Casual gamers: curse or blessing? or both?

[sabre2922]

Be honest here what are your opinions on the casual gamer "lemming syndrome" situation that currently floods this hobby are they a:
1.CURSE-example: Halo rules but that 2-D metal slug game sucks as mentioned in a recent post
2.BLESSING- i.e. the video game market would not have reached the height in popular culture that it has without all these casual gamers and so-called LEMMINGS! Sabre your an ass! :P
3.BOTH?-maybe
vote or rant or whatever any opinion is better than no opinion right? or something like that x_x

[SoulBlazer]

Both.

I play casual games as well as hardcore games, and love them both.

I'd say more of my game buys are casual as opposed to hardcore.

We need casual games for my sports and RPG fixes, and hardcore for my strategy simulation and dating sim games.

[Cmosfm]

Both as well.

I'd have to say I absolutely hate the "gangsta" games were getting now, anyone seen the new "Blockbuster Flip It card" commercial? That's the shit I'm talking about! I hate seeing those type of commercials aimed at those type of people.

But, I loves me some extreme sports games! Agressive Inline, Dave Mirra, Tony Hawk! Whoooo boy, give me the same damn game with new areas and new music and I am one happy camper. I could have really done without "THUG".

Which moves me into another hate...the normal casual games like above are turning more toward the "hip hop" genre. I swear, everytime I heard "yo dawg" or some other Hip Hop ephitet in the game I cringed. The only game I didn't aim for 100% for, hell, I even enjoyed Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure. Fuck Tony Hawk.

Yeah, Both all the way baby! At least I dont feel like such a dork for spending 100.00 on games at EB anymore.

[gamegirl79]

Both, because...

casual gamers tend to follow trends and will jump on the newest sports/GTA clone/gangsta game like stink on shit. It's annoying. Plus, I know quite a few casual gamers who don't take care of their stuff and then wonder why they've had to buy new PS2's and Xboxes. x_x

That's the bad. The good part is that many casual games are fun when I'm in the mood for a sports game or GTA style game. It doesn't happen too often, but I've had good times playing a football or basketball game when friends are over.

It's also fun to hear a casual gamer friend look at something my collection and say "what is THIS?"

[Trellisaze]

How about "an inevitability"?

Seriously, I can't think of any mass medium where a large number of its consumers follow things outside of the mainstream.

[Avenger]

Both for sure

Without them the gaming industry would be dead...we need their money!

but they are one hell of a curse, nothing pisses me off more than a lil know it all....the worst are the Halo Freaks....get away from me, Halo sucks :P

[tholly]

both, for the above reasons

[NintendoMan]

There a damn curse!
This is one of the reasons why nintendo doesn't sell as much anymore.
Casual gamers do just jump on the bandwagon of whats "in". This is the reason why games like the fucking Matrix sell millions of copies and the game completely sucks with too many bugs.

[Half Japanese]

There a damn curse!
This is one of the reasons why nintendo doesn't sell as much anymore.

Huh, here I was all along thinking it was their blatant refusal to create the kind of games most of the public longs to play along with milking the living hell out of nostalgia and their back catalog (see: retro SP, mario and "classic nes" re-releases, not saying they're bad, it's just milking it). Looks like you've got a little Miyamoto poo gracing the tip of your nose there.

[lendelin]

Be honest here what are your opinions on the casual gamer "lemming syndrome" situation that currently floods this hobby are they a:
1.CURSE-example: Halo rules but that 2-D metal slug game sucks as mentioned in a recent post
2.BLESSING- i.e. the video game market would not have reached the height in popular culture that it has without all these casual gamers and so-called LEMMINGS! Sabre your an ass! :P
3.BOTH?-maybe
vote or rant or whatever any opinion is better than no opinion right? or something like that x_x

TO ALL: I don't get the curse example. Is Metal Slug 3 a better game than Halo? and why is Halo the game of the casual gamers? Do you know for sure or is it just an assumption? Maybe Metal Slug 3 is the game of the casual crowd??? What makes Metal Slug 3 a true game for the true gamer (=hardcore)?

Are there certain gameplay elements which makes a game suitable for the hardcore gamer but not for the casual gamer?

If your defining criterion of games for the hardcore gamer is economic success, then Star Wars Kotor is a casual-gamer-game; and Super mario 3, Castlevania 4, and Super Metroid were are all terrible casual-gamer-games; and because I bought the top-seller Super Metroid back then, does this make me a casual gamer of the past, and now playing the same game sometimes 10 years later makes me a hardcore gamer?

I don't get it.

[Avenger]

the ultimate hardcore gamer game = Animal Crossing

It is impossible for casual gamers to play it becuz it is not a casual game

[lendelin]

the ultimate hardcore gamer game = Animal Crossing

It is impossible for casual gamers to play it becuz it is not a casual game

Did you ever hear about tautological definitions? The color red is a red color and therefore it's not white.

[Ed Oscuro]

Casual gamers are who games should be made for. I've nothing against paying lots of money for hardcore games, but I've found that people everywhere have a good sense of what's fun. The problem is that your so-called "casual" gamer who's a fan of Halo is only aware of what's presently available, not thinking about what is possible, and in any case fans of Halo aren't necessarily true casual gamers, but rather fans of trends in gaming that have apparently driven many people away from the scene lately.

So I'm voting...none of the above.

[Daria]

the ultimate hardcore gamer game = Animal Crossing

It is impossible for casual gamers to play it becuz it is not a casual game

So why is it a greatest hits game?

I'd think it's more like the ultimate casual gamer game because anyone and their six year old child can pick it up and start playing.

Actually you know what? Casual gamer as a derogatory term is stupid. So what is some people play games for fun in their spare time, or don't obsesse over the hobby, or only try popular games? It's not any different then when we all had nintendos and played SMB3, the only thing new is now we all have the internet and can bitch about other people's opinions and prefrences.

[Ed Oscuro]

Casual gamer as a derogatory term is stupid.

Avenger, ya just got served.

[Sosage]

TO ALL: I don't get the curse example. Is Metal Slug 3 a better game than Halo? and why is Halo the game of the casual gamers? Do you know for sure or is it just an assumption? Maybe Metal Slug 3 is the game of the casual crowd??? What makes Metal Slug 3 a true game for the true gamer (=hardcore)?

I call it “Punk Rock” syndrome (it’s a stupid name…but I just noticed that whenever anyone talks about punk rock, there is always someone who claims to be more hardcore than everyone else in the discussion ). Every medium has that group of people who will always live by some imaginary higher standard. For instance, in this medium someone will say “Halo? PFFFT! Whatever. Metal Slug 3 is what the cool people play.” Which in turn might spark someone slightly more ‘hardcore’ to say, “Metal Slug 3? PFFFT! Whatever. Aba Cho shooters are where it is at.” Which in turn might lead to another hardcore person saying, “Aba Cho? PFFFT! That has pictures. This Infocom game is for the true hardcore gamer”.

As for the poll question…I fail to see how casual gamers hurt anything (other than slowly killing off the 'games are for dorks' vibe that, let's face it, surrounds this hobby).

[lendelin]

Casual gamers are who games should be made for. I've nothing against paying lots of money for hardcore games, but I've found that people everywhere have a good sense of what's fun. The problem is that your so-called "casual" gamer who's a fan of Halo is only aware of what's presently available, not thinking about what is possible, and in any case fans of Halo aren't necessarily true casual gamers, but rather fans of trends in gaming that have apparently driven many people away from the scene lately.

So I'm voting...none of the above.

So...casual gamers have limited knowledge and limited imagination, follow just trends, but at the same time they know what's fun? That's the most ambigious statement I heard in some time, a mix of elitist arrogance and populism.

I could also argue that the so called hardcore gamer is an idiot, but knows what's fun. He's an idiot because 1) he falls for images of games; if it's an overlooked game with average gameplay, it becomes "cool" and overrated. They are more lemming-like than the casual gamer and follows the cool hardcore trend. 2) he doesn't know what innovation is. An R-type Final and Gradius V will deliver 8/16-bit gameplay, stuff we played 15 years ago, no innovation at all, and he falls for it and buys the least innovative games in the market.
He has to be taken serious becasue he knows what's fun and knows which games he likes to play.

This casual gamer/mainstream and hardcore talk is all nonsense!!

1) Why would Metal Slug 3 (insert here Rez, Disgaea, La Pucelle, Final Fantasy X, Ico, Wario World, Animal Crossing, Seroius Sam, Ribbit King, ...) offer nothing for the casual gamer but defines the hardcore gamer? How in the world can certain games/ genres be associated with quality, time spent playing games, knowledge about games and game history?

2) How in the world do we know that metal Slug 3 is bought mostly by hardcore gamers and not casula gamers? How in the world do we know Halo is bought predominantly by casual gamers? Maybe it's the other way around. I don't have data about gaming habits.

3) If casual gamers/ mainstreamers buy the 'hardcore games,' and the hardcorers buy the 'mainstream' games, does these stereotypes make sense at all? I bought Disgaea, Grand Theft Auto 3, Project Gotham Racing, Ico, Gran Turismo 3, Pryzm, R-type Final, Contra SS, Gradius 3 and 4, and Burnout 2; what does this make me? hardcore? a casual gamer? or merely a gamer who like EVERYONE else knows a good game and knows what he likes to play?

4) There is broad agreement overall about high-quality games, give and take the usual quabble about individual disagreements based on individual preferences. The best games are also the best sellers as a general rule (exceptions apply). That means the hardcorers are right there with these trendy mainstreamers to buy the SAME games. A look in a collector's guide tells you that the best games are not rare by any means becasue they also sold well.

[Richter Belmount]

they are a curse for me cause of the whole grand theft auto movement seeing most games getting elements from gta is annoying , just look at the newer jack and daxter , or some other plain on site gta clone.

[sabre2922]

This is in response to Daria, Lendelin and especially ED OSCURO here goes:
I personally see the CASUAL gaming crowd as both a curse and blessing
having stated that I must say they are much more of a curse simply put this little hobby of ours would and COULD survive without the CASUAL GAMING MASSES it did so during the 8- 16-bit days and would do so again even if there was another crash similiar to what happened back in '83 with only enough support for maybe one or two game systems at most.
this one goes out to both LENDELIN and ED OSCURO: I find that these so-called CASUAL GAMERS are in fact THE MOST CLOSED MINDED OF ALL WHEN IT COMES TO GAMES OVERALL here are a few examples of what I myself and IM sure many others here have heard from casual gamers time and time again:
ON 2-D: THAT GAME LOOKS LIKE A SUPER NINTENDO GAME IT MUST SUCK
on gameplay: I dont care if the game doesnt play good just as long as it LOOKS GOOD
other examples: THE MATRIX RULES THAT (insert any actual good game here;Ico,Veiwtiful Joe, etc) GAME YOU LIKE SUCKS!
PS2 is better cause its got games like GTA yes i still here this at the local gamestop and then proceed to point out that it is on Xbox also
I also have to say that I DO NOT HAVE SOME IMAGINARY SELF IMPOSED DELUSION THAT I MYSELF NOR ANY OF US HERE ARE BETTER THAN SAID "CASUAL GAMERS" I simply beleive that overall we are the more informed and more importantly OPEN MINDED ones when compared to the average Joe who shells out $50 every year for the "new" Madden game or sees games like METAL SLUG 3 or VEIWTIFUL JOE and see more than a outdated 2-D game we see the beauty and craftsmenship it takes to make said 2-D game but also give credit where credit is do even to the most popular 3-D games as long as thier actually good both in gameplay and graphics.
LATER GAMERS!!!

[Avenger]

i wasnt trying to use the term "casual gamer" in a bad way...Animal Crossing to me is a game you should play a little bit everyday, becuz i found if i didnt, i stopped playing for months...all the "casual gamers" i know wont go near Animal Crossing becuz they only play games once in a while...i dont see y everyones gettin all pissy at me...yea your totally right Daria for us to say casual gamers suck is like people who obsess over certain tv shows makin fun of ppl who dont watch it every single time its on...i also think that year MOST games SHOULD be made for the casual gamer, doesnt mean it wont be a good game...