylines, becoming fully immersed within a game as a form of escapism, always taking multiplayer scores and play seriously. Casual gamers are different, they are perceived as playing for fun with no detrimental outcomes, “They don’t harshly penalize failure, they have gradual increases in difficulty, they don’t demand you spend large blocks of time in one sitting. They don’t have complicated control schemes or complex mechanics” (Only a Game, 2008) they often play with friends or family in a tame environment, while there are winners no one is punished severely. There are also no serious hours put into their games and they wait for prices to drop on titles. Still, these are incredibly stereotypical views on the hardcore and casual market, some of the ideas contradict others and they don’t really identify either side.

French theorist Roger Caillois talks about different types of play in his book “Man, Play and Games”. Agon refers to play where competition is key, multiplayer games such as Team Fortress, Battlefield and Counter Strike demonstrate Agon play. Typically Agon play is common of “hardcore”, or hobbyist, gamers. They thrive from competitive play. Ludus is another type of play. Caillois refers to ludus when play has no other goal than personal satisfaction. While every gamer seeks personal satisfaction in their game, hardcore gamers don’t fear several competitors whereas ludus play refers to players who prefer conflict with inanimate objects within the game.  While ludus play is apparent in all games, we can’t escape the fact that it crosses over into both hardcore and casual games. This still causes problems when trying to truly identify hardcore and casual gamers.

Another fact to consider is professional gamers; people who play games professionally at tournaments or online. Are these people the true hardcore gamers? This theory eliminates casual gamers because it is purely agon play. It is fairly established that casual gamers do not play to better their reputation or gain stress, both of which are key factors when it comes to professional gaming. But why should it be that we identify professional gamers as hardcore just because they are in tournaments? Isn’t every multiplayer game a tournament? Does this not suggest that it doesn’t matter whether you are “professional” or not, you’re still competing therefore you are also hardcore? 

If we take video game knowledge into account when trying to find the differences between hardcore and casual gamers groups we might get closer to a conclusion. Many people have fairly extensive knowledge of video games however they do not play games regularly, who or what are they? Are they casual gamers as they don’t put enough hours in? Or are they hardcore because they have the knowledge? Perhaps we need to rename them with more appropriate titles. Instead of a division between hardcore and casual; perhaps it would be best to separate them in terms of knowledge and play, such as “ the split between game literate gamer hobbyists and less experienced mass market players” (Only a Game, 2008). The mass market refers to casual gamers as, in our modern culture; they dabble in most elements of gaming despite the fact that they “[do]not fit any stereotype of the adolescent male video game player. In fact, they often did not think of themselves as playing video games (even though they clearly were)” (Jesper Juul, 2010, A Causal Revelation).Gamer hobbyists are those who are lifted out of the mass market because gaming is their passion as opposed to a casual pass time.

Ultimately there are very few core terms to differentiate between the hardcore and casual gamers, many themes contradict others. Having said this, we can spot what we perceive as hardcore gamers a mile off, regardless of what they play or for how long. This suggests that it’s all down to personal preferences and that there are, in fact, no important identifiers between the 2 types of gamers. I think if you consider yourself a “hardcore gamer” then you obviously have most of the attributes discussed and therefore know what you are regardless of what others say or of the contradictions. The term “casual gamer” will be around for ages though, as well as hardcore despite other attempts at using clever words to describe the many crossovers between the two there will always be contradictions that stop us from making the distinction between the 2 groups. Ultimately its personal choice and what you believe you are.