Does Casual Gaming Exist?

For me, you are a gamer or non-gamer. I think most of you know that you can spend ten or twenty hours on an internet flash game and have not realised. The guy who plays these games regularly - he's a core gamer. Someone who is fifty-years old who only plays Brain Training, but plays it like a core gamer is a core gamer. I don't like this word casual so much. Because people consider that casual needs to be something easy. If you're good at any game you can play at a high difficulty level. Take Tetris. There is incredible gameplay, it's very simple, very easy to understand, but it's also very different. I think a game can be a light enough to enjoy and for all gamers to become a core gamer on it. There is no casual gaming. There is just a different way to play.
.
- Nintendo Europe Senior Marketing Director Laurent Fischer (5/14/08)
.
The definition of irony - As my pappy used to say, "Life isn't black and white, its just different shades of gray. And no you can't borrow $20." I have no idea what he meant or why he was discussing color patterns when I was trying to bum money off of him but if I apply pappy's logic to the quote above it seems pretty clear to me that Mr. Fischer, despite being an executive for Nintendo, has no idea what he's talking about when it comes to gamers. Does Mr. Fischer mean to say that the company that makes the Wii, a console which prides itself on its wide appeal, truly believes that casual gaming doesn't exist?
.
I've read those stories in the newspaper about the Wii being used to entertain seniors who live in retirement communities. From Larry's perspective, these seniors and the guy who stays up until 3am playing team deathmatch in Halo 3 are one and the same. With a few exceptions (pregnancy, marriage, gender) saying you're either one thing or another is just plain stupid. So the statement of "you are a gamer or a non-gamer" coming from a Nintendo exec borders on the moronic.
.
Mr. Fischer, casual gaming is not Big Foot, it exists and is doing quite well. In fact, its one of gaming's most profitable and popular attractions because its easy to learn, inexpensive, usually short, and enjoyable on a basic level almost anyone can understand. Of course, you should already know this since your company has made some of the most popular casual games of all time. The problem with your statement is that you think only gamers play casual games. Wrong! Games come in different levels of complexity, so do gamers. To simplify a complicated topic for you, here's a basic table you can reference next time you open your pie-hole about casual games and gamers. This is not a complete list since under each level are a number of subcategories, but since you haven't been able to comprehend gamer needs so far, I thought I'd dumb this table down for you.
.
Gamer Levels
Non-Gamer - These are people who don't play games, casual or otherwise. They look down upon gamers from on high and view gaming as a waste of time and money. These are the type of douchebags who spend way too much time tying sweaters around their neck and putting dimes in their penny loafers. You might talk them into trying a game, but then they'll just toss the controller back to you and say, "I don't get why you're so into this. This isn't art. You should be reading the classics or watching art house flicks with subtitles." Non-gamers have no soul.
.
Casual - This is a bit of a misnomer but since the phrase is already well known its time to give it a proper definition. A casual gamer isn't defined by the games that they play but by the amount of time that they spend gaming. My wife likes playing Tetris and Solitaire, strictly casual fare. But she'll also play GTA IV every now and then, but only for 10 minutes because she likes to run people over and smash into things. The GTA series is considered pretty hardcore, so does this make her a hardcore gamer? No, because she only plays about 30-45 minutes of games a week. I play "hardcore" games (Halo 3, Orange Box, etc.) but I also enjoy casual games (Echochrome, Battle Zone, etc.) just as much. Does this make me a casual gamer? Hell no, because I play about 20 hours of games a week. If gamer #1 played 20 hours of Paper Boy and Dig Dug a week while gamer #2 played two hours of Call of Duty 4 a week, who would you consider the casual gamer?
.
Hardcore - As with casual gamers there are varying degrees of hardcore gamers but at its most basic level, a hardcore gamer is someone who just loves games. Usually they have multiple consoles, an entertainment system designed specifically for games, catches up on the latest news online and through multiple magazine subscriptions, and probably posts comments on blogs or forums. A hardcore gamer views games as both entertainment and art form and will argue the point with anyone who thinks otherwise. They also own a few gaming t-shirts and aren't ashamed to be called fanboys. Hardcore gamers are funny, sexy, super intelligent people that are the life of any party.
.
Gamer or non-gamer? That kind of labeling doesn't make any sense. Want to know what kind of gamer you are? Find out in my next post.
.
coloradojoemail@yahoo.com