How important are we as hardcore gamers to the videogame industry now? We're definitely the most outspoken, and we definitely buy the most games, but it seems like the industry has moved their focus away from us and put it on the casual gamer.
Who can blame them? Gamer or not, we've all witnessed Nintendo's pocketbook explode after focusing on the casual gamer. And with "hardcore" games costing more than ever to make, it makes sense that developers would want to focus on something that costs less and makes more. Forbes explores this shift in focus.
Deus Ex director Warren Spector sums it up well: "... any artist who doesn't want his or her work in front of the largest audience possible is nuts."
Spore managed to move 1 million copies in three weeks. Creator Will Wright says that his focus was on the non-core gamer the whole time.
"With 'Spore,' we were intentionally not targeting the core gamer," he says. "Almost all of our testing was with Sims players and casual or nongamers. … I'd much rather hit that broader group."
In the end, both high-profile game makers agree that both the hardcore and casual audiences are important.
Wright says, "Hardcore causes the craftsmanship of games to advance. I think you kind of need both--innovation and craftsmanship."
"The hardcore is completely safe," Spector says. "They are less relevant to major publishers, but they are more relevant to independent developers."
Contest:
3:38 PM on 09.30.2008
| 
How many games do these casual market dwellers own, over one hundred, I highly doubt it.(you though I was going to type NINETHOUSAND didn't you) Sure they might eat up a million of this game and a million of that but I would see the hardcore group making many more purchases.
We're just a hard group to please which makes it more of a scare to develop for as if you try to develop a hardcore game and it sucks, you just lost a shit load of money!
Them casuals are easy to please as they like swinging a stick and popping bubbles while shelling out $60 to do so.
That said, I don't think hardcore gaming is in too much trouble. But then again, the hardcore would never be tossed to the wayside. The best thing to do would be to slowly blend hardcore and casual. I can say for a fact that this is happening right now, especially with the Wii, and I don't like it.
Nuts, and geniuses to boot.
Why is that? Because developers and publishers over all want to be pushing the goalposts of the industry and moving forward, be that in gameplay, graphics, music or whatever. Us hardcore gamers are the ones that feed that their desires and meet our own, by buying their cool games, created from such progress.
Casuals will eat any game up, not caring about graphics much and such. The real big hill is getting them to care about such things as the influence of games grows. Will they come around and ever care like we do, and does this matter? Perhaps not.
What's clear is that the industry could easily slow down or come to a stand still, if casuals ever dictated the pace (Nintendo might like that, but no one else would). Just be glad its us hardcore gamers that do instead, because if we aren't picky and particular, no one else will be.
A developer SHOULDN'T be looking at selling his game to the widest possible audience, only that his audience is a strong niche that pays off the development costs/creates profit (or fame, if you like). All other industries sell to niches and fail when they work for the broadest appeal at the expense of target marketing. It's a silly debate. For a more detailed but equally "off-the-cuff" take, try my (nearly) latest Blog post and the comments below.
To put it simply, "casual vs hardcore" is a pointless and highly invented divide with only a smidgeon of use for gamers, and only slightly more meaning to producers, and yet the myths are beginning to drive the industry. It's a clear mistake, let's just hope somebody injects some logic into the mix before it's too late.
Gonna cost you 20 minutes to listen by the way, and then of course you'll watch the one titled "pr0n".
Anyway, I think the industry needs both. Hardcore and casual alike. However, in order to write anything "newsworthy" it has to be EXTREME!
As opposed to "Here's some information on the video games industry" it has to be "IS THIS THE END OF THE HARDCORE GAMER?!?" (don't buy the hype. they just want someone to click and read.)
Honestly, I think there is at least equal amounts of money in hardcore or casual markets. Hardcore gamers don't do as much to support the industry as we would like to think. There are people that buy 20+ new games a year but they aren't representative. Casual gamers may only buy a few games a year but they tend to buy them new and with peripherals and whatnot. Most "hardcore" gamers buy a few new games a year and several used ones. In saving money, you're reducing your market control. I doubt that it would make companies more willing to make good games just because their good games sell well, though.
Nothing matters.
NOTHING.
We all remember Deus Ex and the father of non-core gaming, right? Thats why its such a classic, a must-play on the gaming resume of anybody who wants their opinion to carry weight. With its broad and simple plot, pick-up-and-play mechanics, memorable one-note characters, and bright shiny colours. I remember getting my grandmother to play the Liberty Island introduction and being amazed how quickly she got into it.
In other words, I call bullshit on Spector's line.