An annoying thing in the game industry: a rant by Dr. Zoidberg

Dr. Zoidberg

Casual.To most people it means either not very fancy or makes them remember that biz-cas-fri is comin' up.But to the game industry, it means big bucks.I really am annoyed by this because these companies need to wake up and figure out that casual and hardcore gamers do not exist.They're just titles made up by the game industry to sell more games, but the games don't sell because they're casual or hardcore, they sell because they're good.That's all there is to it.Take a "casual" game like The Sims.If it weren't good, do you think it would have sold so well?You're right, it wouldn't.It's not as if a gamer that labels themself as "casual" couldn't enjoy a game like Bioshock, and it's not like a gamer that labels themselves as "hardcore" couldn't enjoy a game like Buzz or Bejewled.I just feel like game companies shouldn't focus on making a game appeal to the "casual" or "hardcore" audience, and start focusing on making good games.

There, my rant is done.I'd love to see feedback on how other people feel on this subject, so post comments!!!

P.S. Telltale, I'm not at all talking about you guys in this rant.You guys actually DO focus on making good games, instead of making "casual" or "hardcore" games.

MaxFan

I think you're right on, this is much a thought I've had about entertainment in general for years.

Everyone is so focused on how much money they will make that it's all about deciding who your audience will be and designing in a way you think will please them, many times trying terrible ideas simply because they've been loudly trumpeted. Little original or experimental content sees the light of day because its inclusion adds an unknown.

And yeah, Telltale is one of the few exceptions.

InvaderJim42

Hmm, in my mind 'casual' gaming always meant gaming in short installments, like while waiting in the queue at a fast food restaurant, or while waiting for the train. (Shrugs)

Shauntron

Here's my take on it. Although casual and hardcore are major generalizations within the great variety of today's games, you can kinda boil the two down to this: hardcore games require more commitment from the player, casual games are pick-up & put-down. Bioshock requires commitment to master the controls under stressful circumstances, so someone who mainly plays relaxing games like The Sims might not necessarily have fun trying to take down a Big Daddy (even on easy mode). It's super fun for me only because I've had over a decade to get familiar with free-look FPS games. The lines blur from time to time, but the casual and hardcore markets are fairly distinct based on their commitment level and it's pretty reasonable for developers and publishers to focus on one or the other.

Oh yeah, good games are good. I'm down with that.