Obviously, we are an affiliate of a PC casual game company, so I've played a ton of those style games. But I've also played a few Hardcore games. I read an interesting and insightful article just now and wanted your input on the topic.
The writer commented that he spent his youth and into his late 20s playing PC Hardcore games, where character development, building strength, learning weaponry and geography, and competing long term tasks was fun.
But as he took on a family and built his career, he found that PC Casual games were becoming increasingly more rewarding for him because they require less tutorial, you can pick the game back up after not playing it for months or years and immediately remember what to do or where you are at, while receiving faster gratification towards achievements. He used Zuma as an example of a casual game he loves to play to kill that rare hour of free time he has nowadays. And he was expressing a desire for hardcore developers to follow the trend of casual games with shorter missions and greater more frequent rewards.
He then received posts from a few of the hardcore crowd who commented that casual gamers enjoy 'shallow' games because they are simply unable to 'adapt' to hardcore game play, that casual game developers make games without 'any thought required', and one comment concluded 'Casual games are fine but please dont ruin my games because some moron likes shallow non thinking... minigames.'
Thoughts?
-- Edited by Hobbit Hollow Games at 15:31, 2008-11-23
I can relate to this. I was a console gamer for most of my teen, young adult life. I could spent countless hours on RPG's, especially if they had a great story with characters I wanted to care about due to good writing. I never really was into PC causal games at all till the next generation of gaming hit. Now it's PS3's and Xbox 360's and the good RPG's have become MMORGS. I always preferred single player games, so not seeing anything good nor having the money to spend on all that fancy gadgetry to need to play, I turned to Casual PC games. I have to say I was disappointed at first because they did not offer the same thrill or complex stories as my consoles did. But seeing as it's much less expensive and it offers a different kind of entertainment, I ran with it. Honestly I have discovered as I have gotten older, I have much less patience to sit there and play a really involved RPG, it's just easier to pick up a causal game and veg out. When I first tried Aveyond, I thought wow, what a simple game and it lacked so much character builder scenes I was like what the heck? But it was easy to pick up and just play without the hassle of dodging 200+ lightning bolts (FFX) to get a master weapon. That is the aspect I enjoyed about it.
But I don't think games should be dumbed down just for people like me. There should be more of a balance. Give me games like Aveyond with game play that's alittle more strategic, a better more fleshed out story with replayability, and well thought out minigames that make me have to think alittle without testing my reflexes or straining my eyes.
I think with the "hardcore" games it requires too much time to play. If you look at those games it is mostly males..teen to young adult...or teen females to young adult females. Not to say "older" adults aren't playing them. But really they are time consuming and I personally just don't have the time to play them. One reason why I haven't been back to MM,I just don't have the time to sit and read and plan the strategy involved. Plus I see the toll WoW has taken on my nephews it is a constant game that they have a hard time turning off and taking care of things in "Reality". i.e; job,school. This game is a constant strain on the brothers just because one is better at it than the other..or one got to spend more time with the game than the other..and so on.. I like the instant gratification involved in the casual games...the quick play, the challenge and or relaxation. Depending on what my needs are at the time.
The hardcore gamers have the time to play those games just because they have no major responsibilities in reality and or have someone picking up the slack(and yes with that remark I have probably opened up a major can of worms) but I am speaking from personal experience here and not just because I can. Some of these so called Hardcore games can consume a gamer so that the game becomes "reality" and "reality" becomes a game and not to be taken seriously. I.E the Virtual wife killing her Virtual husband because he divorced her. The real life husband having a virtual affair and leaving his wife so he can marry the virtual lover. But then these games cost money and the gamers are willing to pay to play so...I guess that says it all
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I don't think hardcore game developers should go more towards casual. I don't play hardcore games for a few reasons. One, I don't have that much time to devote to something like that. And two, I tend to lose interest in things rather quickly. I am not offended by the remarks that some hardcore gamers made about casual gamers. I am easily distracOOoo something shiny.... Hmm what was I talking about again? Oh yeah. Alot of times I don't want to play a game that requires heavy thinking, but every now and then I do enjoy a good puzzler.
So back to topic, hardcore game developers should continue what they are doing. They have a fan base and should not abandon them.
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Oh yeah, I know what you mean Gable. My moms boyfriends son (mouthful I know) was addicted to World of Warcraft or something like that for over a year. He had the little headphone thingy to talk to other players. He would even take it with him in the bathroom. He would stay up all hours of the night. He ended up flunking out of college. I'm not sure if that was the main reason though. His girlfriend was very annoyed by it. I don't know if he still plays it or if he has kicked his addiction.
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I just saved money on my Mental Insurance by switching to Psycho!
I think the hardcore games do become an addiction for many people and they have an adverse effect in that respect. I have never played them, but I have seen my niece and nephew playing them, and they're just not something I would ever want to get involved in. I love the casual games and play them regularly at work. I also get the impression that most of the RPG games entail fighting and violence which does not impress me at all. So, who cares what the hardcore guys think of the casual game players, ain't no skin off my back. I do what I do cause I like it.
I am a hardcore gamer, its true it requires too much time and patience but for me its too much fun to play hardcore games, but it doesn't mean I don't like to plat PC casual games, they both have their own value.
