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Many of us on these forums have used the term 'casual gamer', but what does it actually mean (if anything...)?
To many people 'casual gamer' is a term used to describe how an average person who plays games. When 'casual gamers' are talked about they are not gamers like the people on these forums (well not most of them anyway :D) but are the stereotype of the people who blindly follow one console (usually the 'coolest' console on the market) and always put down competitors without knowing any real facts about the competition. They may be the person referring to Nintendo as 'Kiddie', or mindlessly slagging off the Xbox as being an over grown PC. 'Casual gamers' are often the ones we believe the gaming marketing is aimed at. We are well informed and can make up our own minds about consoles. 'Casual gamers' are easily swayed by adverts and hype.
But do we have these perceptions of 'casual' fans in everything? In almost any hobby or passion that you have there will be people who are bigger fans on it and better informed, and there will be those who are less well informed. Does that mean we are above them? Those 'casual' rabble who know next to nothing about 'real' games and just stick to buying the next big thing in gaming. We know all about gaming beyond the latest Pokemon craze, or next Tony Hawks sequel. We're well informed individuals. We go out and buy only the best games for our pleasure, not just the game that has the best looking special effects on the back of the box.
Now, the pro's and con's of casual gamers have been weighed up countless times. "They give the games industry much needed funds" Vs. "They promote graphics over gameplay". I won't bother going into that (for now...) because my point is should we really build up this barrier? It's like we look down at 'them' becasue for some reason 'we' are superior. As long as they don't go mindlessly slagging off a console without knowing anything about it I'm fine. I can still buy quality games, and they can still buy, well, whatever they want. Now I'm probably just as much (oh, alright, more) of an offender of using the 'Casual Gamer' term as anyone else on these forums, but I ask of you now, lets stop using these terms.
Stop the 'Us' and 'Them' mentality. Lets usher in a new era where everyone is a gamer, not casual gamer rabble, or hardcore gamer elite.
I have a dream...
To many people 'casual gamer' is a term used to describe how an average person who plays games. When 'casual gamers' are talked about they are not gamers like the people on these forums (well not most of them anyway :D) but are the stereotype of the people who blindly follow one console (usually the 'coolest' console on the market) and always put down competitors without knowing any real facts about the competition. They may be the person referring to Nintendo as 'Kiddie', or mindlessly slagging off the Xbox as being an over grown PC. 'Casual gamers' are often the ones we believe the gaming marketing is aimed at. We are well informed and can make up our own minds about consoles. 'Casual gamers' are easily swayed by adverts and hype.
But do we have these perceptions of 'casual' fans in everything? In almost any hobby or passion that you have there will be people who are bigger fans on it and better informed, and there will be those who are less well informed. Does that mean we are above them? Those 'casual' rabble who know next to nothing about 'real' games and just stick to buying the next big thing in gaming. We know all about gaming beyond the latest Pokemon craze, or next Tony Hawks sequel. We're well informed individuals. We go out and buy only the best games for our pleasure, not just the game that has the best looking special effects on the back of the box.
Now, the pro's and con's of casual gamers have been weighed up countless times. "They give the games industry much needed funds" Vs. "They promote graphics over gameplay". I won't bother going into that (for now...) because my point is should we really build up this barrier? It's like we look down at 'them' becasue for some reason 'we' are superior. As long as they don't go mindlessly slagging off a console without knowing anything about it I'm fine. I can still buy quality games, and they can still buy, well, whatever they want. Now I'm probably just as much (oh, alright, more) of an offender of using the 'Casual Gamer' term as anyone else on these forums, but I ask of you now, lets stop using these terms.
Stop the 'Us' and 'Them' mentality. Lets usher in a new era where everyone is a gamer, not casual gamer rabble, or hardcore gamer elite.
I have a dream...
erm.... without the 'A'!
doh
:(
doh
:(
Sibs wrote:
> There's probably some person who has a huge knowledge of games who
> would consider most of us just 'casual' gamers, because he (or she...
> unlikely but possible :D) knows so much more than us!
YEAR Sibs you casual gamer you!
:p
> There's probably some person who has a huge knowledge of games who
> would consider most of us just 'casual' gamers, because he (or she...
> unlikely but possible :D) knows so much more than us!
YEAR Sibs you casual gamer you!
:p
V.V.V.V.V. wrote:
> It's like these forums: Newbies come and go, but only a few turn into
> committed Regulars. But a constant influx of Newbies are needed to
> keep the forums ticking over with fresh blood.
I intend on evolving into a Regular someday. I've been into games since the Master System, then I was more into other things until I brought an N64 in the summer of 1999.
> It's like these forums: Newbies come and go, but only a few turn into
> committed Regulars. But a constant influx of Newbies are needed to
> keep the forums ticking over with fresh blood.
I intend on evolving into a Regular someday. I've been into games since the Master System, then I was more into other things until I brought an N64 in the summer of 1999.
yeah, I think V.V.V.V.V. (it is 5 Vs right...?) has a good point... we weren't born 'hardcore' gamers. We shouldn't necessarily brand someone as different from ourselves just because they haven't yet gained a knowledge of gaming as large as ourselves.
There's probably some person who has a huge knowledge of games who would consider most of us just 'casual' gamers, because he (or she... unlikely but possible :D) knows so much more than us!
There's probably some person who has a huge knowledge of games who would consider most of us just 'casual' gamers, because he (or she... unlikely but possible :D) knows so much more than us!
I think it should be remembered that every gamer starts off as a "casual gamer".
If the gaming bug takes hold, then they evolve into "hardcore gamers".
If not, they probably lose interest in gaming altogether.
It's like these forums: Newbies come and go, but only a few turn into committed Regulars. But a constant influx of Newbies are needed to keep the forums ticking over with fresh blood.
Am I making sense.... probably not. I'm probably still drunk from last night....
If the gaming bug takes hold, then they evolve into "hardcore gamers".
If not, they probably lose interest in gaming altogether.
It's like these forums: Newbies come and go, but only a few turn into committed Regulars. But a constant influx of Newbies are needed to keep the forums ticking over with fresh blood.
Am I making sense.... probably not. I'm probably still drunk from last night....
If your not really into something your just gonna get what all your friends generally have ain't ya.
For example quite a lot of people had Playstations, and so if you haven't gotten a console and you asked someone which you should get, people'd probably tell you to get a Playstation. It's only if you talked to some die hard Nintendo fan would someone tell you to get an N64.
:)
For example quite a lot of people had Playstations, and so if you haven't gotten a console and you asked someone which you should get, people'd probably tell you to get a Playstation. It's only if you talked to some die hard Nintendo fan would someone tell you to get an N64.
:)
But the perception of the casula gamer is someone who follows the 'coolest' games/consoles, while ignoring the others because they are not 'in'...
That is the perception...
That is the perception...
I stopped using the term casual gamer a while back. It annoyed me!
But there has to be some way of differenciating people who play and know a lot about games, from the people who play games occasionally, and don't really know anything about them.
'Casual gamers' are the sort of people who like to play games, but not majorly into them. And so they won't generally bother to buy console magazines, or use the internet to look up about games. What this means is that when they want a game, they will go down the local games shop, look at the boxes of the games, and generally be pulled towards one with a shiny cover and pretty pictures on the back. That is why some people don't like these 'casual gamers'. Because they mindlessly buy rubbish games, just because they think it looks good from the box. This leads to rubbish games selling well. Developers see that they can sell rubbish and so continue to produce rubbish. Personally I don't blame the 'casual gamers' really. If you want a pair of trainers and your not into sports, most of you would probably go for the flashy looking ones because you'd think they were better. But someone into sports would not necesserily go for that pair, because in actual fact there not as good as a less flashy looking pair. The casual gamer situation is quite similar to that. People who ain't that into a certain area don't really care about what their buying. They just mindlessly purchase stuff without the complete knowledge of what there doing. That's life!
blah, it's late and i'm rambling and not really knowing what i'm trying to say anymore. Hope that kinda made some semblance of sence to someone.
:)
But there has to be some way of differenciating people who play and know a lot about games, from the people who play games occasionally, and don't really know anything about them.
'Casual gamers' are the sort of people who like to play games, but not majorly into them. And so they won't generally bother to buy console magazines, or use the internet to look up about games. What this means is that when they want a game, they will go down the local games shop, look at the boxes of the games, and generally be pulled towards one with a shiny cover and pretty pictures on the back. That is why some people don't like these 'casual gamers'. Because they mindlessly buy rubbish games, just because they think it looks good from the box. This leads to rubbish games selling well. Developers see that they can sell rubbish and so continue to produce rubbish. Personally I don't blame the 'casual gamers' really. If you want a pair of trainers and your not into sports, most of you would probably go for the flashy looking ones because you'd think they were better. But someone into sports would not necesserily go for that pair, because in actual fact there not as good as a less flashy looking pair. The casual gamer situation is quite similar to that. People who ain't that into a certain area don't really care about what their buying. They just mindlessly purchase stuff without the complete knowledge of what there doing. That's life!
blah, it's late and i'm rambling and not really knowing what i'm trying to say anymore. Hope that kinda made some semblance of sence to someone.
:)
Sibs wrote:
> but are the stereotype of the people who blindly
> follow one console and always put down competitors without knowing any > real facts about the competition.
I would say that applies more to zealots than casual gamers.
> but are the stereotype of the people who blindly
> follow one console and always put down competitors without knowing any > real facts about the competition.
I would say that applies more to zealots than casual gamers.
Many of us on these forums have used the term 'casual gamer', but what does it actually mean (if anything...)?
To many people 'casual gamer' is a term used to describe how an average person who plays games. When 'casual gamers' are talked about they are not gamers like the people on these forums (well not most of them anyway :D) but are the stereotype of the people who blindly follow one console (usually the 'coolest' console on the market) and always put down competitors without knowing any real facts about the competition. They may be the person referring to Nintendo as 'Kiddie', or mindlessly slagging off the Xbox as being an over grown PC. 'Casual gamers' are often the ones we believe the gaming marketing is aimed at. We are well informed and can make up our own minds about consoles. 'Casual gamers' are easily swayed by adverts and hype.
But do we have these perceptions of 'casual' fans in everything? In almost any hobby or passion that you have there will be people who are bigger fans on it and better informed, and there will be those who are less well informed. Does that mean we are above them? Those 'casual' rabble who know next to nothing about 'real' games and just stick to buying the next big thing in gaming. We know all about gaming beyond the latest Pokemon craze, or next Tony Hawks sequel. We're well informed individuals. We go out and buy only the best games for our pleasure, not just the game that has the best looking special effects on the back of the box.
Now, the pro's and con's of casual gamers have been weighed up countless times. "They give the games industry much needed funds" Vs. "They promote graphics over gameplay". I won't bother going into that (for now...) because my point is should we really build up this barrier? It's like we look down at 'them' becasue for some reason 'we' are superior. As long as they don't go mindlessly slagging off a console without knowing anything about it I'm fine. I can still buy quality games, and they can still buy, well, whatever they want. Now I'm probably just as much (oh, alright, more) of an offender of using the 'Casual Gamer' term as anyone else on these forums, but I ask of you now, lets stop using these terms.
Stop the 'Us' and 'Them' mentality. Lets usher in a new era where everyone is a gamer, not casual gamer rabble, or hardcore gamer elite.
I have a dream...
To many people 'casual gamer' is a term used to describe how an average person who plays games. When 'casual gamers' are talked about they are not gamers like the people on these forums (well not most of them anyway :D) but are the stereotype of the people who blindly follow one console (usually the 'coolest' console on the market) and always put down competitors without knowing any real facts about the competition. They may be the person referring to Nintendo as 'Kiddie', or mindlessly slagging off the Xbox as being an over grown PC. 'Casual gamers' are often the ones we believe the gaming marketing is aimed at. We are well informed and can make up our own minds about consoles. 'Casual gamers' are easily swayed by adverts and hype.
But do we have these perceptions of 'casual' fans in everything? In almost any hobby or passion that you have there will be people who are bigger fans on it and better informed, and there will be those who are less well informed. Does that mean we are above them? Those 'casual' rabble who know next to nothing about 'real' games and just stick to buying the next big thing in gaming. We know all about gaming beyond the latest Pokemon craze, or next Tony Hawks sequel. We're well informed individuals. We go out and buy only the best games for our pleasure, not just the game that has the best looking special effects on the back of the box.
Now, the pro's and con's of casual gamers have been weighed up countless times. "They give the games industry much needed funds" Vs. "They promote graphics over gameplay". I won't bother going into that (for now...) because my point is should we really build up this barrier? It's like we look down at 'them' becasue for some reason 'we' are superior. As long as they don't go mindlessly slagging off a console without knowing anything about it I'm fine. I can still buy quality games, and they can still buy, well, whatever they want. Now I'm probably just as much (oh, alright, more) of an offender of using the 'Casual Gamer' term as anyone else on these forums, but I ask of you now, lets stop using these terms.
Stop the 'Us' and 'Them' mentality. Lets usher in a new era where everyone is a gamer, not casual gamer rabble, or hardcore gamer elite.
I have a dream...