So...what's actually a hardcore gamer?

[Bananamatic]

I would also argue Touhou being for "real hardcore gamers," but that's a discussion that belongs elsewhere.

And that's where it belongs :V
Got me also wondering for a while...some people think that "hardcore" means "being different", so they play old consoles just for the sake of being cool, some think that hardcore equals playing only hard games to show your skill and whatnot(or playing only on high difficulties), some call that people which simply play videogames for many hours a day...

Can a casual be hardcore? Or does one have to take it seriously to be "hardcore"?
Or is it just a silly label that belongs to the same trash pile like "true music" and whatnot?

I hear this way too often, yet there is no real definition.

discuss and keep it clean :V

[Naut]

Well, an EXTREME one plays for 48.5 hours a week. I dunno about hardcore. I guess anybody who feels like a hardcare gamer can consider themselves a hardcore gamer. Does it really matter, anyway? Who honestly cares about being "hardcore", especially in a gaming sense?

[Esoterica]

Well, an EXTREME one plays for 48.5 hours a week.

That's it?

...I should probably reconsider what I've been doing with my life. :ohdear:

On-topic:

some think that hardcore equals playing only hard games to show your skill and whatnot(or playing only on high difficulties)

My interpretation.

[Stuffman]

My interpretation:
The hardcoreness of a game is directly proportionate to how likely you are to get one-hit-killed in it. (Almost all shmups are hardcore, while almost no RPGS are hardcore)

The hardcoreness of a gamer is directly proportionate to the average hardcoreness of the game they play.

[orinrin]

A hardcore gamer considers themselves as "hardcore."  Simple as that.  Nothing more to it.

[Paul Debrion]

I think it really depends on context. Harcore just means really obsessed or into your hobby.

[KOA]

Hardcore just means really obsessed or into your hobby.

Sweet, this justifies my self-proclamation as being hardcore.

[orinrin]

I'm softcore.  Whatever that means.

[Ghaleon]

Wow, I don't really agree with any of these definitions.

I think a hardcore gamer is someone who spends a significant amount of time playing games, regardless of their difficulty. There are different kinds of hardcore though. There's what I call a hardcore general gamer (like me) who enjoys all kinds of games, hard, easy, action, rpg, strategy, the works. Then there's the "junkie" kind that really doesn't play games a whole lot except for maybe 1 or 2 (counterstrike, starcraft, modern warfare, etc are great examples of games with alot of "junkies").

Being self-proclaimed as a hardcore is really kind of the only way to define one though I suppose. I mean, say one guy only plays 10 hours a week, most people wouldn't really consider that hardcore, but say the person works 14 hours a day, and has real life commitments elsewhere. If they only have 10 hours of free time during their week, 10 hours is definitely alot for them.

I think a hardcore gamer is often talking,thinking, and/or researching about games when they aren't playing games too...Basically a hardcore gamer is someone EVERYONE knows you give gaming equipment to for their birthday or christmas, no brainer.

I think the definition of what a hardcore gamer is to a non gamer however is simply something like 20+ hours a day.

[orinrin]

Why don't we all agree that the definition of hardcore is relative?  I don't think there is a set-in-stone dictionary way of defining someone as hardcore at the moment.

[Ghaleon]

Why don't we all agree that the definition of hardcore is relative?  I don't think there is a set-in-stone dictionary way of defining someone as hardcore at the moment.

Agreeing is for pansies, put up your dukes.

[Fightest]

Why don't we all agree that the definition of hardcore is relative?  I don't think there is a set-in-stone dictionary way of defining someone as hardcore at the moment.

Relative to what? You've gotta back up your non-committance!

A hardcore gamer is someone who is dedicated to gaming to a high degree. One cannot be just hardcore in general, one is made hardcore by being a hardcore player of a specific game, no matter what that game is - one can be equally a hardcore Kirby player, a hardcore Starcraft player or a hardcore Battlefield player. What makes a hardcore (foo) player is the time spent playing that game, figuring it out and knowing all the little cheats and secrets in the game. If, when asked, the person can provide detailed non-obvious information about the game that they frequently take into account, like, say, bullet drop over range for any given weapon in an FPS or optimal build order for a rush in an RTS, then the gamer is a hardcore gamer.

[Fluffy Rocket Tails]

Even if you don't consider yourself to be one?

[Third Eye Lem]

Before we can call someone a hardcore gamer, we have to understand what the definition of "hardcore" is. A hardcore gamer does not just play games to completion, they play to master them. To them, gaming a sport, and as such, hardcores have to keep practicing their talent to stay on par with other gamers, young or old, newbies or experts. In short, hardcore gamers consider their craft to be Serious Business. What do you guys think?

[KomeijiKoishi]

In short, hardcore gamers consider their craft to be Serious Business.

Therefore, people like me can't be hardcore, because they play games because they're fun, right?

[Azure Lazuline]

My definition of a hardcore gamer is someone who will never settle for being inferior. Normal mode isn't good enough - they'll go on the hardest difficulty with one-hit-deaths on and keep trying until they beat it. They'll get the lowest possible completion time and skip half the items. They'll practice a fighting game until nobody they know even poses a challenge to them. They'll go through Magmoor Caverns without the Varia Suit, just because they can.

On a slightly less-fun note, sometimes people call themselves "hardcore gamers" because they think the games that you like are worse than the ones that they like, or the way they play takes more skill (the Smash Bros fanbase is known for this, but please please please don't talk about that in this topic).

[Third Eye Lem]

Therefore, people like me can't be hardcore, because they play games because they're fun, right?

I consider people who play video games often, but not so much they consider it serious business, "enthusiasts."

My definition of a hardcore gamer is someone who will never settle for being inferior. Normal mode isn't good enough - they'll go on the hardest difficulty with one-hit-deaths on and keep trying until they beat it. They'll get the lowest possible completion time and skip half the items. They'll practice a fighting game until nobody they know even poses a challenge to them. They'll go through Magmoor Caverns without the Varia Suit, just because they can.

On a slightly less-fun note, sometimes people call themselves "hardcore gamers" because they think the games that you like are worse than the ones that they like, or the way they play takes more skill (the Smash Bros fanbase is known for this, but please please please don't talk about that in this topic).

I'm not a huge fan of absurdly hard games, because they take so much effort, and when you finally master them, it's like, "what now?"

As for the SSBB thing...There's a trope for that.

[Fluffy Rocket Tails]

It's stupid to waste (at least I'd feel it to be) all that time trying to master something if you get no enjoyment out of it and eventually get so good no one else wants to do it with you, so you end up getting nothing out of it.
I guess I'd be more of an enthusiast.

About SSBB: Am I the only one who actually plays it because I have fun while doing so and don't really like fighting games and thus have little interest in trying any others?

[Third Eye Lem]

About SSBB: Am I the only one who actually plays it because I have fun while doing so and don't really like fighting games and thus have little interest in trying any others?

I feel the same way. I'm not very good at Brawl or Melee, TBH...My girlfriend and her friends kick my butt every time we play. =X It's because they practiced, though. They're not extreeeeme hardcore SSB players.

[beaver1231]

It's funny when you think about it actually...

Hardcore gamers/games, Casual gamers/games.

When it's hardcore gaming, it turns into a jumbled mess of hacks, crazy acronyms, boosters, and pirates.
Somewhere in the another of the internet we'll someone in huge debate about the Scout being more powerful in patch v1.10a than the earlier patch v1.09d or something. At the same time, we have people demanding new content/DLC for their games.

Casual gaming/gamers are somewhat less vocal, complain less, and buy more stuff. They play games for fun, and would not mind playing the same levels again for the sake it. Also, they keep track score, they don't obsess over it, they just either take one look and seemingly satisfied when they reach a new high score or ignore it completely.

There's a lot more I can talk about I leave at here.

What I'm saying is that the word hardcore/casual are very loosely defined and there is very delicious irony in this situation when you think about it.

[shadowbringer]

My interpretation:
The hardcoreness of a game is directly proportionate to how likely you are to get one-hit-killed in it. (Almost all shmups are hardcore, while almost no RPGS are hardcore)

The hardcoreness of a gamer is directly proportionate to the average hardcoreness of the game they play.

imho, this isn't a direct proportion; often (outside shmups.. and some run-and-gun games such as Contra.. and Outzone :p ), the one-hit-kill type of game (platformers, for example) will not be well-designed enough (and thus, simple tricks such as memorizing some things to trivialize certain parts are discovered and abused.. which I don't really consider to be a good measure of a player's abilities and effort) or the controls won't give you as much options (example.. kind of: Battletoads. Lots of things to memorize in order to survive. Another example: Super Mario Bros. Eeeeeeeeeeeasy. -- I was a child when I beat it the first time)

edit: forgot to express something that was in my mind and thought to be common knowledge: fighting games. Having life bars doesn't mean that they don't have a lot of depth in them.

also, (to others) about playing games for fun vs. playing them for srsbsns. If you're playing for "srsbsns" and isn't having fun by exploring the game's potential and possibilities further.. that takes away half of its incentive to keep playing. Exploring the game's depth is meant to provide another kind of fun (where you want to win, but doesn't get intimidated if you don't, and have fun by solving the obstacles that are on your way to winning -- obstacles which have lots of ways to get around, depending on the player's virtues and weaknesses --, making lots of careful decisions in short time spans.. or trying to use the scoring system and still not being overwhelmed by the game).

[Azure Lazuline]

Well, the people who play for fun but also play competitively do actually have an advantage. I can't explain it too well though, so here's Sirlin saying it instead. Basically, a player won't be afraid to try new tactics in a casual game, even if they think it won't work - when it does, then there's one more new thing to use in a competitive match.

Also, I recommend reading Sirlin's other articles. He has lots of interesting stuff about competitive gaming and game design.

[KrackoCloud]

Mm, this is a pretty subjective matter.
I'd say the biggest definitions of a hardcore gamer and how often one plays and how obsessed one is, as those two go hand-in-hand.

What about skill? Well, consider a hardcore RPG gamer. Skill isn't really necessary, but they can still have a real passion.
Of course, that might just be an exception. Then, consider this. This person is a true natural at video games. But it doesn't necessarily mean he likes games, and it would furthermore mean that he, of all people, would have the least reason to play/practice often.
More importantly, skill is often a byproduct of how often we play.
Actually, how often we play is very often a byproduct of how into the game we are. So... Maybe this means that obsession is the biggest factor, whether it be in the form of how often one discusses games, how focused one is at completing games 100%, or how competitive one is.

Of course, how competitive you are can be a byproduct of how skilled you are in the first place...

Bah, I don't know. I, for one, do not consider myself a hardcore gamer, so I'm not very sure. Skill, how long one plays, and obsession are the key points, but I don't think I'll bother any more trying to figure out which one is the most important.

[Hanzo K.]

Well, if we take the universal minimun definition of a "Hardcore Gamer" to be "Plays video games for around 48.5 Hours a week", then I would fit the bill and then some.

As I've been known to log far more than that, particularly when on a binge of games I've not played in a while.

Let's see.....hours I've logged on Disgaea 2 alone in a single week? around 178, give or take a few minutes.
I spent the first 45 of those on the main story, the rest is all level grinding and Item World exploration.

...Still haven't gotten all those damn Treasure Maps....

Never mind all the other games I played during that span of time.

[Chaotic Phoenixma]

But there's only 168 hours in a week.

[Tengukami]

The OP's question is pretty much a great example of the No True Scotsman fallacy. Might as well ask what a real Van Halen fan is.

[Hanzo K.]

Well, I've also been known to mess up on math and such too, so it all evens out.
Plus, that was my last recorded ammout of time spent on it in roughly one week.
Hence my saying "Around'.

And I do take my gaming seriously, as I intend to compete in any sort of tourmament I can when I go to GenCon-Indy this August.

..But this isn't the thread for discussing GenCon-Indy, now is it?
So back to the topic at hand.

[Nobu]

But there's only 168 hours in a week.

Harcore gamers learn to transcend those silly limitations.

The OP's question is pretty much a great example of the No True Scotsman fallacy. Might as well ask what a real Van Halen fan is.

Sounds like casual gamer speak to me. :derp:


I don't even like to think of gamers in terms of hardcore vs not-hardcore, as you'll find people of all types in a spectrum of dedication, and I don't think there's an objective place to draw the line. I make a distinction between casual and not casual, but not a distinction as to who is 'hardcore'.

Does anyone here actually think of themselves as a hardcore gamer, or think of some people that way? I just like to consider us all gamers and be done with it. :x

[communist unity (comm-unity)]

A hardcore gamer is someone who plays video games at tournaments for money; such as starcraft tournaments, or the likes.
Casual gaming doesn't exist, it's just an insult invented to dab at people who play 'nongames' such as wii fit, diner dash, etc. (Never mind the fact that these are classified as games and people who play them regularly are in fact, gamers.)

[Tengukami]

Also, this thread reminds me of Ripper's infamous IRC quote, "i told u i was hardcore".