What's a hardcore gamer (to you)?

I see this buzzword thrown around like a cheap whore. Drives me nuts. To me, someone that runs out and buys Halo2 or the latest game that EVERYONE else is buying and plays it for hours on end isn't a hardcore gamer... that' a casual gamer without any discipline. I'm not saying you can't enjoy new, top of the charts games, but...

Hardcore to me is someone that can mix the old, and the new. Someone that will actually pay $50 for an old game b/c it's good, and hard to find. Is not a console whore and will try not only a no-name franchise name, but can also ignore all the "only fan boys play XXX" and give million+ seller game a shot.

 

This is what i think:

1) Can't be system biased. A Hardcore gamer must like games, not systems. It doesn't matter what system it's the best, which one is the worst. It's all about the games.

2) Must like old games. Of course we'll like newer games, but not everybody likes old games. Games from Atari, Famicom/Nes, Master System and even the old DOS PC games

3) Must have some interest in developing or at least like unreleased sytems/games, betas and all those kinds of stuff.

I think that those are the most important things. I probably forgot something, but it's 03:00 of the morning and i have to sleep.

 

A hardcore gamer takes gameplay above graphics and all the bling bling.
That doesn't mean he can't play the latest games but values gameplay over anything else and not being biased and unwilling to try new forms of gameplay would be another for me.

 

I don't know about that. I think a 'hardcore' (I hate that word) gamer would recognize the importance of all of those aspects and how, although seeming wrong it may be, there can be games that although have bad stories or gameplay, somehow end up good because of the graphics--although very few and far in between. Also, I also think in-depth gamers need to appreciate all consoles and game genres, just like all parts of a game (story, replay, sound, control, etc.). Also, gaming needs to be at least a major aspect of the persons like, not just a casual hobby.

I don't think I agree about the materialistic aspect being an important/required part. As long as the enthusiasm, openness, and joy of the game is there then that is all that matters. There are many different people and many different views on gaming and one such view is that gaming should help allow a person to progress and grow through life, not hold him down by causing him to spend every piece of cash he or she owns to say that makes him cooler or more "hardcore" than others--although research and interest grow from those points...But as I said: interest, openness, and joy--anything beyond that is subjective to those who are answering.

 

Frankly, I don't even know anymore, if I even knew in the first place. over the years I have seen the term redefined several times by seeing people take a more and more serious stance on gaming, until eventually I think they went full circle and I was back at the start.

I'd class anyone who openly admits they are passionate about gaming in its many guises, to be hardcore. I find it very annoying when you find someone who clearly likes games, but tries to dumb down their interest for fear of social persecution amongts their peers. To hell with it, I wear my geek status with pride. If wine drinkers and film buffs can be so openly passionate and obsessive about their hobbies, then why not gamers too?
(and believe me, they can take that stuff to a whole new level)


What I do immensely dislike is "casual gamers" who don't really care about gaming, and maybe spend 15 minutes playing something for a bit of a laugh. They generate sales for crappy titles, and give profit to lazy corporations, and hence they are catered to. When in all honesty they haven't got the first clue about videogames. These people most likely only ever buy FIFA and a generic FPS/racer/fighter. And then promptly never actually get anywhere in terms of playing it. They don't understand the history, and if gaming died they honestly wouldn't care. Yet companies love these people because in their masses they consume these crappy disposable software products.

Oh good lord, Im ranitng again. I better stop now.

 

A hardcore gamer is about the games. He doesn't get suckered into the new latest, flashy whatever (though he is by no means afraid to touch a current system or popular game, as GP said). He can play a few levels of Super Mario Bros. on the NES, and then turn around and play Resident Evil 4. He can play Doubutsu No Mori on the N64, and then load up Timesplitters: Future Perfect on the XBox. Old or new, obscure or mainstream have no meaning to the hardcore gamer - it's all about the quality of games. The hardcore gamer may have his favorite systems, and he may dislike others, but has no problem admitting that each system was not without its gems.

While dev equipment is cool, it doesn't a hardcore gamer make - hardcore collector, possibly. The hardcore gamer should know his shit. With his extensive knowledge of gameplay there should come knowledge of the trivia behind it, be it that Animal Crossing originally saw release on the Japanese N64, that Sakura from Street Fighter Alpha originally appeared in Rival Schools, or that the ship in Gradius was originally called the 'Warp Rattler' before being changed to the stupid 'Vic Viper' (and they're OPTIONS, goddammit, not multiples!). Hardware knowledge is also a must - the hardcore gamer could tell you just what arcade hardware any ported game originally ran on.

Finally, it's about the passion. The hardcore gamer needs not have a huge collection devoted to games nor the vast financial resources available to purchase them (though it helps), but as long as the hardcore gamer loves the games for the games, it will be enough.

This is the hardcore gamer.

Oh: And the idiots that come in at work and trade in the Doom 3 Collector's Edition for XBox? Yeah, not hardcore. How could you not like Doom 3, much less multiplayer of Ultimate Doom and Doom II??

 

Interesting answers by everyone. I think Assembler is on the right track, although it shouldn't be limited to hardware, and dev at that. If I knew how to develop (even a hello world application) on any platform, I probably would. However, I don't, so I stay away from that expensive shit. Also moving 3000 miles away, living in boxes for years, moving halfway back (and still not living in a huge apartment) really deters someone from buying old, clunky stuff no matter how cool it is.

On that note, I've got a stack of flyers and other promotional crap that's much more portable, and has probably costed me more than a few old dev systems.

I work with these guys. They're probably sicker than us. I take a little heat for my geek hat, but they realize I can (and will) sabatoge their computer with gay porn or annoying wave files if the abuse gets out of control.

 

You work with wine collectors? Cool.
I personally prefer making my own small batches of home made stuff. It's the quintessential British hobby.

 

I'd say definately not that.

I wouldn't say I'm a hardcore gamer by a long way, I just don't have the time.

But I do have lots of non-retail items, but that's more nostalgia than anything else.
(and it does't always take effort, just being in the right place at the right time - or the wrong place at the wrong time, depending on you point of view)

 

I think to be a "hardcore" gamer, one must play games on a daily basis (where possible), not be prejudiced towards old games or games on other systems (in the case of games that aren't ass), should play online (where/when possible - but if you have a half-decent PC and broadband there's no excuse!), should know his stuff and read about games, and should have played some game till 6am (or later) at least once in his life - that's happened at least 8 times for me! ^_^

I would like to have a big collection of games, but being only 19 I haven't had a lot of years to work and as a student I can only really work in the summer (OK, I'm too lazy to get a weekend job), and what I earn from that barely covers other expenses. I don't think "hardcore" means you have to have a mad-ass collection of shit - that just means you have a lot of money to burn or you're a hardcore trader. And moving house 9 times in my life doesn't help things either.

I don't see the point in collecting stuff 'Mint in box' and then never using them, or collecting stuff I don't particularly like or know I'll never play just because they're rare or just to be part of the collection. I want to play games, not have a museum in my bedroom! But then again, that's collecting, not gaming. And on a related note, I do collect some amount of shit - there's at least 200 magazines in my bedroom, another few hundred in the garage, and I have substantial collection of sweet wrappers from the mid-90's... and some cans... and some coins...

Was it? I guess I'm not hardcore enough! :-D
And why the hell was it 'Big Viper' on the original Parodius?

You'd have to be pretty damn hardcore to know *every* arcade system, especially earlier ones were many games were on boards not used by any other games, or they didn't have proper naming systems. I could name stuff like the Neo Geo, CPS1/2, Sega System 16, 24 and C2, Namco System 11 and 13 (the PS-based ones) and the Konami GX, but beyond that I tend to forget.

 

"Hardcore" when applied to anything means nut case. Someone who is completely obsessed with their hobby/profession/sport to the exclusion of the rest of life.

I think the best attitude to have to gaming is to look for the best games. It may seem obvious but people get caught up in so much crap about systems and graphics and whatever.
My objective is to play the best games on whatever system and whatever era they are of. I don't think that's hardcore and I'm glad of it.

 

a hardcore gamer for me is one who goes for gameplay and playability before graphics

and is not a console strict person, and also can walk through games (complete them) without cheating but can provide people with help to the games.

and using a walk through is not cheating in my eyes.

 

But it totally ruins the game.

Though some games are made so they pretty much require a walkthrough, at least if you want to "clear" the game.

 

Unfair example. I'm only 13 and my mom is still scared of online purchases so I'm stuck.

 

Hardcore Gamer.

I hadn't heard the term in a while.

A hardcore gamer is someone who likes games more than anything else. Hardcore gamers are people that know that videogames are art, but don't forget they're also entertainment, and thus enjoy both aspects completely. They have a very clear idea of the games they like, but they also try everything at least once. They turn their acquaintances, friends and significant others into gamers - because they enjoy videogames so much it actually interests people around them.

 

For me its someone who loves games and everything associated with them. Someone who can look at any gaming item etc and objectively assess it for its merits and its flaws, and consequently love it for what it is.

Possessions, collection size, obscurity, dev stuff, materialism, bragging, a 10p altered beast, a £10k Kizuna - none of that features.

Its a mindset plain and simple.

 

To me, a hardcore gamer is someone who isn't afraid to follow the less mainstream route. Someone who enjoys a good mix of games from different eras and regions. Someone who was a gamer back when the hobby wasn't as popular and can respect the heritage of the pasttime.

And this approach many of speak of regarding a non-biased attitude towards platforms, frankly I find that silly. Humans are biased by nature and those of us who were around during the earliest days of gaming saw and accepted that system bashing was and will always be an accepted part of this hobby.

Outside of video games, I have an interest in cars and racing technology. I can tell you that EVERYONE has their particular likes and dislikes when it comes to car manufacturers and styles. Biases exist in all hobbies and I for one find this notion of non-platform bias to be merely wishful thinking.

 

hmmm then i wold be a hardcore gamer since i like RPG´s, Point And Click Adventures, RTS games (like warcraft 1 and 2 C & C, Red Alert , Tiberian Sun, and the dune series(Dune 2 2000) plus some others like the first Age Of Empires, beatemup games , and puzzlers (Tetris Puyo Puyo, and many others of that caliber, sokoban etc. and some others too)

damn i AM a hardcore gamer

 

I dunno, gamer <> collector.

I know a lot of collectors who really don't play videogames. For that reason, I can't see including anything about dev hardware collecting into defining who is and is not a hardcore gamer. Someone who has every piece of impossible-to-get dev hardware, but doesn't really PLAY a lot of games isn't a hardcore gamer, they're a dev collector.

A hardcore gamer need not be a collector either. I know some ridiculous Virtua Fighter players who I'd consider to DEFINITELY be hardcore, but all they own are like 3 diff. systems and then like whatever VF version came out for it, etc...

I'd say it's someone who:
-Avidly follows the industry
-Owns and actively plays multiple systems
-Plays stuff outside the mainstream (i.e. other than sports, GTA, Halo, Mario, Zelda, etc..)