What is a "hardcore" gamer?

[shoryuken4u]

An acquaintance asked me if I was a "hardcore" gamer and a friend of mine quickly replied "She's not even a gamer--she only plays RPGs". So this begs the question, does the genre of the games you play decide whether or not you are a gamer (hardcore or otherwise)? Also, who would you consider a gamer?

[scott]

Personally I dislike the term "hardcore gamer".

But, to answer your question:

Genre doesn't matter if you're a gamer. A gamer is someone who plays games for fun or challenge. Just because you enjoy playing mostly RPGs doesn't matter. You don't have to play the newest baddest FPS clone to be "hardcore". The fact that you're dedicated to that genre of games and that's the main thing you play would in fact make you are "hardcore" RPG gamer. Either you're a gamer, or you're not a gamer. "hardcore" is another one of those superiority complex terms that have been getting tossed around to label people and make them feel better about themselves somehow.

The question I'd like to know is, how does only playing RPGs not make you a gamer? Is there something I'm missing here? Because part of the RPG abbreviation is the word GAME.

As for your second question:

I consider anyone that plays games for main mode of entertainment a gamer, be it "hardcore" or "casual". If someone has the hardware and the games and plays them for their enjoyment. Or goes searching for new games, even if they are only the same genre, to experience new stories/gameplay/ etc. Then I would say they are a gamer. Would you consider someone who only reads select series of books a "reader"? Or do they need to read only the newest and critically acclaimed bestsellers? Is someone who genuinely enjoys watching movies a "movie watcher"? Or do they have to see every new released film on release night?

I think your friends logic is flawed and he needs to rethink what he thinks a gamer is. 

[jobocan]

The way I see it, hardcore gamers are people who have no life beyond gaming. It has nothing to do with the genres they play, all that matters is that they play games all the time, with possible pauses for sleeping/eating.
Most people who claim to be hardcore gamers are either mainstream or, for lack of a better term, "core" (or "true") gamers. Mainstream gamers being ones who only play what's popular and nothing else (even going as far as hating hardcore/core games for completely superficial reasons), while "core" gamers are ones that play games that they find to be of high gameplay quality (amongst a few other things I don't want to waste paragraphs on ).

This also brings the need to qualify hardcore games... The way I see it, hardcore games are challenging games. That can mean a lot of things, but to put it simply it's either games with a very high learning curve, massive depth in gameplay, games that are designed to be super time-consuming or really really hard games (as long as it's hard for the right reasons). That's what the term "hardcore game" meant the first time it was used and there's no reason it shouldn't still mean that. You don't need to be a hardcore gamer to play these though

In my mind, there aren't many hardcore gamers out there, and being hardcore isn't exactly healthy or something anyone should brag about.
Most people who claim to be hardcore are mainstream gamers who wrongfully believe that playing Call of Duty makes them hardcore, from what I've seen.

[jcalder8]

I think foxhack has a pretty good idea of what a "hardcore" gamer is:

I found this game yesterday. It cost me about $2.50. I wasn't planning on buying it... even the seller thought it was something else...



._.

Edit: DO NOT GOOGLE ANY INFORMATION FOR THIS GAME IT HAS LOTS OF STUFF YOU SHOULDN'T BE SEEING ESPECIALLY YOU HTIMREIMER

[darko]

This also brings the need to qualify hardcore games... The way I see it, hardcore games are challenging games. That can mean a lot of things, but to put it simply it's either games with a very high learning curve, massive depth in gameplay, games that are designed to be super time-consuming or really really hard games (as long as it's hard for the right reasons). That's what the term "hardcore game" meant the first time it was used and there's no reason it shouldn't still mean that. You don't need to be a hardcore gamer to play these though

In my mind, there aren't many hardcore gamers out there, and being hardcore isn't exactly healthy or something anyone should brag about.
Most people who claim to be hardcore are mainstream gamers who wrongfully believe that playing Call of Duty makes them hardcore, from what I've seen.

First paragraph I pretty much agree with.

In response to your second paragraph, putting in the time requirements needed to achieve the skills required to hold your own in a competitive game like CoD would, in some instances, qualify a CoD only player to achieve Hardcore status. You don't have to play a wide variety of games to be hardcore.

[foxhack]

I think foxhack has a pretty good idea of what a "hardcore" gamer is:

*slaps you*

[jobocan]

This also brings the need to qualify hardcore games... The way I see it, hardcore games are challenging games. That can mean a lot of things, but to put it simply it's either games with a very high learning curve, massive depth in gameplay, games that are designed to be super time-consuming or really really hard games (as long as it's hard for the right reasons). That's what the term "hardcore game" meant the first time it was used and there's no reason it shouldn't still mean that. You don't need to be a hardcore gamer to play these though

In my mind, there aren't many hardcore gamers out there, and being hardcore isn't exactly healthy or something anyone should brag about.
Most people who claim to be hardcore are mainstream gamers who wrongfully believe that playing Call of Duty makes them hardcore, from what I've seen.

First paragraph I pretty much agree with.

In response to your second paragraph, putting in the time requirements needed to achieve the skills required to hold your own in a competitive game like CoD would, in some instances, qualify a CoD only player to achieve Hardcore status. You don't have to play a wide variety of games to be hardcore.

The way I see it (I need to find a different way to say this ), CoD, in its core design, is meant to be played in short 5~ minute bursts (ignoring the insanely stupid single-player). You can put tons of time into any game to get good at it, but the core design is still meant for a casual experience. I mean, I've seen people be mindblowingly awesome at Tetris Attack (I think it was someone on here, actually), but in the end Tetris Attack is still a casual game.

Not saying playing Call of Duty instantly doesn't make you hardcore, just that playing nothing other than that outside of the competitive scene isn't hardcore.

The way I classify gamers is more general, I don't mention super specific types of gamers like competitive gamers (who I'd separate completely from Hardcore since competitive gaming counts as actual work). In the way I classify gamers, both core and hardcore generally need to have somewhat varied taste.

[scott]

I think foxhack has a pretty good idea of what a "hardcore" gamer is:

*slaps you*

I think you got the "hard" part right. 

[jcalder8]

I think foxhack has a pretty good idea of what a "hardcore" gamer is:

*slaps you*

See what that game has taught you?

[darko]

To be fair, I only have two categories for gamers. Gamer and competitive gamer. Just because you waste some time here and there playing a game like Angry Birds doesn't qualify anyone to be called anything but a human.

[jobocan]

To be fair, I only have two categories for gamers. Gamer and competitive gamer. Just because you waste some time here and there playing a game like Angry Birds doesn't qualify anyone to be called anything but a human.

Definitely. While I do have a way of my own to classify gamers, at the end of the day it doesn't really matter

[darko]

I've been called hardcore a number of times. I used to be really good at Unreal Tournament, have been asked to join competitive teams on CoD, have beaten just about all of the super challenging games that seem to be on everyone's list (Ninja Gaiden 3, Ninja Gaiden Black, DMC3, Ikaruga, almost every Contra game, Dark Souls, etc, etc, blah, blah). Am I really hardcore??? Not in my opinion. I just have above average hand/eye coordination and a really good memory. I don't play games everyday and I don't consider myself hardcore at all.

[shoryuken4u]

My friend is a FPS devotee--CoD and Battlefield are his games of choice. When I think of casual gamers, he comes to mind because he plays games that are marketed to the masses and are not too difficult. He's part of the FPS/Madden/Halo crowd and considers himself the only true type of gamer, I guess.

[soera]

A hardcore gamer is open to interpretation. Obviously your friend thinks he is a gamer cause his games all come from "Game"stop.

[atariboy]

eh, I happily call myself a video game collector who likes to play games, or a classic gamer. Either one works for me.