Hardcore Gamer

deathrider

Robert ninja wrote: »

The thing is, I've been called a hardcore gamer only by people who don't play video games. To other gamers, I'm just another cog in the big gaming machine.

If a non-gamer sees me play or mention something about a game, they'll be overwhelmed and be like, 'I'm not into all that but I can see you're a hardcore gamer.' Even if I've just mentioned something very simple and mundane about a game.

My conclusion: People are stupid. What a suprise.

Strange, my non-gamer friends would never use the words 'hardcore gamer', the probably wouldn't even know that these two words often get strung together. They simply go for the good old fashioned "that's just sad" and "it's not real" approach instead.

My conclusion is also: People are stupid. What a suprise.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

jaykhunter wrote: »

1. Eep, u sound angry! Not my intention

2. If you spent your days playing only one game or one genre; that'd be pseudo-hardcore in my eyes; similar to someone who plays Gears or MW Multiplayer every night, as you're only exposing/enjoying one morsel of the gambit of what games have to offer. I consider the Wii a casual console.

3. Playing rarely/buying games is inclusive in the point. It's to delineate say, me from the girlfriend who uses the Wii for Wii Fit only.

4. IMHO my definition of the word hardcore gamer describes maybe 1% of people who play games, if even. There's of course overlap between archetypes, these are just broad strokes. I'll reiterate that I consider myself casual.

5. Sorry if this sounds abrasive etc, it's just my opinion

What? Not at all. Everyone has an opinion, it's all gravy baby

landsleaving

Extensive research of this thread's many responses has provided me with an answer: You're a harcore gamer if you're willing to enter a debate about what the term means. :pac:

Agricola

Maybe the terms should be "core" and "casual"
Don't like the term hardcore gamer either as it sort of implies people who live in front of TV's and monitors at the expense of everything else.
I play mostly pc, build my own systems and spend more time tweaking and thinking about getting more out of hardware than actually gaming Id say. But the main reason I got into it was so I could experience more genres and get a graphically better experience.

Mr.Saturn

If you're tasked with stacking boxes and the first thing that pops into your head is the Tetris theme, you're a hardcore gamer. If you then proceed to
smash said boxes looking for coins, you're just rubbing it in.

jaykhunter

Maybe we can have classier terms to dispel the negative terms associated with casual and hardcore?

Gaming Enthusiast (loves games)
Gaming Aficionado (IN love with Games)

:pac:

CramCycle

krudler wrote: »

I dont really like the label "hardcore gamer" myself, it suggests someone who lives in his parents basements and masturbates like a lunatic.

So hardcore gamer is just another term for a teenage male?

Or in my case a grown adult :eek:

wyrn

Actually, I've another term: Embarrassed Gamer!

I tend to keep my 'habit' hidden otherwise I get the "seriously at your age" (not that old) combined with the "really? you?. There aren't that many of us Lady gamers out there. Somehow, me playing Mass effect for hours on end at stupid o'clock provokes more of a reaction and shaming than if I were a guy.

Also, just because I am female and really really really crap at multiplayer games like Call of Duty does not make me a "n00b". Grrr! Nor do I represent all the other females out there.

Skerries

games!?
who said games!? where? where? huh? huh?
<_< ... >_>

deathrider

landsleaving wrote: »

Extensive research of this thread's many responses has provided me with an answer: You're a harcore gamer if you're willing to enter a debate about what the term means. :pac:

That's debatable :P

wyrn wrote: »

Actually, I've another term: Embarrassed Gamer!

I tend to keep my 'habit' hidden otherwise I get the "seriously at your age" (not that old) combined with the "really? you?. There aren't that many of us Lady gamers out there. Somehow, me playing Mass effect for hours on end at stupid o'clock provokes more of a reaction and shaming than if I were a guy.

Also, just because I am female and really really really crap at multiplayer games like Call of Duty does not make me a "n00b". Grrr! Nor do I represent all the other females out there.

You say there ain't many lady gamers, I say there simply ain't enough!

Sisko

wyrn wrote: »

Actually, I've another term: Embarrassed Gamer!

I tend to keep my 'habit' hidden otherwise I get the "seriously at your age" (not that old) combined with the "really? you?.

Surprised people still make such comments though I assume girls are more likely to say that to other girls all right. It's ignorant as **** either way. Its feckin' 2011 - when will these people catch up with the times? Its as dumb as saying the internet is just for kids.


I'd say its harder for female gamers in Ireland compared to most other modern countries.

jaykhunter

Sisko wrote: »

Its feckin' 2011 - when will these people catch up with the times? Its as dumb as saying the internet is just for kids.

They're ignorant and dismissive; the way every medium must fight for acceptance. TV's were 'just for the unwashed masses' in it's infancy and over time, was accepted. But rest assured it is coming - there are more gamers than ever these days - adults still game, younger generations also game; eventually we'll become the majority, or at least a large minority. Also; our beloved medium is BIGGER than Hollywood so everyone's gotta take notice at some point. We've been officially recognised as an art recently.

It's hard not to go off on people who look down their nose on gaming. The easiest comeback I use (without calling them ignorant) is compare how film fans consider today's films generally crap, but it's the opposite for gamers, we're in another golden age of gaming.

That or "God, you're completely clueless. Go back to your ________ (insert crap TV show here)"

wyrn

Sisko wrote: »

Surprised people still make such comments though I assume girls are more likely to say that to other girls all right. It's ignorant as **** either way. Its feckin' 2011 - when will these people catch up with the times? Its as dumb as saying the internet is just for kids.


I'd say its harder for female gamers in Ireland compared to most other modern countries.

Well I suppose I wouldn't look like a 'typical gamer', we can all conjure up the stereotypical image of a gamer. I love make-up, shoes and handbags just as much as games.

You say girls, I think girls are grand about it, it's the women that are the snarky ones and who just do not get it. I think it's easier for teenage/early 20's ladies to be gamers, somehow it seems more socially acceptable. Not sure why.

For me, I'm older. My female friends would throw their eyes up, tell me to 'go out and run not to sit in all day', grow up etc... all in a nice-ish way. I down play how much time I do spend playing. Attached male friends, couldn't care less, another person to play against. Single male friends - give you that look, a bit like you are a bit odd, off balance. I wouldn't dare mention it work, they'd think there was something wrong with me.

I love gaming mainly for the stories. I love it when a game has a good background story to go with the game. I love Mass Effect in that you can choose your background. Or Mirror's Edge because it's set in the ever-so-near big brother future with funky anime cut scenes.

I think the gaming industry is evolving so much, that we now have people of all ages playing. I really do not think the term hardcore can apply.

wyrn

jaykhunter wrote: »

They're ignorant and dismissive; the way every medium must fight for acceptance. TV's were 'just for the unwashed masses' in it's infancy and over time, was accepted. But rest assured it is coming - there are more gamers than ever these days - adults still game, younger generations also game; eventually we'll become the majority, or at least a large minority.

Same could be said for comic book and anime fans. Now, they have made it into the mainstream. It started off slowly (e.g. shops like Hot Topic) but now tv shows (The Big Bang Theory, Spaced) have made it more acceptable. Look at all the comic book adaptations to movie being made. Gaming has started the transition.

Sisko

jaykhunter wrote: »

It's hard not to go off on people who look down their nose on gaming. The easiest comeback I use (without calling them ignorant) is compare how film fans consider today's films generally crap, but it's the opposite for gamers, we're in another golden age of gaming.

Ah yeah preaching to the choir for sure, I don't encounter anyone who would seriously believe gaming is for kids much these days but when I do I have no problems talking to them as if they're insisting the world is flat. I have little patience for that.

A good comparison is not just TV itself but the dawn of the motion picture. Was looked at as a side show attraction for the common folk when it first arrived.

As someone said earlier in this thread, people are idiots.

wyrn wrote: »

You say girls, I think girls are grand about it, it's the women that are the snarky ones and who just do not get it. I think it's easier for teenage/early 20's ladies to be gamers, somehow it seems more socially acceptable. Not sure why.

For me, I'm older. My female friends would throw their eyes up,

Sorry when I said girls I did mean females in general but you are right it would be easier on the younger generation of female gamers versus the older generation. Just like it'll be easier for their daughters. Its merely a matter of time before new generations emerge with more enlightened perspective on the hobby even if they are not into it themselves.

Eventually there'll be a time were people will be telling their kids about "how when they were younger electronic entertainment was seen as something just for children or nerds", and they'll see that as very strange just how todays kids would find the idea that motion pictures were scoffed apon by the upper class snobs of the late 1800's.

wyrn wrote: »

tell me to 'go out and run not to sit in all day', grow up etc... all in a nice-ish way. I down play how much time I do spend playing. Attached male friends, couldn't care less, another person to play against. Single male friends - give you that look, a bit like you are a bit odd, off balance. I wouldn't dare mention it work, they'd think there was something wrong with me.

That's a shame to hear that Still fair play to sticking to something you enjoy, and not be a slave to what older generations deem the social norms for entertainment. One would have to wonder how many of your friends would be into gaming if they were born in a more recent/future decade. A lot more of them I would say.

Jazzy

im gonna do some hardcore film watching followed by some hardcore reading and then when im on the bus later im gonna get down to some hardcore music listening

deathrider

jaykhunter wrote: »

They're ignorant and dismissive; the way every medium must fight for acceptance. TV's were 'just for the unwashed masses' in it's infancy and over time, was accepted. But rest assured it is coming - there are more gamers than ever these days - adults still game, younger generations also game; eventually we'll become the majority, or at least a large minority. Also; our beloved medium is BIGGER than Hollywood so everyone's gotta take notice at some point. We've been officially recognised as an art recently.

It's hard not to go off on people who look down their nose on gaming. The easiest comeback I use (without calling them ignorant) is compare how film fans consider today's films generally crap, but it's the opposite for gamers, we're in another golden age of gaming.

That or "God, you're completely clueless. Go back to your ________ (insert crap TV show here)"

I never quite got it myself; this look-down-your-nose snobbery that people seem to have towards gaming, and more importantly, gamers. Not being a kick in the ass away from being 30 myself, whenever I mention the fact that I play a lot of games to people, they seem to look at me like they're embarrassed for me. Don't be embarrassed for me, folks, be embarrassed for yourself if you're too ignorant to appriciate that people of all ages can enjoy games in the same way they can with movies, books, and so on.

jaykhunter

I hear ya. Even recently my girlfriend and sister would take innocuous shots at gaming. It's so frustrating. I wonder if the cynicism comes from ignorance, or that they're bad at it, or that it's something they did as a child and now view it as just that. Or a bit of everything. That said, videogame penetration (an so acceptance) is much less prevalent in Ireland than say America or Japan.

I think we need a rebranding, away from the word "game" like it's a child's toy. Much like "comic book" and "graphic novel"; I reckon we could hasten the mainstream acceptance with a new 'serious' term for videogames. Get your thinking caps on :pac:

Agricola

jaykhunter wrote: »

I hear ya. Even recently my girlfriend and sister would take innocuous shots at gaming. It's so frustrating. I wonder if the cynicism comes from ignorance, or that they're bad at it, or that it's something they did as a child and now view it as just that. Or a bit of everything. That said, videogame penetration (an so acceptance) is much less prevalent in Ireland than say America or Japan.

I think we need a rebranding, away from the word "game" like it's a child's toy. Much like "comic book" and "graphic novel"; I reckon we could hasten the mainstream acceptance with a new 'serious' term for videogames. Get your thinking caps on :pac:

Have listened to afew podcast debates about this very subject. One suggestion was "experiences"
"Ok, Ill be there at 9, Im just going to have a quick experience on the xbox" :pac:
Time will change it eventually. People of 40 years and older are from a generation that are oblivious to games and gaming culture. Things will be very different in 10 / 20 years.

spider guardian

Hardcore gamers finish Battletoads in one go without dying. FACT

deathrider

jaykhunter wrote: »

I think we need a rebranding, away from the word "game" like it's a child's toy. Much like "comic book" and "graphic novel"; I reckon we could hasten the mainstream acceptance with a new 'serious' term for videogames. Get your thinking caps on :pac:

How's about Interactive Ass-Whupping? :pac:

Seriously though, calling Comic Graphic Novels hasn't changed a thing.

CramCycle

jaykhunter wrote: »

I think we need a rebranding, away from the word "game" like it's a child's toy.

I completely disagree, game is a term used for alot of things that have no age associated, we play games ergo thats how we should refer to it, any movement away from this just seems a bit, well, childish.

Doctor DooM

I get called a hardcore gamer all the time (I've travelled all over Ireland and abroad a couple of times for competitions) but put a dual analogue stick in my hand and I am like a 5 year old. I also can't play an FPS for crap.

It's just a generic term used by some people to describe everything we are not and don't want to be, and by some people as everything we are and you will never be.

landsleaving

deathrider wrote: »

How's about Interactive Ass-Whupping? :pac:

Seriously though, calling Comic Graphic Novels hasn't changed a thing.

Didn't Watchmen make it onto Time's 100 greatest novels? And The Walking Dead was deemed worthy of being turned into a high-budget, Frank Darabont helmed series. Persepolis, Maus and others like that have done a lot to legitimise the 'graphic novel' as a more adult form of entertainment. It's still not the most highly regarded medium, but certainly it's getting there. I'd say the rebranding did a lot to help that process just by making it a more grown-up thing to do.

Of course in terms of story, games have a long, long way to come to match comics, so it would take more than just saying that 'big boobed lady beating up space marines 5' is an 'interactive novel' (or whatever) to make people take them seriously, but dividing the market between the gaming equivalent of the graphic novel - Bioshock, Fallout, Ico and the like, and the comic book - Gears of War, Halo, etc. might help.

CramCycle

landsleaving wrote: »

but dividing the market between the gaming equivalent of the graphic novelComic eg Preacher, Walking Dead etc. - Bioshock, Fallout, Ico and the like, and the childrens comic book - Gears of War, Halo, etc. might help.

I really don't see the need for a new word, we don't have a new word for movies/books for different ages, we just refer to them as children/adult/suitable for etc.

deathrider

landsleaving wrote: »

Didn't Watchmen make it onto Time's 100 greatest novels? And The Walking Dead was deemed worthy of being turned into a high-budget, Frank Darabont helmed series. Persepolis, Maus and others like that have done a lot to legitimise the 'graphic novel' as a more adult form of entertainment. It's still not the most highly regarded medium, but certainly it's getting there. I'd say the rebranding did a lot to help that process just by making it a more grown-up thing to do.

I doubt these comics became what they are today simply because they were called graphic novels instead. They made it became they were damn well written.

johnny_ultimate

Amidst all these semantic nitpickings, you're forgetting graphic novel is a descriptor for length more than anything.

Watchmen issue one is a comic book. All the issues collected together is a graphic novel.

It doesn't necessarily have anything to do with quality. Let wiki explain it:

Graphic novels are typically bound in longer and more durable formats than familiar comic magazines, using the same materials and methods as printed books, and they are generally sold in bookstores and specialty comic book shops rather than at newsstands.

So there's not really much need for an argument to break out about it.

Fnz

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

So there's not really much need for an argument to break out about it.

Internet... hello?

penev10

There were a lot of terms like "core" gamers or "hobbyist" gamers being used for a the past few years. (Mainly how Xbox was catering for them and Wii wasn't). And the casuals were being referred to as "new audiences" etc.

I thought the industry was trying to get away from such terms but it seems they've reverted to them (well Nintendo has at least).

I'm surprised really as they're such loaded terms with a lot of ambiguity (hence the thread!)

To me a casual gamer is someone who doesn't own a console but might play a bit of Wii or DS or a flash game when the mood arises. All other terms don't have any real meaning to me.

jaykhunter

You know the way 'fanboy' is thrown about; and there's a derogatory term for Xbox fanboys ("Xbots").......is there a similar phrase for Sony or Nintendo 'fanboys'? Haven't heard it bandied about.