I don't think being informed makes you hardcore, because even the most informed gamers make blind biases. I think it's how much you buy and play games. Biases are always going to exist, whether it's a child that loves Pixar-themed games, or an informed adult that hates cartoony games.
I think internet addiction has caused me to play games less in the past (other than right after buying a game), but the solution to it was to just force myself off the computer and play games.