T'was a quiet, Saturday night. Dre was sitting at his computer after a botched attempt at trying to get tickets to the late show of Fast and Furious.
Long story. Anyways, so here I was. Bored, and lurking a game forum that I consider my usual watering hole of lurkery, when suddenly I came across a comment that read something along the lines of "teh casual gamerz 4 teh lozeeee lawllll". That triggered something within me and I was inspired to create a thread called Casual Gamers > Core Gamers.
I submit to you, my brain child. A product of a Vin Diesel-less Saturday night and clique rebellion.
Casual Gamers > Core Gamers
It's time core gamers start to acknowledge that fact. If you're in this forum posting now and than or even just lurking, odds are you're a core gamer. I'd define this more specifically as a person who considers video gaming a primary hobby and immerses themselves in the culture of it. Me and, like I said, probably you.
That said, the vibe across the general populace here and most other gaming enthusiast forums is to be butthurt over the recent surge in new casual gaming experiences and players. But let me pose a question to you:
The Xbox 360 has sold roughly 30 million consoles worldwide. Now, how many of those people do you think fall under our "core gamer" category? The same question can be asked of every console. However, no matter what you might think, the core gamer is not the majority, here. Fair weather gamers dominate sales charts every time.
It's something I've come to call the Inner Circle Effect, where we go on forums, we talk to our friends on Live, we read Gamespot and these EGM and what we've done is build ourselves a network. In all actuality, this network might only consist of 10 000 people, perhaps. However, not actually knowing this number, we build ourselves up as these high and mighty powers behind the video game industry. We consider ourselves important to an industry that is rising as the most popular means of entertainment.
But in all actuality, we're not important. In reality, we probably make up a small piece of the sales pie. It's casual gamers. People who don't reach out into our network and just play games now and than for fun. They've always been there and without them, this industry couldn't exist, or at the very least, would be nowhere as huge. I'd bet that anywhere between 75 - 90% of console owners would consider themselves a casual.
You, reading this blog, are undoubtedly more intelligent than the numb skulls I interact with on that forum. Your opinion is actually valued here, so I'd like to know your thoughts on the matter. Leave a comment.
This point has probably been established well in the past few years (maybe longer). A lazy Google search links to a decent 2 year old article:
The Future of PC Gaming Isn't You (Aug 2007)
I do wonder what our actual power in the gaming world actually is though.
Is it to circulate the latest tidbit of gaming news/rumour, eventually reaching the ears and eyes of our 'casual' gaming friends?
Is it to keep niche gaming franchises and communities (online/offline) alive, no matter how small?
Are our opinions (moreso than casual gamers') still able to influence and shape gaming franchises and gameplay types?
What would games be like without the core community of gamers? I'd guess it would be even more homogenous than its becoming.
Lots of questions, I know, but I don't really have definitve answers for any of them myself. I'm probably ignoring mountains of evidence answering most of these as well.
I believe the 'casuals' are the vast majority of gamers and a lot of shovel-ware,kiddy games, movie-based games, etc are targeted specifically at them. However, this stereotype that its the Wii's fault isn't correct.
Shovelware and the casual audience has been around for a long time. I realized it back when my friend and I would go to the store every once in a while to look for a new game, for my Gamecube and his PS2. The amount of crap for those two systems was amazing. By the end of the generation we each had a nice library of top tier "hardcore" titles...but it sure wasn't our favourite's that sold the best.
I think the casual demographic is just a lot more apparent now and is being marketed toward a lot more aggressively.
Well, the "core" gamers are the ones spreading the hype, so not appealing to us would in some way be foolish. I do wish that games like Shadow of the Colossus and Okami would sell better, and they could have. But the publisher's are just too catious about marketing those games.
Well, Dtoid is a network of over 30,000 people, so I'd say that the "hardcore" circle you're in here is at least three times bigger than your estimate.
That said, videogames are just like any other media. There are more "casual" movie goers, book readers, and TV watchers than there are "hardcore" aficionados of those mediums.
The lowest common denominator is always made up of "casuals". They are the people that led to Friends staying on the air for ten years (or something like that) while Arrested Development only lasted three seasons. They are the ones that read Harry Potter 7 instead of World War Z. They are the ones that bought Mario Kart Wii instead of MadWorld.
And that's OK, because MadWorld was cheap enough to make that it'll likely warrant a sequel. Brad Pitt loved World War Z so he personally is spearheading the movie. Arrested Development is getting a movie as well, thanks in no small part to it's "hardcore" fan base.
My point? The stuff we like doesn't have to be #1 to keep going. It doesn't even need to be #10. As long the people who make the stuff can live off making said stuff, then they'll keep churning it out.
There is the inner-circle, outer-circle effect in everything. Religions have the pastors, priests, zealots, etc who occupy a much smaller circle than the "casual" churchgoers. There are the audiophiles compared to the average listeners. There are movie reviewers and critics, and the average moviegoer. There are the music elitists and the people that listen to whatever is on the radio. And now that videogames have been well established as a hobby, artform, media outlet, there are the hardcore and casual gamers as well.
It's a basic fact in psychology and sociology that the inner circle must be smaller than the outer one; but the inner circle, for the most part, always controls the direction of the group. The casual gamers that take interest in videogames direction are soon absorbed into a sect of the "hardcore" innercircle because they are no longer just a casual gamer. Just like a casual music listener who starts a band, will soon be more off an elitist as a musician, than a regular old music lover. It isn't a psychological problem, it is the fact that once you know more about something, it is harder to ignore flaws, mistakes, problems, and that means opinions are formed much faster and with much more detail.
The inner groups really just need to practice some patience and help steer the larger outer circle in the direction they want. After all, being a jerk will only turn people away from getting more into games/music/etc, not make them want to be "hardcore."
Well I'm sure anyone can love "casual" games and "hardcore" games. In reality the names mean little. I can enjoy puzzlers and minigame compilations, in moderation. But sometimes I like sawing people in half with a beam katana, chainsaw or going for headshots.
In reality I think hardcore aligns itself more with those looking for quality, versus those who are to naive and just buy absolute shit, or quality products like WiiFit which aren't games in the traditional sense of the word.
well, the recent iPhone / Ipod Touch 'gaming' madness proves your point. so yeah core gamer actually smaller market than casual gamer, another example is why Nintendo with their Wii is so successful now
Destructoid is an open discussion community. You don't need to "audition" to post a comment - just speak your mind. We respect differing opinions on the site, so have at it. Be smart, funny, insightful, clueless, or cute -- but back it up with substance. Keep your cool, keep it fun. We only ask that you act respectfully and above all: don't be a troll and ruin it for everyone else. Don't bring down gamers or we'll, you know, gently shoot you in the face and stuff you into a flaming mailbox. Each comment is your opportuntity to make this community awesomer. Is that even a word?
Avoiding the banhammer only requires common sense: spamming, trolling, racism, NSFW stuff, and other forms of sucking will not be tolerated. If anyone is griefing please report abuse. Be good. Don't suck!
about me
Hey! I'm Andreas (Andre, Andy, Dre - you get the picture) Merriott. I'm a really cool guy. Get to know me. My favorite games right now are Tales of Vesperia and Bioshock... Usually you can find me hanging out with my friends, pretending to freestyle good, making up designs, creating movies or just sitting around. So yeah! Enjoy.
Destructoid is an independently-run publication forged by our love of video games and the gaming community's need of accountable enthusiast press living the dream since March 16, 2006
DreRox's blog
follow this blog
subscribe via RSS
send message
invite to meetup+play
This point has probably been established well in the past few years (maybe longer). A lazy Google search links to a decent 2 year old article:
The Future of PC Gaming Isn't You (Aug 2007)
I do wonder what our actual power in the gaming world actually is though.
Is it to circulate the latest tidbit of gaming news/rumour, eventually reaching the ears and eyes of our 'casual' gaming friends?
Is it to keep niche gaming franchises and communities (online/offline) alive, no matter how small?
Are our opinions (moreso than casual gamers') still able to influence and shape gaming franchises and gameplay types?
What would games be like without the core community of gamers? I'd guess it would be even more homogenous than its becoming.
Lots of questions, I know, but I don't really have definitve answers for any of them myself. I'm probably ignoring mountains of evidence answering most of these as well.
Meh ... Playing Fallout 2 is so much more honorable than playing Wii Music ...
I believe the 'casuals' are the vast majority of gamers and a lot of shovel-ware,kiddy games, movie-based games, etc are targeted specifically at them. However, this stereotype that its the Wii's fault isn't correct.
Shovelware and the casual audience has been around for a long time. I realized it back when my friend and I would go to the store every once in a while to look for a new game, for my Gamecube and his PS2. The amount of crap for those two systems was amazing. By the end of the generation we each had a nice library of top tier "hardcore" titles...but it sure wasn't our favourite's that sold the best.
I think the casual demographic is just a lot more apparent now and is being marketed toward a lot more aggressively.
lol softcore gamers
...
Well, the "core" gamers are the ones spreading the hype, so not appealing to us would in some way be foolish. I do wish that games like Shadow of the Colossus and Okami would sell better, and they could have. But the publisher's are just too catious about marketing those games.
Well, Dtoid is a network of over 30,000 people, so I'd say that the "hardcore" circle you're in here is at least three times bigger than your estimate.
That said, videogames are just like any other media. There are more "casual" movie goers, book readers, and TV watchers than there are "hardcore" aficionados of those mediums.
The lowest common denominator is always made up of "casuals". They are the people that led to Friends staying on the air for ten years (or something like that) while Arrested Development only lasted three seasons. They are the ones that read Harry Potter 7 instead of World War Z. They are the ones that bought Mario Kart Wii instead of MadWorld.
And that's OK, because MadWorld was cheap enough to make that it'll likely warrant a sequel. Brad Pitt loved World War Z so he personally is spearheading the movie. Arrested Development is getting a movie as well, thanks in no small part to it's "hardcore" fan base.
My point? The stuff we like doesn't have to be #1 to keep going. It doesn't even need to be #10. As long the people who make the stuff can live off making said stuff, then they'll keep churning it out.
"They are the ones that read Harry Potter 7 instead of World War Z."
I bought, read, and loved both. I think I'm bipolar.
There is the inner-circle, outer-circle effect in everything. Religions have the pastors, priests, zealots, etc who occupy a much smaller circle than the "casual" churchgoers. There are the audiophiles compared to the average listeners. There are movie reviewers and critics, and the average moviegoer. There are the music elitists and the people that listen to whatever is on the radio. And now that videogames have been well established as a hobby, artform, media outlet, there are the hardcore and casual gamers as well.
It's a basic fact in psychology and sociology that the inner circle must be smaller than the outer one; but the inner circle, for the most part, always controls the direction of the group. The casual gamers that take interest in videogames direction are soon absorbed into a sect of the "hardcore" innercircle because they are no longer just a casual gamer. Just like a casual music listener who starts a band, will soon be more off an elitist as a musician, than a regular old music lover. It isn't a psychological problem, it is the fact that once you know more about something, it is harder to ignore flaws, mistakes, problems, and that means opinions are formed much faster and with much more detail.
The inner groups really just need to practice some patience and help steer the larger outer circle in the direction they want. After all, being a jerk will only turn people away from getting more into games/music/etc, not make them want to be "hardcore."
Well I'm sure anyone can love "casual" games and "hardcore" games. In reality the names mean little. I can enjoy puzzlers and minigame compilations, in moderation. But sometimes I like sawing people in half with a beam katana, chainsaw or going for headshots.
In reality I think hardcore aligns itself more with those looking for quality, versus those who are to naive and just buy absolute shit, or quality products like WiiFit which aren't games in the traditional sense of the word.
well, the recent iPhone / Ipod Touch 'gaming' madness proves your point. so yeah core gamer actually smaller market than casual gamer, another example is why Nintendo with their Wii is so successful now