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What really defines a “hardcore" gamer?

Vic said:
:lol :lol :lol is there's a video of that gif?
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watch
 
I hope I'm not the first to say this, but there is no such thing


And now that I've made a bold ridiculous statement, let me contradict myself and actually make my point.

Are you hardcore if you wait in line for 48 hours to buy a DS to play brain age? No.

Are you hardcore if you play Wii Sports and Brain Age for 60 hours a week? No.

Are you hardcore if you make 300 posts a week on GAF a week? No.


I'd say ultimately it comes down to how much you know. It really has no bearing on what you play. The hardcore are represented by their online personalities and not their buying dollars. You could be considered hardcore by most people without ever playing a single video game, simply by having a lot of knowledge of games.

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.

EDIT: So let me add that this is why the hardcore don't matter outside of spreading word. Essentially they're pawns.
 
Vyer said:
I think having a strong bias limits you in that definition of hardcore, though. Every system/company brings a little something different to the table. You're missing out on whole genres and playstyles if you decide you're only going to stick with one company.

I consider someone who can play a Mario game, a FPS like Halo and a JRPG 'hardcore', as opposed to, just for example, the XBOX-only gamer who doesn't touch anything not on the system. (Obviously this applies to any one-console bias).
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I agree with that, although I think you can still be hardcore if you just game on one platform. Some people are even limited by finances to just one or two consoles. Main thing to me that defines hardcore is not having a go at others for liking different hardware and just enjoying being among people who enjoy and understand gaming as a whole.

Best example I can think of is car enthusiasts. I like car modifications and if someone has done something to their car I want to see regardless of what it is - I relate to the owner's enjoyment in modification. As opposed to people who aren't actually car enthusiasts and would rather say "old cars are crap/Hondas are crap/muscle is crap" or whatever.

Hardcore gamers enjoy gaming as a hobby and can talk to each other and find common ground with other gamers regardless of which platform they prefer. Seriously dissing a platform or genre or game says more about psychological deficiency than anything else.
 
I always thought it was a pretty horrible term to try to use as classification.

If it's about enjoyment of video games, I'm sure I could point out a ton of guys that play nothing but Madden and enjoy games more than some people that post here. If it's about playing obscure shit, then you have people that probably have pretty narrow taste. If it's about posting on message boards, well, you have people here that even admit to talking about games more than playing them.

So yeah, stop using the term.
 
Nicktals said:
You could be considered hardcore by most people without ever playing a single video game, simply by having a lot of knowledge of games.
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You'd be hardcore something but not a hardcore gamer. A gamer... games.
 
Fredescu said:
You'd be hardcore something but not a hardcore gamer. A gamer... games.
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Who deems someone hardcore? I get that a denotation for hardcore gamer would include playing games, but playing games certainly isn't a necessity for being classified a hardcore gamer.
 
PolyGone said:
according to Perrin Kaplan, someone who doesn't shower
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What if you prefer long soaks in the bathtub? What then?

Edit: Can't we all just accept the fact that in the end, 'hardcore' is just a euphemism for 'geeky'?
 
Nicktals said:
Who deems someone hardcore? I get that a denotation for hardcore gamer would include playing games, but playing games certainly isn't a necessity for being classified a hardcore gamer.
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A hardcore gamer is a type of gamer. A gamer is a gamer because they play games. If you read all the news, know all the release dates, know all the famous devs by name, but don't play any games, not only are you very unique, but you're not a "hardcore gamer." Because you're not a gamer. Because you don't play games. If someone reads all day about fishing, knows all the popular spots, knows the ins and outs of of tackle and bait, but has never wet a line in their life, they are not a hardcore fisherman. Because they don't fish.
 
Fredescu said:
A hardcore gamer is a type of gamer. A gamer is a gamer because they play games. If you read all the news, know all the release dates, know all the famous devs by name, but don't play any games, not only are you very unique, but you're not a "hardcore gamer." Because you're not a gamer. Because you don't play games. If someone reads all day about fishing, knows all the popular spots, knows the ins and outs of of tackle and bait, but has never wet a line in their life, they are not a hardcore fisherman. Because they don't fish.
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You went through that whole post to show the difference between denotation and connotation.

I agree that a dictionary definition for a hardcore gamer would include playing games, but I GUARANTEE that there are several (if not more) people on this forum who wouldn't classify themselves as hardcore gamers, but would be classified as that by most people, and many others on the board simply because of their knowledge of games in general.

I do get what you're saying, but I'd argue that anyone who knows all the news/release dates/devs/famous games is indeed a hardcore gamer, regardless or whether they play games.

They aren't hardcore news enthusiasts, they aren't hardcore release date enthusiasts, they aren't hardcore game developer enthusiasts. If you dedicate 40 hours a week to learning as much as possible about games, game theory, game development, etc...then you're a hardcore gamer to me, whether or not you play games. Because who the hell is going to know?

I think a decent analogy would be this: If you read 20 movie scripts a week, watch biographies of directors of those movies, etc...You're a hardcore movie goer, even if you never watch the actual movies.

EDIT:
KingJ2002 said:
a hardcore gamer is just a gamer that dedicates himself full time to something that was meant to be a pass time.
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PasT time. Sorry pet peeve.
 
After thinking about it for a while, I've got nothing. All I can say is what it's not.


-It can't be number of games purchased, I would imagine; that fluctuates based on price. One could say I've bought more Wii games already than I've bought games on any other system (home console or portable), but that's attributable almost entirely to the VC's pricing being $5-10. Considering that I've spent much less on the number of Wii games than I would have had they been on any other systems, I can't honestly say more of "me" (that is to say, my money) has been put into that than other consoles, nor would a person who buys only $20 greatest hits games be more hardcore than a person who buys the same monetary equivalent in $50 full-priced games.

-It can't be number of systems owned, for similar reasons.

-It can't be an appreciation for and taste for what the industry is mostly comprised of today, because what the industry is mostly comprised of is an ever-changing field. There would be no "hardcore" gamer except for a present-day "hardcore" gamer, who would become tomorrow's non-hardcore (and would have been yesterday's, for that matter).

-Knowledge base seemed viable when I first thought of it, but then that's a fluctuating criterion--the amount of knowledge one can have about the industry increases daily, which would theoretically change the bar for "hardcore" knowledge.

-Number of hours devoted to gaming seemed really viable, but that too is shaky ground. If someone who's 14 plays games 25 hours a week and someone who's 41 plays games 25 hours a week, one would have to give the edge to the older person who likely has less free time.

-It could be amended to percentage of time devoted to gaming--but even so, one might devote more time but derive less enjoyment. I don't see how one who enjoys gaming less could be more hardcore.

-And yet there's also no way to quantify enjoyment levels, except when comparatively speaking. If I were to assume that a hardcore gamer is one who enjoys gaming more than others, that would feel pretty odd to me--applying a strict definition that only stands on a foundation of comparison and relativity. I can't do it.



Like I said, I've really got nothing. Maybe there's no such thing as a hardcore gamer, except the vague and unclear conceptions we have of them.
 
Nicktals said:
You went through that whole post to show the difference between denotation and connotation.
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Could be worse, I could have said something didn't exist and then went on to explain the forms in which it exists :D

Nicktals said:
I agree that a dictionary definition for a hardcore gamer would include playing games, but I GUARANTEE that there are several (if not more) people on this forum who wouldn't classify themselves as hardcore gamers, but would be classified as that by most people, and many others on the board simply because of their knowledge of games in general.
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Note that you did say "without having ever player a single video game." I doubt that hypothetical person exists, but that's vastly different to something who "wouldn't classify themselves as a hardcore gamer" I would put myself in the latter category, and you're right, other people may very well see me as a hardcore gamer. Thats a matter of degree though. Someone that hasn't played games at all is different. They don't game and they haven't gamed, ergo not gamer.

I do prefer the term enthusiast though. It has much less baggage.
 
Jiggy37 said:
-Knowledge base seemed viable when I first thought of it, but then that's a fluctuating criterion--the amount of knowledge one can have about the industry increases daily, which would theoretically change the bar for "hardcore" knowledge.
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And doesn't that fit? Seems to make sense to me that you're not going to be considered hardcore for long if you no longer stay up to date with your knowledge, because of the fluctuation. Most people I consider hardcore gamers stay up to date on a weekly, if not daily basis. If they stopped staying up to date for a longer period of time, I would probably stop considering them a hardcore gamer. I might consider them a retro gamer, or a lapsed gamer, depending on several criteria, but I would no longer consider them hardcore...Which is why I still feel I'm right. To be considered hardcore all you need is knowledge
 
A friend of mine plays way more games than me, but never reads reviews, and doesn't keep up with the news. What he knows, he gets from store shelves. It wouldn't be a stretch to say he's played every PC RPG (MMO or not) and RTS released in the last ten years. He buys other games on impulse, and if he doesn't like it he takes it back and exchanges it. He plays a lot, more than most people I know, but all he knows is what he likes. To me, he is hardcore, and his play time makes him so.
 
Someone who doesn't shower or eat until a game is done. And whines because there are too much non games and not enough hardcore games.


© P.K., 2007
 
Hardcore has lots of meanings, but in the original sentence it means someone whose primary hobby is traditional games. It would be better to say traditional gamer.
 
I think it has to do with knowing your opinion, or rather making it a priority to understand your opinion.

Like others have said, a good part of being hardcore is about understanding what you like and what you don't like, and why. Also, having an understanding about developers being unique. So, a game might appear in a series you like, which would mean instant buy for a casual gamer, but for a hardcore gamer they'd want to know who the development team was before considering the game.

Also, hardcore gamers have a structuralist point of view in the way they break games down into their individual components, gameplay, controls, graphics, sound, pacing, narrative, dialogue, etc. For most people gaming isn't important enough to go beyond looking at the overall package and coming to the conclusion they like it or they don't.

I think it's difficult to come up with a conclusive definition because we're all hardcore gamers, so we see small variations of this definition in an exaggerated manner. I'm of the opinion if someone spends a lot of time playing videogames it doesn't automatically make them hardcore.
 
I'm an "enthusiast", I'm more bothered about the industry going in the direction I want it to, that means no ninty non-games, then I am in finding all the secrets in a game.

My Bro-in-law puts hours into games, he repeat plays games till he gets all the bonuses, gets faqs for games and writes to the guys if there's things he's found that aren't on the faq. He talks to me about games that I wouldn't play because they get bad reviews, but he'll play through and comment on its negatives.

He's never been on a gaming forum.
 
I play games an ungodly amount, but I don't care about sales numbers, industry shit and money hats.

Whats that make me.
 
Someone who plays so many hours that always knows what happens next in a game cause he's too familiar with the level designs and realises somethings need to change... FAST.
 
Being a hardcore gamer means you subscribe to the notion that your gaming habits make you better than another person, if not in life, than at least in gaming. You have to give this label to yourself, although it is easier when you associate with others who feel the same way.

The term hardcore gamer demonstrates the disconnect between reality and a person's view of reality when they have to reflect on the type of person they are. It enables you to take pride in things that should fill you with shame.
 
One who call themselves, a hardcore gamer, are definitely not hardcore Imo,
a true gamer is someone who finds joy in the gaming mechanic, rather than how good a game looks or how violent a game is.

A true hardcore gamer delights in playing the game not the console.


edit: grammar
 
Foil said:
Scary Hardcore = Dreams about games daily, changed name legally to Link, snuck into an E3, tattooed Turok on forehead, hangs out at EB, etc.

Hardcore = Spends a lot of time doing gaming related activities. Up to date on gaming related news, etc.

Casual = Plays games, doesn't visit forums. Has fun with the games he/she plays.

Non Gamer = Posts at GAF, argues about sales data, marketshare, etc. Often found in NPD and MC threads.
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Bolded for Absolute God Damn Truth
 
Everyone here who claims having a hardware bias and/or agenda for any reason means you are not a hardcore gamer...

Put me on your ignore lists...

I am not kidding...

Do it now.
 
I've sort of noticed the label of "hardcore games" seems to apply to games that are either played competitively or are timesinks in some way (RPGs, RTSs, etc.). I'd probably be considered a hardcore gamer due to the amount of systems/games I own and the large amount of time I look at GAF and other gaming sites, but I rarely play more than 10 hours a week (generally less than 5) due to work and never play competitively cause I'm suck at games and find XBL creepy.
 
I believe that a hardcore gamer is a person who truly loves and appreciates the (good) games that they play and the developers who make them. It doesn't matter show many games you own, it doesn't matter how many hours you play a day, it doesn't matter how long you spend on a message board about video games, it doesn't matter how many consoles you own, it doesn't matter whether or not you play on a HDTV, it doesn't matter whether or not your PC is the latest spec or not, the only thing that does define someone as a hardcore gamer is how much you love games and the gaming industry.
 
There are two types of hardcore, well three, but only two real hardcore types.

1. The genre and game specific hardcores. who are dedicated to mastering a certain genre or game. A common example is the fighting game fan.

2. The classic general hardcore, who is just largely into the hobby itself and looks forward to new types of games, imports, hard to find stuff and is open to many genres. Commonly keeps up with the news and non-software gaming products(token merchandise, magazines, general puffery).

And the illegitimate:

3. Microsoft's hardcore gamer who loves cars and guns. This is just a marketing ploy MS did that somehow became belief. It's just a reworking of a common, but unrelated to videogames demographic, the testosteroney 18-35 male.
 
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