Hardcore Gamer ?

Hardcore gaming is a term that has been thrown around a lot in recent years. But what is a ‘Hardcore Gamer’, what separates the hardcore gamers from the casual gamers? We will find out in today’s post.

The term gamer in general was used to define someone who played role-playing games or war games but with the launch of consoles and the fact that nearly every household has one, the word ‘gamer’ has developed to include everybody who plays regularly on either a console or handheld device. But what types of gamers are out there? Well, there are mainly three different types.

   1. Hardcore
   2. Casual
   3. Pro

Hardcore:

A hardcore gamer is usually described as somebody who tends to put in a lot of time playing games. They get involved in the story of the game and with other gamers playing the same games as them, either meeting up online for a game or popping over to a friend’s house to have a game with them. Hardcore gamers also get well involved in the gaming community, i.e. participating in online forums, discussion boards and playing online with other gamers. Overall dedicating hours to gaming in general.

Casual:

A casual gamer on the other hand, has limited time for video games. They tend to be the people you see playing angry birds or cut the rope on their iPhone, playing bejewelled on their windows phone 7 or brain training games on their DS.

Pro:

What is the difference between a pro gamer and a hardcore gamer, you may be asking yourself. Well, one thing. Money. Pro gamers are video game lovers just like hardcore gamers, but your ordinary gamer does not get paid to play their favourite games. A pro is usually sponsored by companies to go to tournaments and play, whereas hardcore gamers usually just stay at home or hang out with their friends.

Ok, we have the supposed definitions of the main three types of gamers, but you may be thinking you have this one friend who says they are a hardcore gamer but all they do is play Call of Duty. Are they still a hardcore gamer? You and I both know they are of course NOT. Please, if you have a friend that says that awful quote “I am a hardcore gamer, I play black ops online.” Slap them!

Yes of course I will admit, I play Call of Duty (and a lot of core gamers do) and that is because it is without a doubt a good game but we all know there is more to gaming then shooting Nazi zombies. Gamers back in the day of proper arcades playing Pac-man and Donkey Kong used to be classed as core gamers, but now a days if those games were released they would just get laughed at by so called ‘Hardcore gamers’.

When you say the term hardcore gamer to anyone on the street, the thought that would come into most peoples heads is 18+ rated games and first person shooters. You have the Call of Duty’s, the Halo’s and of course the Battlefields, but that is not all ‘hardcore gamers’ play. In all honesty anyone who just plays the one type of game is not a proper gamer in my eyes, a proper gamer has to have variety and that is why we have there is Assassins Creed, where you get to jump from building to building; whilst running through your ancestors memories. There is Dead Space, being a space janitor with fancy guns slicing aliens really has its kicks. There is GTA, Need for Speed, Final Fantasy, Fable, Gears of War, Madden, Fifa, Street Fighter, Pokémon, Guitar Hero, Portal, Mass Effect and they are just a few games; there are the games from our childhood in those arcades we spent hours upon hours in, classics like space invaders and Pac-man. Games we played while at our friend’s house like sonic. Even more recent but yet so distant games like Hitman, how much money would you make if I gave you a pound every time you asked a COD: BLOPS player what Hitman was and they looked at you like you were a Nazi zombie eh?

 http://www.thegamershub.net/2011/05/what-is-a-hardcore-gamer/Hardcore Gamer