Episode 2 – For Hardcore Gamers Only…

I believe in video games. I believe they exist. I believe that they are very very fun. I play my fair share of video games and I enjoy it quite a bit. Is it a lot? I have no idea. Am I a hardcore gamer? I don’t know, but I would say that I am more than a casual gamer. Besides who determines what is “hardcore” in the gaming world?

How do you define the hardcore gamer? It is a given that this hardcore gamer plays video games on most nights of the week. And more than likely they buy at least a game a month, to keep things interesting and fresh all the newest titles must be had in their collection. Perhaps this person even owns all three of the major consoles and a crazy new custom built PC that could blow the pants off of computers in the pentagon. I think we all have an image in our heads. Oh and this image, not to be sexist, this image is of a male. Sorry ladies.

Based on this, image the first genre that comes to mind is that of First Person Shooter, easily the most hardcore of genres. The second kind that comes to mind is that of the turn based strategy. The complete opposite of the FPS maybe, but I put it second because to properly execute long battles you need to know your stuff. I can’t do it, and I respect those who do. I guess any testosterone driven dirt filled grimy looking game where your objective is to kill, murder, maim, and destroy all for the good of the human race is the type of game that this hardcore gamer owns. Any of that frilly soft fuzzy Mario crap will not fly. I envision this person having black leather couches and dark walls in something slightly less cool but equally under lit as the Batcave.

Have I mapped out a hardcore gamer? One version I’d say. It is safe to say that both the PlayStation and Xbox brands are built for this mythical hardcore gamer. Both consoles best selling exclusives cater to this idea. Halo for Microsoft, and Metal Gear Solid for PlayStation. Both games played to death by teenagers and young adults. Even the consoles themselves (prior to the 360) are black, the color of death. The controllers are complete with spring-loaded triggers and those triggers are used mostly to shoot something. All of this was not done without reason; because that model of the hardcore gamer is real.

You can see Nintendo trying to stay away from this hardcore image. Proof of this was when the GameCube launched in purple, a far more friendly color. And it was a cute little cube. Awww, hi cube. The GC was like your little brother; it sat there and didn’t take up much space. And it hurt Nintendo in the sales department. Look at Nintendo’s controller for the Wii. It’s more of a remote than what we previously perceived a controller should look like (and Nintendo should know, they did invent the modern controller).

Back on the hardcore topic though… Is someone who plays The Sims every night when they come home from work hardcore? Your first instinct may be “what the hell is this guy talking about?” But The Sims and all its variations is one of the best selling franchises in videogames and it can be played for hours and hours and hours every day. So someone playing one of the most popular franchises is not hardcore? I disagree.

They may not like the image they get when they think “hardcore gamer” but they do fit that slot. They are hardcore gamers of a different color. The hardcore image is one that disrupts and distorts the public’s perceptions of videogames. It’s the violent testosterone driven stuff that gets all the bad press and takes the blame when people do bad things. I think we should try and classify hardcore gamers as just people who, if given the option, would choose playing video games over doing a lot of other things; reading Shakespeare perhaps, or making a birdhouse.

Being a hardcore gamer is about having an enthusiasm for games. To want to enjoy them to take them for what they are. Sure that could mean p0wning someone with a sniper on LIVE or it could mean being able to beat the Rainbow Cup in Mario Hoops. Either way hardcore gamers need to come out and call them selves what they are. Cause really, video games are really awesome and so are the people who play them.