The types of 'gamers' I know of

I've been playing video games for a large chunk of life. I still remember realizing I had a Nintendo system with super mario bros. in it. And I also remember losing a ridiculous amount of times since I could never reach the final boss, no matter what I tried (as I was a kid, and didn't really think beyond 'hop, bop, grab fireflower and shoot things'). Well, here I am over a decade and a half later with considerable experience on my lap. I've grown from a person dedicated to beating a game to a person who likes to liesurely romp through things at my own pace, to a person who is a bit more...harsh in how I choose games.

Most importantly though, throughout the years I've come to notice the various types of gamers out there, what they tend to gravitate towards, and which type of games manage to nab the most people, irregardless of preference. Lets start with the most general types of gamers and what games they usually gain interest in:

Casual
This is the most general of general gamers out there. These type of people play games for various reasons, but most notably due to simple amusement, a need to kill time, media buzz, or the fact that its there and they're curious. These people can range anywhere from your 14-year old kid playing Halo and World of Warcraft to a 62-year old playing Solitare and Wii Sports. A significant fact is that this is the mainstream type of audience, so anything that has high buzz or popularity attract these types of people (naturally).

'Casual' games tend to cater towards a simplistic, accesible type of playing style, almost reminscent of those old coin-op machines with donkey kong or pac-man. Its not overly complex, though it does have the possibility of depth. A large majority of these games base themselves around one or two concepts, then build themselves up from there. Just look at the PopCap games (www.popcap.com) and tell me that 80% of their games don't center around this. These premises act as the hook to draw people in. Of course, there are various exceptions to the rule as games such as World of Warcraft and Halo are by no means simple, but still are incredibly accessible. To sum of these games in a phrase: Pick up and play.

To name games 'casual' gamers play, well, I can cite a few. Tetris, Solitare (on PC, and practically anywhere else on a computer), Peggle, Super Mario Bros., Bust-a-Move, Halo, World of Warcraft, Counter-Strike, and various imitators.

Hardcore
The 'hardcore' gamer is what most people who call themselves gamers associate to more closely but I have a feeling there are a few people wrong on this concept. Back10-15 years, this would've applied to anyone who owned a gaming system like a sega genesis or a super nintendo, as in American Pop Culture, nerd = hardcore (along with all that other fun stuff). Today, this concept has changed to reflect the playing styles of people. I don't got any statistical info on hand, but I am damn sure that the majority of households in the U.S. have people who either: A. Have a gaming system relevant to the past 5 years or so or B. Have played games on a system relevant to the past 5 years or so.

My opinion is that the modern term 'hardcore gamer' refers to a person who is dedicated to playing games a great deal more than the average 'casual' gamer. Usually this includes many RPGs, shooters, adventure games, fighting games, etc, but this all includes casual games, strangely. A 'hardcore gamer' tends to get more in-depth to a game than most casual gamers do. I mean, if you're familar with terms most others have no idea of (i.e., DPS, Aggro, T-spin), or techniques and tricks that need some practice (i.e. spawn points, accuracy in shots, shortcuts through areas, special moves) then yes, you fall into the category of a hardcore gamer. Ironically, this can apply to casual games too...which makes the explaing the term 'hardcore gamer' a bit difficult.

Due to the all-encompasing area of a hardcore gamer, its diffcult to point out games they tend to play, as it range from team strategy and shooting skills in Counter-Strike to block oraganization and quick decision making in Tetris.

I'm a bit spent on writing this blog, so next time I'll continue beyond casual and hardcore, to more the area where the line blurs between the hardcore and casual gamers, the niche types.