Commentary on "Casual" and "Hardcore"

Welcome back to this fun-filled knicker-knack of a thing-a-majig I call my blog.
Now that the silliness is out of the way, (Or at least the funny word kind), on to the meat.

I've noticed how in the past year or so, casual gamers have become more and more common, now before I continue I would like to clarify.
I consider casual gamers a few different things, feel free to disagree, 1. Stereotypical parents or kids with Wii, Ds, and generally Pokemon, 2. Flash game (only this type) players, 3. People that have only played an MMO (WoW) and not many or no other games, 4. The stereotypical testosterone hyped sports player or early teenage (10-13) kid that plays only the biggest of FPS's and only so they can "Ownz" other people. Now I know this is a wide range, and there are many exceptions to the rules before that would take too long to list, but basically in my opinion the main requirement for being a hard-core gamer is playing video games and having an interest in the industry. (I know some people count hardcore gamers as those that games take priority over friends and everything else but that's aside the point.)

Anyways, I have nothing against casual gamers (Except slightly #4, but not for being gamers, more so for the trash they tend to talk on voice chat). Casual gamers bring more money to the video game industry and help get rid of that time old cliche of  "Gamers sit alone in the dark and play all night and are pimply faced weirdos" or such and such like that. Gaming is gradually becoming one of the biggest forms of media, or so I believe, I remember one year (This year or last year) games made more money then the highest grossing movie, or something similar to that, my memory is foggy (Or corrupted, better defragment my brain!).

The only problems I have with this are A. people try to make games that specifically target that crowd, B. This encourages such things as Carnival Games, it's not bad I know, but it encourages lazy developing and shovel ware (Imagine thousands of horrible movie-based games made for casual audiences, like in the days of gamecube and ps2) . Now, I believe games shouldn't be made to specifically target that audience, How about *gasp* games that appeal to everyone, or things like Fable 2 that try to bring hardcore gaming but in such a way that casual gamers understand or get into it.

But now that I think about it more it's like art, (without bringing up the video games are art argument), You have Picasso's and Banksy's and other niche, impressive works that are hard for people not into art to understand, then you have your carnival caricatures, advertisements, and etc that appeal to people not into art that can enjoy it, even if it has little or no depth.

Well, I guess as movies can attest to, the success of such bad movies as Meet The Spartans and Epic Movie, the uneducated mass will enjoy anything with cheap giggles, but hopefully in gaming the mass can get to a level where they can appreciate hardcore games, and still enjoy casual games that are innovative, like Mushroom Men, Katamari Damacy (even though obscure I consider it casual for it's simplicity), Boom Blox, and De Blob.

Before I leave the subject, the difference for me between casual and hardcore games are, Hardcore (good ones at least) tend to be either violent, deep, innovative, fantastical, creative, and mostly a combination of those or other aspects, Casual games tend to be very simple, easy to understand, kid friendly, heavily marketed, and this isn't what they have to be this is just what those two types of games seem to be now.

Well I decided to cut my blog post off here, new one later, possibly about Fable 2, men falling off bridges, Burger patties, and other such things (disregard the last)
If you feel like commenting or posting your views, please do so in the comments box and I'll read them, and If I feel they are good enough or need responding, I will respond to them in the next blog,
Well, for now it's Sayonara,
-Cogito
If you eat them, they are chum.