We need a new word.
“Nintendo is forsaking the hardcore gamer.” We’ve all heard it. If you’re reading this blog, you’ve probably said it. After this year’s E3, we all felt it.
But please, stop calling me a hardcore gamer. Yes, I go to tournaments. I play games for money. I peruse fansites and I own an embarrassing number of Mario tshirts. I stood in line for a Wii at launch. It was cold. Still, <strong>does anyone else feel awkward and out of place with our own media referring to us as “hardcore” simply as a way to say “not casual?”</strong>
What people want hardcore to mean: “people (mostly 18-24) who play high quality, high production-value games.” The term connotes the fickle and enthusiastic nature of a connoisseur. Good graphics, good gameplay, <em>and</em> innovative ideas. What a game sacrifices in visuals it must make up for in <a href="http://www.harveycartel.org/metanet/n.html">design</a>. In this sense, hardcore means “difficult to please,”but is also synonymous with “dedicated fanbase.”
<strong>What hardcore actually means: a group far removed from mainstream.</strong> Hardcore music is hard to listen to. Hardcore skydivers are few. The term elicits grittiness, danger and exclusiveness, something most people enjoy watching (maybe) but dare not participate in. A hardcore gamer, by this definition, isn’t someone who enjoys playing games <em>other</em> than Nintendogs. A hardcore gamer is the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGrpGuDD0_Y">dedicated DDR sprinter</a>, the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLmLKxY5GDA">competitive Tetris architect</A>, and the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSAXg3Fpewg">professional Starcraft general</a>. Throw in modding communities, tournament communities, hello kitty communities, and anyone who has ever cosplayed.
Smashers too. I recently chatted with <a href="http://www.smashwiki.com/wiki/Wobbles_the_Phoenix">Wobbles</a>, and he shared with me his training regimen for the next few weeks: memorize frame rates, analyze hitboxes, and compare them in every potential character matchup. That’s a bit more hardcore than my training regimen: play Melee with friends and try to not suck.
You know, maybe we don’t need a word at all. People who choose Metroid Prime over Cooking Mama aren’t hardcore gamers. They’re just gamers. Casual gamers, gamers, and hardcore gamers. Simple as that.
“Nintendo is forsaking the hardcore gamer.” We’ve all heard it. If you’re reading this blog, you’ve probably said it. After this year’s E3, we all felt it.
But please, stop calling me a hardcore gamer. Yes, I go to tournaments. I play games for money. I peruse fansites and I own an embarrassing number of Mario tshirts. I stood in line for a Wii at launch. It was cold. Still, <strong>does anyone else feel awkward and out of place with our own media referring to us as “hardcore” simply as a way to say “not casual?”</strong>
What people want hardcore to mean: “people (mostly 18-24) who play high quality, high production-value games.” The term connotes the fickle and enthusiastic nature of a connoisseur. Good graphics, good gameplay, <em>and</em> innovative ideas. What a game sacrifices in visuals it must make up for in <a href="http://www.harveycartel.org/metanet/n.html">design</a>. In this sense, hardcore means “difficult to please,”but is also synonymous with “dedicated fanbase.”
<strong>What hardcore actually means: a group far removed from mainstream.</strong> Hardcore music is hard to listen to. Hardcore skydivers are few. The term elicits grittiness, danger and exclusiveness, something most people enjoy watching (maybe) but dare not participate in. A hardcore gamer, by this definition, isn’t someone who enjoys playing games <em>other</em> than Nintendogs. A hardcore gamer is the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGrpGuDD0_Y">dedicated DDR sprinter</a>, the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLmLKxY5GDA">competitive Tetris architect</A>, and the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSAXg3Fpewg">professional Starcraft general</a>. Throw in modding communities, tournament communities, hello kitty communities, and anyone who has ever cosplayed.
Smashers too. I recently chatted with <a href="http://www.smashwiki.com/wiki/Wobbles_the_Phoenix">Wobbles</a>, and he shared with me his training regimen for the next few weeks: memorize frame rates, analyze hitboxes, and compare them in every potential character matchup. That’s a bit more hardcore than my training regimen: play Melee with friends and try to not suck.
You know, maybe we don’t need a word at all. People who choose Metroid Prime over Cooking Mama aren’t hardcore gamers. They’re just gamers. Casual gamers, gamers, and hardcore gamers. Simple as that.