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Casual Gamers Not So Casual

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the gameaholics dept.

Next Gen is reporting on a study indicating that casual gamers actually play quite a lot, putting the term 'casual' under a microscope. From the article: "'Our survey has determined that mainstream audiences dedicate a substantial amount of time to gameplay — not just in 15-minute increments as previously thought,' said Loren Hillberg, executive VP and general manager of commerce at Macrovision."

4 of 83 comments (clear)

  1. Gamer? by theelectron · · Score: 5, Interesting

    In general parlance, could someone who plays in increments of less than 15 minutes be considered a 'gamer'?

  2. Nedulous Definitions by Shadow+Wrought · · Score: 4, Interesting
    No one would consider my wife to be a gamer. She doesn't like the Xbox and could find any of a million things to do other than play a game. Except Solitaire. Once every couple of weeks she'll play Solitaire on the PC for a couple of hours. Does that mean she's a casual gamer? By some definitions, yes. In reality? No.

    I think of myself as a gamer, but the reality is between work and family I don't have the time to play as much as I want. I'll play a game of football, do a mission on Halo, or play SSBM with the kids maybe 3 times a week. I, too, would be considered a casual gamer, but I am not in the least interested in the "casual game market," nor would I likely put casual in my descriptor.

    I'm reminded of a point made in regards to creative writing: write something you want to read. Not something you think others would like to read, but something that you would enjoy reading. Maybe gameshops should work more towards making games that they enjoy than trying to capture a certain market segment.

    --
    If brevity is the soul of wit, then how does one explain Twitter?
  3. All relative by entmike · · Score: 4, Interesting
    A recent study reveals that nearly one-third of casual gamers play for over two hours per gameplay session

    A 2 hour game of poker would be considered casual by many.
  4. Let's talk about games by Alexandra+Erenhart · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I think the difference lies in the kind of games you're talking about. Usually, casual gamers play flash-based or card games. Games like "Diner Dash" are very short, and you won't spend much time trying to beat it. Ok, you can spend a 5-hours session playing it (I won't discuss if you actually do it or not), but the game won't take more than a short amount of time out of your life, in comparison to big games like RPGs, MMOs or others. In the end, the casual gamer will beat the game (or get bored of it) and move on. The hardcore gamer will seek another game. That's the difference. And that's why a lot of us feel like hardcore gamers because games are part of our lives. Casual gamers don't. They use games for entertaining, but they don't make a huge deal out of it.

    This is my honest opinion, and can be debatible, of course.