The term "CASUAL GAMERS" and its Misconceptions

[LUKENBACHER]

Man, have we heard the term "casual gamer " thrown around lately in the Socom world!

It's famous right up there with "visceral" and the "Socom expurience".


But what does the word "casual" mean?

Most of the hardcore fanbase feels threatened by this term. In my opinion, some of the Socom fanbase views this term meaning their beloved Socom will be polluted with "gimmicks". As if it will morphe into some confused hybrid of every shooter that has made a profit in the last 2 years. Some may envision "mom & dad" with their Move impeding on your personal gaming sessions and grounding you for headshotting them on Abandoned.
We've heard all the quotes from the limited Socom 4 footage, and have seen the verbal tornado of thoughts that get stuffed into threads and videos. It's been controversial and entertaining to say the least.

I typed in the word "casual gamer" into Google to see what popped up.

Wikipedia offered the first "twinkie" in my quest for the hidden truth. It did not offer a definition of casual gamer, but a casual "game" instead.....

"A casual game is a video game or online game targeted at or used by a mass audience of casual gamers. Casual games can have any type of gameplay, and fit in any genre. They are typically distinguished by their simple rules and lack of commitment required in contrast to more complex hardcore games.[1] They require no long-term time commitment or special skills to play, and there are comparatively low production and distribution costs for the producer."

Hmmm.....quotes that confuse me:

"Casual games can have any type of gameplay, and fit in any genre." That sure doesn't sound like Socom to me. First, it's a shooter. Second, it's a "niche" shooter at that.

"They are typically distinguished by their simple rules and lack of commitment required in contrast to more complex hardcore games......They require no long-term time commitment or special skills to play." I think Socom fans are some of the most "committed" gamers out there for the PS3. And no skills? LOL! I'm sure some of you reading this want to "1v1" Wikipedia right now
to show them your "skills".

"...and there are comparatively low production and distribution costs for the producer." Anyone wanna write the check for the production costs for Socom 4? I bet they are MUCH HIGHER than the production costs of Confrontation.

So far the term casual & Socom don't seem to mix. I can kinda see why the fanbase is a little "fearful" of that the word "casual".
Thanks for nothing Wikipedia!

Third down on the list I see "Urban Dictionary". I'm thinking to myself.....maybe Webster and that Wiki kid just don't understand me.
So let's try the Urban approach as a solution shall we?

1. casual gamer
"casual gamers make up the silent majority of computer and console game players that: 1, use pc and console games as a means of socializing or to connect with friends rather than as an achievement or to further their reputation as a skillful game player. "

This is looking promising! Urban defines "casual gamer" as a person who plays the game to socialize and connect with other social groups. Sounds kinda like clans to me.

2. "are by definition inferior in skill to any hardcore gamer."

Sweet! So with catering to casuals with the offline story,
Zipper is trying to bring me a bunch of noobs I can rank up on.
I'm almost starting to like this whole "casual" thing......

5. "inherently feel a need to confront hardcore gamers due to their own inferior skills and the hardcore gamers inherent need to prove victorious."

Bingo! Welcome to Socom everybody.


So now that this little quest has ended, I find myself forming some new opinions about this term "casual".
How does it apply to Socom 4? What does Zipper MEAN by "we are appealing to the casual gamers"?

Hardcore Socom fans are telling me it's going to be a completely different game with zero Socom feel to it. How else is it going to "appeal" to casuals out there?

Urban Dictionary describes casual gamers as being a part of a hardcore gamer world. Which we see everyday in every Socom that has ever come out. The hardcore is smashing the casuals! And they defined it as more of a "social experience" rather than individual stardom. Sounds like a "team based" shooter to me.

First off, thank you for making it this far into the thread. My whole point here is.........

Make up your own mind! When Zipper explains "Socom" to the public, they are addressing way more than just us "niche fans".
They are explaining Socom 4 to people who have never heard of it, or are new to the gaming world in general. When Zipper throws terms around like "appealing to casual gamers", it doesn't mean we are getting 'Socharted 4: Gears of Modern Warfare". They are merely trying to explain "Socom" to people who have never heard of it!
The gaming industry is booming you know! Lots of new faces.....

And how does the term "casual" translate to MW2? Or UC2?
Have you played them online recently? Whenever I have tried in the past, I run into a bunch of HARDCORE fans of the title smashing me all over the map. If they are "geared for the casual shooters", then why am I not running into any noobs when I go online on these titles I hardly ever play?

Uncharted 2, "Game of the Year" last year.
How many people do you seriously think play that game online on a nightly basis? As many as Confrontation?
The SINGLE PLAYER mode attracted all those sales.
The only people that seriously play it ONLINE to this day are "hardcore" fans.
I'm not hating on Uncharted here. I thought that game rocked! I just didn't care for the multiplayer.
I guess you could officially call me a "casual" UC2 fan.....

Zipper has stated over and OVER, single player is for the casuals.....and Seth said last week.....
"Multiplayer is for the fanbase!"

How can you focus in on "casuals" so hard and IGNORE the quotes above?

I'd call that selective hearing!


Zipper's back folks. This game could be the best Socom we've ever seen. And instead of our community throwing a parade.....
we are crying about terms like "casuals".

We will all get to play Socom 4 BEFORE it releases. A demo has been confirmed through the PS Store and we will be getting some "beta" news real soon.


And I leave you with this..........

Seth Luisi, Zipline: Episode 9

"certain functionalities in single player WILL NOT be available to use in multiplayer".

Speculate about that for awhile!

[McNoob]

I think we're all casual gamers. We may primarily play Socom, but we play Socom to have fun. It's those guys at the top of the leaderboards who are more of the "hardcore" type.

[LUKENBACHER]

I wonder how many fans out there actually fall into the category of "casual Socomers"?

[schwinn04]

I consider myself a "SOCOM gamer" as this was truly the only game I played for long periods of time and pretty much the only game I played for the PS2 till S3 came out then I played that for about 3 months and went back to S2 till the cheaters took over completely.

Everything else I play for the PS3 I play casually and I don't make time for like I did SOCOM, my wife sure is alot happier now because I definitely choose SOCOM over spending time with her countless times lol

[[$K$] BOOMxSTICK]

great post luke

bring on the noobs

urban dictionary has been bookmarked

[HTK]

Casual gamer is someone that likes games but at the same time enjoys long walks on the beach....

[WarMachine_v1]

Jun 29, 2010 21:36:25 GMT -5 HTK said:

Casual gamer is someone that likes games but at the same time enjoys long walks on the beach....

That is always how I saw it... I guess we were wrong?

[xStartThmachinex]

For me, casual gamers could mean two things;

1. They play on occasion, not worried about ranks and how good they are.

2. Mostly into single player games and buys a lot of cheaper games.

[spacegerbil1]

The casual gamer to me is someone exactly like my wife. Has no idea what games are out there or what is coming out, but if you throw a wii remote at her she will gladly play mario cart or something.

Casual gamers always need to be prompted into playing video games, they will never just do it themselves.

[LUKENBACHER]

I think the moral of the story here is this:


You can take the term "casual" and come up with 4-5 different definitions.


Each of those definitions can be twisted into arguments FOR and AGAINST Socom 4.

I just want people to stop focusing on this phrase so much.


Their ears get plugged with it, and they start IGNORING all the other great "quotes" Zipper has been giving us lately, that point to a great Socom .

"We are getting classic view in singleplayer & multiplayer"

............"Blah blah, why are they appealing to the casuals?"

"There will be functionalities in single player, that you WON'T be able to do in Multiplayer."

...................."Blah blah, Socharted 4: Gears of Warfare will suck!"

"We are giving the casuals a great cinematic experience on single player, and using the multiplayer to cater to the Socom fanbase."

....................."Blah blah....huh? Really?"

......................"Just ignore it, we can't believe anything Seth says."

....................."Yea, you're right. Let's get back to NOT being excited! Blah...blah........BLAH!"



Don't listen to the NEGATIVE NANCY's out there. Download the demo and try it for yourself! It wil lbe available to us all BEFORE the game launches.


If ANYONE is saying out there, "I'll let you know if it's good or not."......stay clear.
You should want to find that out for yourself.
Unless it is someone you know really well in real life.

[=\RMD/= VanilaGorila-x-]

Casual gamer to me is anyone who plays on the Console. PC gamers are the only ones I consider to be Hardcore.

[LUKENBACHER]

Jun 30, 2010 15:16:21 GMT -5 =\RMD/= VanilaGorila-x- said:

Casual gamer to me is anyone who plays on the Console. PC gamers are the only ones I consider to be Hardcore.

I tihnk that held true back when consoles were big bulky dinosaurs.


But this day and age, online multiplayer and advanced consoles have changed that bro.

My PS3 is way more sophisticated than a 7 year old PC I still have lying around. Ironically enough, it's an old Sony Vaio tower.
My PS3 has a more advanced processor and more gig than it does.

7 years ago, I could have used that same PC to be a "hardcore" gamer.


See my point? I think consoles have pretty much turned in PC's.

Especially with Blu-Ray, 500+ gig upgrades, online networking, video webchat conferencing, internet browsers, games, and even picture/video editing software now with the new patch.

They are turning into the same creature.

In another 20 years, our laptop, Playstation 6, and cell phone will be all in one little box. And then have a portable, flexible screen the size of a credit card. Call it a "palmtop"

Watch the video to the end.......

[[BER]PAUL-AWOL-]

How I take it is, a casual gamer will buy a certain game because it's known for being easy to jump on and play day one to get kills on. A casual gamer doesn't play games everyday, mainly a weekend warriors of the gaming world.

[=\RMD/= VanilaGorila-x-]

Jun 30, 2010 15:28:04 GMT -5 LUKENBACHER said:

Jun 30, 2010 15:16:21 GMT -5 =\RMD/= VanilaGorila-x- said:

Casual gamer to me is anyone who plays on the Console. PC gamers are the only ones I consider to be Hardcore.

I tihnk that held true back when consoles were big bulky dinosaurs.


But this day and age, online multiplayer and advanced consoles have changed that bro.

My PS3 is way more sophisticated than a 7 year old PC I still have lying around. Ironically enough, it's an old Sony Vaio tower.
My PS3 has a more advanced processor and more gig than it does.

7 years ago, I could have used that same PC to be a "hardcore" gamer.


See my point? I think consoles have pretty much turned in PC's.

Especially with Blu-Ray, 500+ gig upgrades, online networking, video webchat conferencing, internet browsers, games, and even picture/video editing software now with the new patch.

They are turning into the same creature.

In another 20 years, our laptop, Playstation 6, and cell phone will be all in one little box. And then have a portable, flexible screen the size of a credit card. Call it a "palmtop"

Watch the video to the end.......

The PS3 is bulkier than the PSOne, just sayin

[LUKENBACHER]

Jun 30, 2010 16:35:47 GMT -5 =\RMD/= VanilaGorila-x- said:

Jun 30, 2010 15:28:04 GMT -5 LUKENBACHER said:

I tihnk that held true back when consoles were big bulky dinosaurs.


But this day and age, online multiplayer and advanced consoles have changed that bro.

My PS3 is way more sophisticated than a 7 year old PC I still have lying around. Ironically enough, it's an old Sony Vaio tower.
My PS3 has a more advanced processor and more gig than it does.

7 years ago, I could have used that same PC to be a "hardcore" gamer.


See my point? I think consoles have pretty much turned in PC's.

Especially with Blu-Ray, 500+ gig upgrades, online networking, video webchat conferencing, internet browsers, games, and even picture/video editing software now with the new patch.

They are turning into the same creature.

In another 20 years, our laptop, Playstation 6, and cell phone will be all in one little box. And then have a portable, flexible screen the size of a credit card. Call it a "palmtop"

Watch the video to the end.......

The PS3 is bulkier than the PSOne, just sayin

"I tihnk that held true back when consoles were dinosaurs."

Maybe I didn't need those adjectives.......

[=\RMD/= VanilaGorila-x-]

Jun 30, 2010 18:49:59 GMT -5 LUKENBACHER said:

Jun 30, 2010 16:35:47 GMT -5 =\RMD/= VanilaGorila-x- said:

The PS3 is bulkier than the PSOne, just sayin

"I tihnk that held true back when consoles were dinosaurs."

Maybe I didn't need those adjectives.......

[volpe]

Jun 29, 2010 21:20:50 GMT -5 schwinn04 said:

I consider myself a "SOCOM gamer" as this was truly the only game I played for long periods of time and pretty much the only game I played for the PS2 till S3 came out then I played that for about 3 months and went back to S2 till the cheaters took over completely.

Everything else I play for the PS3 I play casually and I don't make time for like I did SOCOM, my wife sure is alot happier now because I definitely choose SOCOM over spending time with her countless times lol

hey glad to see you joined SocomIV forums. i suggested these forums to you on your youtube video in case you didn't already know about them.

[HTK]

everyone is welcome here that's for sure.