What is a "hardcore" gamer?

[gecko101]

Jobocan said in his post that People who play very hard games are considered hardcore. I would disagree. I play a lot of bullet hell shooters but i dont consider myself hardcore. I Agree with part of his post about being a hardcore gamer means spending hours upon hours on a game. I don't think playing certain genres makes you hardcore, but how much time you spend on games.

[jobocan]

Jobocan said in his post that People who play very hard games are considered hardcore. I would disagree.

Wrong, I said that very hard games are hardcore, not that you have to play them to be hardcore. Big difference

I love hardcore games, but never would I be able to consider myself a hardcore gamer... I have too much of a life for that.

[soera]

I considered myself a hardcore gamer when it come to Everquest. I averaged 12-13 hours a day for the first 5 years ... it waned some but it was still in the 8-9 hours a day range for the rest of the 11 years I played. Being a "hardcore gamer" really is a waste. I regret a lot of the time I lost from it.

[scott]

I considered myself a hardcore gamer when it come to Everquest. I averaged 12-13 hours a day for the first 5 years ... it waned some but it was still in the 8-9 hours a day range for the rest of the 11 years I played. Being a "hardcore gamer" really is a waste. I regret a lot of the time I lost from it.

That how it was for me and WoW. I'd get home from work and hop on the PC right after I found food. Then I would be online until 1-2am then get up at 7:30 for work again the next morning. While I loved that game I also wish it hadn't sucked me in as hard as it did.

[tpugmire]

That's pretty much how I was with Star Wars: Galaxies for the first 5-6 years it was out.  I finally had to stop myself, I just uninstalled the game and never looked back.

[disgaeniac]

I'm also not a big fan of names/labels like "hardcore" gamer.

Mainly, because I think that it's one of those *VAGUE*, ill-defined, and, most of all...SUBJECTIVE words.

Because of this, I think, that if you asked (and/or -in "Fantasy Land", if you were able to read the minds of 100 different gamers)...you'd likely hear 100 different definitions (or, in the case of "mind-reading"); I think that it's likely that you'd see 100 different ideas, images, and/or *criteria* for what does/doesn't constitute a "hardcore" gamer.

IMHO...I'd actually say that I would tend to think that what (again, *IMO*) would actually constitute someone as said "hardcore" gamer...would have *LESS* to do w/ what genre of games they play, how difficult that those games that they're playing actually are/aren't, and the amount of time that they spend playing these games...but...I would say, that the main, defining features, traits and/or qualities of being "hardcore" would actually be based much *MORE* on things like...

A).  What *role* does gaming play in their life contrasted with:

       (1).  How much of a life/what the *Quality* of their lives are/and how happy & satisfied they are/aren't w/ the "non-gaming-related" parts of their lives,

B).  Where gaming in general stands in relation (priority-wise) to the other areas of their lives, and

C).  If gaming is...

       (1).  Rare/occasional entertainment,
       (2).  One (of several) hobbies,
       (3).  An *only* / *favorite* hobby,
       (4).  An infatuation/obsession (that, in some ways, may negatively impact, anger, frustrate, and/or put-off friends & family members), or
       (5).  An all-out, full-blown *addiction*; negatively impacting all/almost all areas of their lives, possibly losing jobs/relationships/friends as a result.

As Jobocan also stated earlier - I also don't think that being called/being a "hardcore" gamer is anything good, healthy, impressive, and - I certainly *don't* think that it's something to be treated w/ respect, bragged about, and/or encouraged/enabled.

Then again, these are just my own private & personal thoughts on the matter *AND* are likely quite biased & jaded coming from me (someone who struggled w/ all sorts of different negative effects and different manifestations of my own "Addictive-Personality" throughout most of my teen years, and even into my early 20's...then...got a grip on these things, went to school, and became an addictions counselor myself.

Take w/ several grains of salt, as I'm *FAR* from the 'typical' perspective & opinions on such matters

[desocietas]

I agree with disgaeniac that it's a very vague and subjective term for people, and I think it really depends on who's using the term.

I've gotten a lot of friends calling me a "hardcore gamer," but I scoff at that title and know they're only saying that because
1. I own a current-gen console that's not a Wii
2. I own more than 20 or so games (that's a lot to people who only play video games casually/socially)
3. I can read/talk/have an active interest in video games at all times

... and that's pretty much it, I bet, for what constitutes a "hardcore gamer" amongst my friends who are more casual/social gamers or don't play games at all.

Many of them own Wiis and a few Wii games, and once they take that step to buy a portable system, I usually raise an eyebrow in interest. 

Of course, having another gamer in the room who owns twice the number of games/consoles and plays more often than I do would never agree that I was any kind of hardcore gamer.  Super subjective, and I don't think it's enough of a technical term for people to actually use with a standard definition/criteria.

[kimimi]

I'd say "hardcore" is more about an attitude towards gaming than anything else. I wouldn't say that owning certain games or spending <X> amount of time a week playing automatically makes someone hardcore, for me it's more about the passion that drives a person to spend time gaming that makes the difference.

[ffxik]

I believe that the term "hardcore gamer" is a horribly overused misnomer.  It has come down to the point that the only people that consider themselves "hardcore" are the ones who play nothing but the latest mainstream title, or they won't touch it if it doesn't have that "M" rating on it.  I believe that archaic term is something best thrown around by kids, or those that have the mentality of.

I have been told several times that I am "hardcore".  I don't think so, more like overly passionate to the point of annoyance. That would be a more apt descriptor.   I love owning them, playing them and running off at the mouth for hours about them.  I will never seriously claim to be a "hardcore gamer" whatever those may be.

So be it racing games, sports titles, shooters or RPGs.  You should first of all hold your head high as a gamer that doesn't let an arbitrary misnomer dictate how you love your hobby.

[desocietas]

Here here, ffxik!

[psydswipe]

Hardcore gamers are the foolish youth born in the Age of the Internet who like l33t speak I'm just joking, kind of...everyone has already said enough about the topic and I'd say most of the people who hang around here likely don't use that term. I've only ever considered myself a gamer, just of the regular variety, it's who I am for better or worse. I suppose people who play games on mobile phones instead of consoles or computers are gamers too, but I'm not one of them  It really shouldn't matter which genre(s) someone plays.

[pceslayer]

I only have one gamer friend that I would consider "Hardcore"... his Live gamer score is 160834 :/

Me personally I'm a OG!

[disgaeniac]

Here here, ffxik!

Yes.

Well said!