@swtorleveller to @dawnsrose still taking topics? how about, how to know if your casual or hardcore in mmo as a topic?

Per a discussion on Twitter, and a suggestion, I decided to take a serious look at what my play style is.  We have all heard the terms Hardcore and Casual, but what about the middle ground? Someone suggested that could be Dedicated. I can see that working. Sort of a small, medium and large type of play style. But do they really mean?

Wikipedia : gamer

 

Hardcore: (from Wikipedia) : Hardcore gamers prefer to take significant time and practice on games, and tend to play more involved games that require larger amounts of time to complete or master. Hardcore gamers may take part in video game culture. Competition is another defining characteristic of hardcore gamers, who often compete in organized tournaments, leagues, or ranked play integrated into the game proper. There are many subtypes of hardcore gamers based on the style of game, game play preference, hardware platform, and other preferences.

 

(Personal): I see a hardcore gamer like above, but also I find them always maximizing their character. They are always looking for the best gear, best skill tree, best damage or heal, and best at doing a raid or instance. Being the best seems to drive this personality. They have no time for someone that is not as dedicated as they are.

 

This is not a bad play style. It tends to lead to elitist attitudes and exclusion of players not like them. Guilds that focus on this tend to be server-first frequently, and usually have mandatory raid times, and a minimum amount of time online.

 

That type of gaming does not interest me. I am more a member of the next two options.

 

Mid-Core (Dedicated?): (from Wikipedia): A core gamer is a player with a wide range of interests and enthusiast toward creative and diverse games,^[8] but without the amount of time spent and sense of competition of a hardcore gamer. The mid-core gamer enjoys complex games but won’t buy every novel release, doesn’t have time for long games,^[9] and is a target consumer ^[10] that needs features not found in games for the other types. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata stated that they designed the Wii U to cater to a core gamer who is between the casual and hard-core categories.^[11]

 

(Personal): I see this level of gamer as the one that has a family, a job, and possibly a life. There is an enjoyment of the game, without the high level of competitiveness that comes from hardcore gamers. This does not mean they don’t like to compete, they just seem to do so with a bit more of a relaxed and approachable attitude.

 

This is pretty much my play style. I like to investigate almost all the zones, and try every crafting specialization I can get my hands on. I also tend to make a number of alts. A game that can keep my MMOADD (Massive Multi-player Online Attention Deficit Disorder) entertained are usually the games I gravitate to as well.

 

Casual: (from Wikipedia): See also: Casual game – A casual gamer is a player whose time or interest in playing games is limited. Casual gamers tend to play games designed for ease of game play and don’t spend much time playing more involved games. The genres that casual gamers play vary, and they might not own a specific video game console to play their games.^[4][5] Casual gaming demographics vary greatly from those of traditional computer games, as the typical casual gamer is older and more predominantly female.^[6] One casual gamer subset is the “fitness gamer,” who plays motion-based exercise games.^[7]

 

(Personal): I have some disagreements with this definition. I actually think more female gamers fit into the Mid-Core definition, as do “older” gamers. Of course “older” may have different definitions to people. I am 40 and I consider myself an “older” gamer. This is primarily because it seems like 75 percent of the people I game with are young enough to be my children. I think when you start becoming the den mother for a guild, you can consider yourself “older.”

 

I do agree that the casual gamer tends toplay games for shorter periods of time. It is more of a social thing for them. They log in to socialize and run a few events with their guild. They go out and have a specific mission in mind for the day; maybe to get a level, craft an item, or just get the Dailies done.

 

I tend to see the casual gamer as playing primarily on weekends or their days off, and if they play during the week it is about an hour or so in an evening.

 

Now the Wikipedia I am coping from had a few other definitions of gamers.

 

Pro-gamer: (from Wikipedia): Professional gamers play video games for money.^[12] Whether a professional gamer is a subtype of the hardcore gamer largely depends on the degree to which a professional gamer is financially dependent upon the income derived from gaming. So far as a professional gamer is financially dependent upon gaming, the time spent playing is no longer “leisure” time. In countries of Asia, particularly South Korea and Japan, professional gamers are sponsored by large companies and can earn more than $100,000USD a year, in addition to the following that some obtain.^[13] In the United States, Major League Gaming has contracted Electronic Sports Gamers with $250,000USD yearly deals.^[14]

 

Girl-gamer: (from Wikipedia): Main article: Girl gamer – A girl gamer is any female who regularly engages in playing video games. According to a study conducted by the Entertainment Software Association in 2009, 40 percent of the game playing population is female, and women 18 or older now comprise 34 percent of all gamers. Also, the percentage of women now playing online has risen to 43 percent, up 4 percent from 2004. The same study shows that 48 percent of game purchasers are female.^[18]

 

Newbie: (from Wikipedia): Main article: Newbie – Newbie, or “noob,” is a slang term for a novice or newcomer to a certain game, or to gaming in general.^[15][16] It can have derogatory connotations, but is also often used for descriptive purposes only, without a value judgment. Two derived terms are “newb”, a beginner who is willing to learn; and “noob”, a derogatory name (an alternate spelling for n00b).

 

(Personal): These last three definitions I think are outside the play style discussion. I did want to mention them as they do relate to the player.

 

I also think the type of gamer you are relates to how you gravitate toward different styles of servers. There are three main types of servers. PvP (Player vs. Player), PvE (Player vs. Environment) and RP (Role-Playing) are the primary types. There also tends to be RP-PvP and RP-PvE servers in the larger games.

 

I personally think the hardcore gamer is more likely to be on a server that is PvP. This gives them the option to compete against players more actively. This could be on an RP server as well. The drive to be the best can sometimes bring them to try to RP so completely that they never talk OOC (Out Of Character).

 

The casual and mid-core gamer seems to play each type of server. I have noticed more of the casual style of play on a PvE server, where there is less trash talk of a person’s skills.

 

RP servers seem to have a larger population of females and “older” players. I think this is basically because there is less player harassment on these servers. Many of them police themselves to such a degree that a non-RP name is reported, as are behaviors that harass or put down the population. Of course not all RP servers are the same, nor perfect.

 

Now all servers have all play types. This is just were I am seeing the majority of the styles.

 

Remember, no matter what style of play you have, the key to a game is fun. If something you do for entertainment is not fun, then why on earth are you doing it? Of course I also believe your job should be enjoyable if not fun, but I may be a minority that as I have had that luck in my life.

 

I also want to point out that MJ wrote a great article on RP player types. “A Server for Every RPer, an RPer for Every Server” It is a good read.

 

You can follow Rosie on Twitter at @Dawnsrose. You can also contact her directly via email at swtor.rosie@gmail.com.

Tags: by request, casual, hardcore, Playstyle, Rosie