So many terms, titles and labels get tossed around the gaming world that sometimes
it can make your head spin. Are you a hardcore player? Perhaps you are just
a core player? Or are you the hopelessly misunderstood and underestimated casual
type of gamer? Do you even know what these terms really mean? Don't worry…you
aren't alone.

If you have been playing MMOs more than a few days, you have probably run across
the rampant shouts and tells over the open communication channels of your MMO
that tell you what guilds are recruiting and exactly what type of guild they
are, or what type of player they are looking for. Terms like "casual raiding
guild" mix with "hardcore gamers only." If you are lucky, the
person that you contact will take a bit of time to tell you exactly why you
aren't the right type of player they are looking for with a bit of tact. Sometimes
though, a brush-off may leave you more confused than when you began to inquire.
Instead of ripping your hair out, come and sit a spell and I will do my best
to shed some light on this at times very sketchy subject.

I have come to learn in my travels through the gaming community that it isn't
exactly how many hours you play at a time, or in a week, that define your style
of play. It's rather more important what you do during those hours. Do you enjoy
just kicking back in some remote area with a bunch of group mates while you
endlessly work on your trade skills or research? Do you prefer every moment
of your gaming time to be filled with endless combat and bags full of gear that
you may or may not use? These are the two most common questions asked when trying
to define a play style. The latter is most definitely a hard core gamer's view
of the game. While the former is what some think is the typical view of a casual
gamer.

Let's start with the casual gamer. This gamer is fairly numerous on the various
servers of the various games. First off, let's not equate casual with newb.
There is nothing newbish about many casual gamers. Many of them know exactly
how to play their class and exactly where to go. The casual part of the title
means just that--they have lives, they have other things to do, gaming does
not make up their entire life. Woody Hearn of GU Comics said in a recent interview
that he would fight to the death for the right of players to be casual. This
kind of statement is necessary, because hard core gamers, and even core gamers,
sometimes view the casual gamer with disdain. Still, it's all a matter of perspective
and the casual gamer enjoys his gaming, as s/he enjoys the rest of her/his life.

Next is the core gamer. This is the person who really has invested a lot of
time in a game, but over a period of time. The core gamer often would like to
play more than the time they have to spare. They love their gaming and find
it tedious to have to find the time to play…for whatever reason, be it
work, relationships, other demanding activities. The core gamer would like to
be a hard core gamer very often…although at times they are content to sink
back into their middle-of-the-road role. Still, the core gamer is not very far
away from the hard core gamer…the difference being the time they have to
spend on playing.

The hard core gamer considers himself (or herself) king (or queen) of the castle.
Hard core gamers devote many hours a week in raiding, getting to the end game
fast, getting the best armor and equipment, the dazzling reputation and the
military precision with which these people carry out their raiding. Hard core
gamers join guilds that cater to them. They expect strict rules and embrace
the discipline because it allows them to reap the rewards that fall to such
players. The challenge is all to them, and they are not happy until they have
explored the next hill, the next zone, the next MOBs, and tested their skill
against all comer.

Personally, I think that the casual gamer is the most misunderstood and underestimated
player of MMOs. Though they may not have eight hours a night, seven days a week
to do nothing but raid, quest and grind away for the best of gear and experience,
this doesn't mean that they are not skilled in what they do. I have seen a "casual
family type guild" take on risks that set some of these other types of
groups into hours of corpse runs. Why were they successful where the others
failed? I would put forward that it is because they had to learn to be a more
precise team that relied more on trust in each other than in the sheer numbers
that could be raised for the challenge.

Let's clarify the three roles so we can step back and take a look at where
we fit. If you find that troublesome, pick three of your best gaming friends.
Wherever they fit is likely where you will fit. So the next time someone asks
you if you are a casual, core or hardcore gamer, you let them know. And be proud
of it