With the success of the Wii and more mainstream product, there's a growing backlash in the gaming community over so-called 'casual' consumers. Their chief concern is that the rampant success of products like Wii Fit and party game compilations will cause developers to shift their resources in that direction, reducing (or even eliminating) product for hardcore gamers. I'm here to urge you to relax, and cool off on the absurd paranoia. If anything, we owe the mainstream a great debt.
We hardcore gamers are a vocal minority, to be sure, but a minority none the less. Games can be somewhat successful at our hands, but they cannot become hits without crossing over into the mainstream. Did you really think that the millions of people who bought Halo or God of War were all die-hard gamers that just spent the last three hours fighting over a copy of Radiant Silvergun on E-Bay? Please. The majority of consumers for those games were regular dudes who think it's awesome to run guys over with a jeep, or have a few beers and laugh loudly as Kratos TOTALLY pulls that dude's arms off and wears them as a hat. They don't know who Smilebit is and they couldn't care less. They're CASUAL gamers who only buy action and sports games, and are no more or less offensive than the family buying We Ski. These people pump billions of dollars into the industry that keeps us occupied day after day.
Besides, it's not like we "hardcore" gamers have been holding up our end. Sure, you'll put on your hardcore hat when it's time to buy the latest super-budget AAA game with insane graphics that everyone else wants, but where were you when Treasure released another quirky gem that only their cult following supported? Where was your wallet when Viva Pinata or Beyond Good and Evil dropped? If all you buy are AAA games that aren't "kiddie" and look awesome, you're not hardcore anything, you're just a casual gamer without the social life or extra hobbies. Someone who is truly hardcore about this business supports software of any style or genre that is well-made, especially if it takes chances and explores new artistic territory. That label fits very few of the folks walking these halls, or at any other site.
The whole thing reminds me of my scenester days when I was in my early twenties. Our image was based around being hipper then everyone around us, knowing more about music and art and whatever else we could co-opt into our temple of arrogance. Anyone who dared enter our realm without our level of dedication was to be mocked as a poser, an outsider. Now the gaming world is doing the same thing, as lifestyle gamers shake their fists in rage as mere civilians dare to trod upon THEIR turf. You know what? Just let it go. Trust me, it's not worth it, and I speak from experience. Heck, at least indie scenester-dom gets you girls. What is your devotion to 'real' gaming going to get you? A thumbs-up from noobpwner763?Casual gamers are a GOOD thing. It's the reason our hobby is beginning to enjoy mainstream acceptance instead of taking place in ratty caves.
You play Metal Gear because it's totally fun. Joe Casual plays Wii Tennis because it's totally fun. Where's the crime here? The personal offense? From some of the dialogue on here, it's like Joe Casual has been pouring sugar in your gas tank. Our beloved games are going to be FINE. Metal Gear 4 sold millions of copies. Super Mario Galaxy has sold 8 million and counting; Halo 3 about the same. We're still a major part of this industry. We just need to give the casuals a corner to hang out in. Let's be civilized about it, okay?
Anyhow, stop throwing stones, since plenty of us live in casual glass houses. Have you ever bought a game you didn't think you'd like, but wanted to support it anyhow because you admired the craft behind it? Have you ever pirated software, taking money out of the hands of the hard-working developers that keep us entertained? Do you ever make a list of games you've never heardof that you seeat the store, so you can research them later and see if you've missed a gem? Do you know who developed the games you own? Does a game's appearance - family-friendly, perhaps, or chock full of carnage - make or break your buying decision? Think about these for a spell, because the next time you bash a casual gamer... it might turn out you're one of them.
Comments
It would be best if you tread lightly around noobpwner763. If you anger him not only will it get you a thumbs down, but he might even call you a homo.
Another point I would like to add is that game development teams are gamers. They will always push quality titles our way. It's true that the bean counters and stock holders at publishers are only looking at the bottom line, but they aren't the ones making the games.
I don't think it would be too off the rails to look at the movie industry as a model. It's an industry that has a few decades on gaming. There are certainly a lot of mainstream movies that get pushed on us, but there is still those who put out quality movies.
Anything that makes money will be susceptible to the tides of global economics. People are going to want to get there hands on some of that money, but there will always be those that strive to make something worthwhile.
So within the context of this blog I can proclaim myself the owner of Viva Pinata 1&2, and an early adopter of the Sega Saturn. I don't usually advertise that...but there it is.
Although I see your point, I think there can be a distinction between a game enthusiast and an intermittent gamer. You see what I did there, I just renamed them. I drive a car every day, but I consider myself in a different demographic then someone who goes to a car show. It would be foolish for someone to try and sell me a 70 's muscle car for $50K USD, but a car enthusiast might scoop it up if they could afford it.
If a distinction can't be made between types of gamers, then why distinguish a gamer form a person? We can just call everyone a person. We both know it doesn't work that way. You can't market to just any person. You need to market to a person with particular preferences.
If you're saying that hardcore gaming is a marketing concept and not a practical concept, then I guess there is truth in that. Yet, I assert that if I use the marketing concept of "hardcore gamer" you'll have a pretty good idea of who I'm talking about, and the term has done its job.
[Sorry for the double post. I thought Abe's was between the two of mine.]
There's one guy who plays for two hours a week. Then there's another guy who plays three. Four, five, six, seven. And all the minutes in between, they're covered too. Where do you say, "Okay, you're hardcore, and you're casual," in all of this?
You don't. I know people who buy God of War right after buying Wii Sports Resorts. I know people who don't like Halo but enjoy a game of Nija Gaiden II right after some Wii Fit.
There's no barriers. It's all made up. The more we segregate the industry in our minds, the less interesting games become. Rather than try to pander to a certain demographic, games should be trying to be fun and enjoyable, and in that, taking down every demographic. See Super Mario Galaxy for more details.
You don't see too many movies, books or albums trying to attack a hardcore or casual set, so why should games?
Okay, you're right of course. Saying that the line is fuzzy is an understatement. It's not like trying to separate a mammal from an amphibian. Although I will assert that the species distinction is technically made up too. There all kinds of different ways that taxonomy could have worked.
I guess I'll say that fuzzy categories don't bother me. If you tell me that someone is a "Metal Head," I won't consider him mislabeled if he has a Doobie Brothers album in his collection.
[edit] Allow me to cover my butt here. Fuzzy lines don't bother me if their benign.
@Aberinkulas
"You don't see too many movies, books or albums trying to attack a hardcore or casual set, so why should games?"
Actually, these media, especially movies, categorize themselves down to the costuming. Studios make 'Oscar bait' to rope in hardcore cinema buffs, while they pump out Will Ferrell vehicles to get your casual moviegoer who just wants some giggles and popcorn. The market segmentation in older media - "let's add Ellen Page to attract young women and cinephiles!" - makes video gaming seem downright primitive.
@man_hammer
You can always count on the guy with the Mega Man 2 avatar to have good taste.
Your movie analogy is perfect... and I'd take it to TV. There's Spike TV (which I cannot stand) and Lifetime TV (which I cannot stand)... represnting the apparant polar opposites of gender bias in media. Anyway... there's room for both. However, QVC and the HSN??? ARE NOT TV. Billy Mays (RIP) hocking Oxi Clean for 30 minutes? NOT TV. It's gaming like that I detest... and there is gaming of all levels of sophistication. This should not be a license for someone to release an overpriced turd and call it a game however... anymore than Home Shopping is definied by "quality programming".
Forget the chick, though. They should've hired Lil' Jon to guzzle the drink out of his jewelled pimpin' goblet while terrifying all the Square dorks with his wild-out antics."
Hahahah wow, you sure don't know what makes a game good then, go back to Youtube trolling like casual neckbeards like you do since almost all your posts are purposefully bashing something because you have never played it before and therefore assume stuff like: you have to grind in a FF game (you probably think RPGs are exactly the same as MMOs, which is sad), or are put off just because you only like rough manly men in your games. Oh wait, you geeks are afraid of girly-men and that sort of thing. (: No wonder all your feeble trolling is just "OLD MEGAMAN WAS BEST GAME EVAR!!1, METALGEAR IS ABYSSMAL BECAUSE OF ITS CUTSCENES LOL", "WII IS SO NOT CASUAL!!" Nice.
As for me, it's the casual gamers are the heart of this industry. Casual gamers are the ones who buy millions of copys from a certain game. If casual didn't exist, so wouldn't hardcore gamers...
So, in my opinion this thing about casual/hardcore gamers is just nonsense. There's no point whatsoever (If I'm wrong, I'll be happy to hear it)...
"What is your devotion to 'real' gaming going to get you? A thumbs-up from noobpwner763?"
Excellent point. In fact that almost got me out of video games. After totally geeking out for hours trying to up my gamerscore, I realized that it was a number on a screen. It will get us no where. We all need to keep our priorities straight and make sure our entertainment is our entertainment, not where we find our worth in life.
Gamers like to think of themselves as hardcore, but really they are just more into different games.. personally i think the categories are more like:
"Good at games" or "Not good at games."
Most of the "casuals" as people call them, cannot even play a first person shooter, its just to difficult to control.. most "hardcores" can't stand doing "wiifit" excercises(sic)..
I completely understand people worry about developers destroying difficult games because of casual "skill levels"
I mean to say it hasn't already happened is just being naive. How many games now adays cannot be passed?? None, they are ALL made to be passable by everyone, hell even Ninja Gaiden 2 added more Easy difficulties..
How often to you hear nowadays: "we wanted to make 'game x' more approachable to causals and hardcore alike" which translates to: "We dialed EVEYTHING down in this game so you mom and grandma can play too!!"
I sincerely hope you are right about casuals or "less skilled" gamers not ruining gaming, but honestly, how many games made these days are as difficult as the old Ninja Gaiden or Super Ghouls and Ghosts??
Almost none, to the point of a review actual giving games LESS OF A SCORE for being too difficult.
I'm going to give an example and I'd be interested to hear your opinion on what you think about them. I look at Dead Space, which is one of my favorites this generation, and then I look at Dead Space: Extraction an on-rail shooter for the Wii. See, this concerns me, because all that time and money making a dumbed down Deadspace for Wii could have been used for making a phenomenal Dead Space 2. I would call this a shift in resources to meet the demand of the Wii, which are typically more casual gamers VS immediately making a true sequel to the game on 360, PS3, and PC. I believe that if the casual market greatly outnumbers the "hardcore" market we'll see a dumbing down of games, console games especially, in order to meet that demand.
You'll have to forgive me for the potshot at Borderlands. I've been a Fallout fanatic since '97 and I can't help myself.
As far as Extraction goes, I think calling it "dumbed-down" is a bit unfair. The Wii is an odd contraption and you simply can't replicate the 360 or PS3 experience on it, for better or worse. Rather than make a stripped-down rehash of a great game, they went in a different direction, and by all accounts, did a good job. (I haven't played Extraction, but the Metacritic score average is a solid 83.) The 50 million Wii users out there deserve a taste of a great franchise, too.
Perhaps it does take away development time from a proper sequel, but then again, if it does well, it will bring in a lot of money and name recognition that will go a long way to encouraging more Dead Space product. The pendulum goes both ways.
@dRuGGeRnaUt as well:
The sort of games we play are headed towards becoming a niche market, rather than the standard. It's an unavoidable side effect of becoming mainstream. Regardless, there are a lot of us, and as long as we prove to be profitable, companies will constantly compete for our dollar. Just because Wii Fit sold 20 million copies, it doesn't mean Nintendo won't want a crack at the people who would rather have Muramasa, too. Our money is just as green. Nobody expects the latest Tilda Swinton movie to do Transformers 2 box office, but producers know there's still a profit to be had.
Aberinkulas
There's nothing wrong with disliking the minigame compilations. I bought a Wii and found very little to keep me occupied, aside from Mario and Metroid. Something like Wii Sports just doesn't keep me entertained for more than a few minutes. I'm not elitist, and I'm not hardcore. I just don't like those games.
If anything, the idea that "There are two types of gamers, casuals and hardcores, and we're one big happy family," is dumber than, "There are two types of gamers, casuals and hardcores, and they're incompatible." There's no designation. There isn't. A gamer is a gamer. Some like different games and genres compared to others.