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Alex Navarro Associate Editor |
Casual Every Day
I've been playing games for an exceedingly long period of time. I'm not an original, mind you. I came into this whole thing during the NES days. But since then, I've played me the hell out of some games. Admittedly, though, it wasn't until I got this job that I really got to see what the hardcore gaming audience was really like. Throughout my early years, I didn't really talk about games much with anyone else, save for a few friends I'd play games like Contra and Life Force with. It wasn't that I was ashamed of being into games or anything--hell, at that point in time, having a Nintendo Entertainment System made you one of the most popular kids around--it's just that I didn't really think of it as anything more than a hobby...a way to pass the time during dull summer days, and nothing more. In fact, I didn't even really start getting into the gaming "scene" until my teenage years, when I started writing for fan sites, again, mostly just as something to do. I'd start reading these Internet forums dedicated to the specific games I was writing about, and I'd marvel that there were people with these utterly insane levels of devotion to things like wrestling games, and RPGs, and what have you. I kind of didn't know what to make of it, really.
Once I started working here, the size and scope of people's devotion to their favorite games finally became clear as day to me. Gaming isn't just a hobby to a lot of people; it's a lifestyle. I know that's probably not anything even close to resembling a revelation to those reading this column, but it wasn't something I was altogether familiar with prior to my employment here. I was just a guy who liked games and liked writing (you can see the attraction to the profession, then). I wasn't entrenched in any major gaming scenes, I barely had anyone I talked to about games regularly, and, frankly, I just wasn't all that hardcore about them.
I read our forums and hear about people spending thousands of dollars to upgrade their PCs just to play one game or another, as well as people going out and buying dozens of games in seemingly minuscule periods of time. I also hear about people who get incredibly huffy when one negative thing or another comes out in the news or in reviews about a game they've been desperately anticipating for God knows how long. I've since gotten used to these typical bits of dialogue between members of our audience, and very little shocks me these days. However, if there's one thing I hear more often than anything else out of the hardcore gaming set (and it upsets me to no end), it's one tirade or another about how much they hate casual gamers. You know, the kinds of people who only play Grand Theft Auto clones and Madden? The kind of people whose short attention spans have led to the shortening and simplification of games? The deadly plague that threatens to tear the gaming industry apart, and throw it into a pit of overly commercialized doom the depths of which are utterly inescapable? You know? People like me.
OK, so those statements are basically brash generalizations, and I don't think I'm exactly the definition of a casual gamer. I own all three major consoles, most handhelds, and a fairly competent PC. I don't just play Madden or GTA. And my attention span does last for more than five hours' worth of gaming. However, on the flip side, I don't think I really qualify under the "hardcore" definition either. The idea of a 50-hour RPG is just about the most unappealing thing I can think of; I don't really buy all that many games (fewer than 10 since the calendar year began); and I happen to like some of that trite commercial junk that some of you out there claim to be the Devil incarnate. One of my absolute favorite games of this year (and of this console generation) is God of War. It seems like, for the most part, people have latched onto it as well, so it's not like it's just me. However, I've read plenty of snide comments from people talking about how it isn't hard enough and how it's way too short (it took me around 15 hours to beat it, incidentally), aside from just going nuts over really nitpicky stuff, like how it has a sexually themed minigame and whatnot. I'll admit that God of War is neither overly challenging nor overly long, but that's what I loved about it. It provided a solid challenge; it was just the right length to keep me interested but didn't wear me down; and the whole thing was just fun from beginning to end. But, hey, I also like wrestling games and football, so my opinion's meaningless, right? No, I'm not just being dramatic. That exact sentiment has been sent my way a couple of times via e-mail. Harumph.
I suppose I shouldn't take it personally. The casual gaming market really has become extremely big in recent years, and it has pushed some quality titles, aimed at a more dedicated audience, off to the side. Another one of my favorite games this year, Psychonauts, straight-up sold like ass its first month. That sucks. But, honestly, I can't say I'm surprised. For as awesome as that game is, most people are just going to look at that box art, raise an eyebrow, and then look for something more recognizable. It's unfortunate that it's come to that, but facts are facts: People flock toward recognizable names and franchises, as well as what looks real purdy on the TV ads. That doesn't mean the game industry is broken; it just means that it's finally grown up, and it can now lump itself in with all the other entertainment mediums that cater to the masses. Maybe it sucks for the hardcore, but in order for this industry to survive on the level it's aiming for, it's going to need that casual money.
I'm sure I'll get at least a few e-mails from folks telling me, "Whatever, man. You're just a sellout. You don't understand real games. You just play popular crap. You're the problem, man, not the solution!" That's fine. Just realize that claiming to be into the "real" stuff--the hardcore, the rebellious aspect of gaming--doesn't make you special. It just makes you the gaming equivalent of all those punk-rocker wannabes who shop at Hot Topic, get pissed when their favorite bands get played on the radio, and desperately try to be counterculture, only to end up being another brand of conformist regardless. You "comic book guy" wannabes who refused to even play Mercenaries simply because of its goofy subtitle, "Playground of Destruction," aren't doing anything except robbing yourselves of a potentially enjoyable gaming experience. Hate the game because of what it actually is, not because of what you presume to think it represents. Unless all you're doing is downloading home-brew games by crazy people who refuse to make money from any mainstream publisher, you're not really all that different from those of us who buy Madden every year. There is no publisher that's not out to make money, and more often than not, the same publishers that are putting out the commercialized crap you love to lobby against are the same ones that are putting out equally esoteric games that please the hardcore audience.
What I want people to understand is that the casual gaming audience is not your enemy. Just because someone buys Madden every year and doesn't understand your fascination with Atlus-published RPGs doesn't make that person your enemy. Sure, you may not want to hang out with that person necessarily, but you should at least respect the fact that he or she also enjoys games, even if it is on a more modest and mainstream scale than perhaps you do. Casualness by itself is not going to be the downfall of this industry. In fact, it's probably going to help it in the long run. Hardcore players and casual players can coexist in this industry, and, in fact, they'll have to if it is to continue to succeed.
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The Death of GameSpotting
Welcome to the apocalyptic edition of GameSpotting, in which our editors spill their guts about games and everything...one final time.
