Kap’s Log: Are You Hardcore?

While we prefer not to be labeled, news media and watchdog groups around the world have already determined that everyone who plays MMOs is hardcore addicted, and everyone who owns a Wii is casually lame. This demonstrates a lack of understanding on the part of all non-gamers.

They believe that the game dictates our behavior. We, as gamers, should all be insulted. This isn’t PAC-MAN anymore, grandma, so get with it! Subjective logic doesn’t serve the public interest in political categorizing of liberals or conservatives, and it doesn’t work when trying to understand the gaming culture that pervades the current generation. However, since it seems apparent that none of these pundits are going to do their homework, I thought I’d give them what they want — a totally subjective run-down.

What I’d like to do is avoid using labels, and create a real clear message that anyone could understand in any language without anyone being offended or insulted or feeling alienated. Fat chance.

This is a web site, after all, and open to interpretation. To wit, I’ll just use what the media has given us: Hardcore, and Casual. It sounds salacious doesn’t it? Too bad we’re just talking about pixels and binary.

Before reading these, take a moment to consider your own lifestyle and gaming habits. If you don’t have any gaming habits — ask the neighbor’s kid to interpret this for you. I bet he has a copy of GTA4. (That’s ‘GRAND THEFT AUTO’, grandpa, and yes, there are four now.)

HOW WE SPEND: No, we don’t download everything!

On the lighter end of the consumers are the gamers who only buy about one title every two or three months. If they’re playing an MMO at the moment, they choose the month-to-month subscription plan. Their attention spans are somewhat short because they primarily logon to play with other players, not to kill artificial intelligence mobile enemies. They don’t pre-order anything unless it’s a very solid buy, such as a Zelda or a Halo. And although they hardly ever beat games, ironically, they hoard every game they’ve ever purchased until long after its trade-in value has expired. Do they feel the least bit guilty about not beating a game they own? Probably not.

The big spenders buy two or three games in one trip to the mall. Their only limit is their budget for video games, which is conveniently the same size as their checking account balance. If they prefer MMOs, they are always playing one, or possibly two, in particular. Even if they just enjoy MMOs a little, providing they can afford it, they will still have upwards of two or three individual active game accounts, free or not, at any one time. They’re that one in a group of friends that always pre-orders the game everyone was just talking about the night before. They’ve beaten and sold it on eBay before the others even had the chance to try it. Would they feel guilty if they didn’t beat the games before selling them? Possibly.

PERSONALITY: Gamers have personalities?

Those players who indulge in games as a way to blow off steam are generally the least interested in the persistent world and it’s prevailing story. They play for their own reasons, and log off as soon as they get bored or need to do something else, so you probably don’t want them main-tanking your forty person raid. Since they are on the extreme casual end of the gamer spectrum, they enjoy all forms of responsibility and welcome all challenges while in-game, but want almost no obligations out of game. They despise spoiler sites, but have still been known to look up a quest mob once in a while. Do they enjoy their playtime being scheduled on a web-based forum? Don’t think so.

Some of the most hardcore types play their current game of choice at all times when they are not working or sleeping. They can eat while playing, and have been known to cook entire seven course meals while farming. They, too, play for their own reasons, however most everything they do in life is just a means to the end of getting back to playing their game. They’re likely the first people to log on during the day, quite often from work, and the last ones to log off at night. They will use absolutely every second online to advance their position on some front. Not only do they appreciate it when a guild has a web site and a nightly scheduled raid — they demand it, and would only consider joining guilds that did.