How I devolved from a hardcore to a casual gamer
Casual gaming and casual gamers have been a hot topic of this console generation. With the Nintendo Wii seemingly forcing many casual to come out, it seems the breed is growing at an exponential rate. And unfortunately, I think I may have devolved from the higher species of hardcore gamer to become one of the mainstream throng.
I’m starting to suspect I’m now a casual gamer. I own loads of games, and loads of different consoles from all generations, past and present, but I play games less now than ever before. Depending on how you classify a casual gamer, it seems that I could have slipped back from being hardcore to merely one of the crowd.
I’ve been into gaming for as long as I can remember, ever since my dad purchased an Atari 800XL back in 1983, when I was just six-years-old. And since then, have owned and loved consoles from each subsequent generation. I’ve also played PC games since buying my first computer, although I tend to be a couple of years out of date due to hardware demands.
But now, in the midst of one of the healthiest and vibrant console generations ever, I’m starting to think of myself as merely a casual gamer, not able to keep up with the demands placed on those in the hardcore group.
The main reason for this is the amount of time I spend doing other things, with work now eating up more of my time than ever before. Then there is shopping, birthdays, Christmas, holidays, going out, socializing, all things that I eschewed to a certain degree as a youngster to spend more time gaming.
I remember the glory days of being at school, when I’d be home by 3 p.m. and able to spend the next six hours playing video games, until I either fell asleep or my mum came in and cut the plug off my TV. But now I’m approaching middle age, it’s not quite as easy to find a few hours to play games without having to worry about someone, or something else going on in my life.
It’s not as though I don’t want to game, but when given the choice of things to do, I’ll now think twice before immediately turning one of my many consoles on. I do still game almost every day, and when I do, I game hard, playing the sorts of games geared towards hardcore gamers, so in that respect, I’m not casual, merely lazy.
So, I haven’t turned into a Wii-loving button-bashing Neanderthal over night, but being an adult, having responsibilities, and finding a wider range of hobbies has meant time spent playing games has lessened somewhat over the last few years.
Casual gamers come in a wide variety of flavors, and this one sitting writing this article is one of those flavors. It’s not through any hardship but rather just getting older and realizing there is more to life than sitting waggling a controller for hours on end. That may be blasphemous to some but give it ten years and you may find yourself agreeing with me.
It may be a brave, or potentially stupid move for a video games journalist to admit to being more casual than hardcore, but it’s the truth. I still love games, and always will, but the days when I’d stay up all night playing have ended for good.
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15 Responses to “How I devolved from a hardcore to a casual gamer”
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December 3rd, 2008
after getting beaten by 8 year olds in Halo… playing with frame counters in soul calibur 4 and street fighter turbo whatever long name….
and then getting pawned in Dota (which I am awesome in)… you just wanna play some Monopoly or something… till you get pwnd by another asshole 8 year old… DAMN YOU ARVIS YOU BITCH!!!
December 3rd, 2008
>But now I’m approaching middle age
If not wrong, you’re about 31; I’d hardly call that “approaching middle age”. But I suspect teenage readers probably have a different perspective…
December 4th, 2008
Yeah man, that’s old! haha
December 4th, 2008
Yes Dave, you can’t be 16 forever. But 31 and you think you’re middle aged? Ha! And you don’t mention raising kids, which if you think you get some harcore gaming in every day now, when the baby comes FORGET it! Plus, wives don’t too take kindly to daddy “playing games” when there are diapers to change and double the clothes to wash and and and and. . .
December 4th, 2008
DavidP is right.
I am 35 and have three young girls. I have little time for any hobbies.
But after they are over 4 you start getting more time back. They get less and less dependent on you.
I wish I had more game time. I have lots of games and my DS seems to be the only one I can play lately. (On the bus to and from work and in waiting rooms.)
December 4th, 2008
since casual gamers are the most clueless, i can finally agree with DaveP. you are truly a casual gamer…
December 4th, 2008
I have little time, but I would consider myself more of a hardcore gamer than, some college guy that plays games 16 hours a day and doesn’t know anything about history.
Hardcore vs casual isn’t about time, and its not about the types of games, either. Knowledge, why we play, and how competitive we are is what makes us hardcore, if you ask me.
Someone that plays Halo 3 all day for a diversion is casual to me. Someone that plays Wii Sports for 30 minutes a day to try to get a perfect score in all the parts of the game is hardcore.
Someone who’s favorite game is FF7 is probably (though not always) casual, since they probably don’t know about the games before that, or maybe even after that.
People who need perfect graphics are not hardcore, and, in fact, are more likely to be casual.
December 4th, 2008
Ncaissie,
Holy crap, you’re 35 and yet one of the most immature posters on this site.
Next time, before you hit “Submit Comment” re-read your post and try and figure out what age you sound like you are. Hint: if there is an abundance of onomatopoeia or nonsense words, or if you are insulting someone based solely on an opinion they have, a rewrite may be necessary. I expect more reasonableness and maturity from someone ten years my superior. Apologies if those expectations offend you.
That being said, I DO sympathize with you and DAVE PARRACK!’s plight. The older I get, the less time I have to really get in some hardcore game time. I think it’s just a natural side effect of aging.
-Arvis
December 4th, 2008
There’s no need to get personal Chris. We’re all guilty of saying some asinine things at one point or another.
December 4th, 2008
Harry,
Not with with that much regularity. And most of us aren’t 35.
You know, I DO actually pick up on your subtle humor. You have a lot of fun posting here, don’t you? “No need to get personal…” That’s a good one.
-Arvis, you bastard
December 4th, 2008
Well that’s just life I guess. The older you get, the more waves of responsibility come crashing down on you…
I am sort of in-between… 28yr, single, and no kids. So I have plenty of spare time and nothing I have to do is pressing. I can see how having a family would change that. It’s probably for the best though. Spend time with the kids; you can always sneak in a few hours after they go to bed, or when they are off at some activity. Once they hit that “my parents are not cool” phase you will have plenty of time to catch up.
December 4th, 2008
Chris,
Honestly I have a ball here. Trolling can be fun, especially when there are so many people here willing to feed the troll. This ‘war’ is life or death to some people. Aren’t I right Ivan?
December 4th, 2008
Don’t speak badly about the man with the terrific ‘tash… You’ve been warned.
December 5th, 2008
that’s a man’s man’s moustache. It gives me a raging clue.
December 5th, 2008
This place would be boring without all the fighting. Of course trolls need to be fed. Its equally fun as trolling yourself..