has yet to exist — the gaming industry is one of the fastest growing markets in
the world. Though I don’t consider myself an expert in the field by any means,
I thought it necessary that I somehow contribute as someone passionate and
willing to write about my favorite hobby. I didn’t start this column to play nice
to gamers, or to attract more people to gaming; the purpose is to discuss
aspects of gaming culture that deserve to be noticed. For example, crappy
over-hyped releases will get bashed and under-hyped gems will be praised. For
this introductory article, I specifically want to address two main types of
gamers: the hardcore and the casual. As a disclaimer (the only disclaimer
you’ll ever get), I’m a cynical gamer with strong opinions, so take what I say
with a grain of salt.
Everyone has their own image of the typical hardcore gamer,
but I personally don’t have any problems with World of Warcraft players, or
those cosplay types at every anime convention that look like cracked-out
Halloween kids. The problem lies with the competitive gamers. See, unlike their
role-playing counterparts, these assholes suck the fun out of games. I don’t
join Halo matches to get insta-killed for the two seconds I get to step on the
map. I play these games online so I can enjoy that familiar single-player
experience with other people — hence the term “multiplayer.” But multiplayer
just doesn’t fucking work; there’s no reliable difficulty scaling. Ideally, the
matchmaking system implemented in every console game is supposed to bypass this
problem, but it’s almost always broken and it doesn’t apply to online PC
gaming. Ultimately, I’m left to play matches against people with way too much
time on their hands. Though I should put the blame on inconsistent matchmaking,
I blame every hardcore gamer for being so damned good. Fuck you all.
On the other end of the spectrum lie casual gamers, the
people too pretentious to admit that they play games. I don’t know how many
times I’ve seen someone pull out Brain Age on the DS and claim that they’re not
playing a game, but rather enjoying a “brain-enhancing experience.” If you’re
holding a mobile gaming device with a gaming cartridge inserted into it, you’re
playing a fucking videogame. This faction is too ignorant to understand what
makes a game a game, and to make matters worse, they can’t discern good games
from great ones. I’ve seen people at game conventions waiting in lines longer
than the reproductive organs of horses to play Wii Sports. Wii Sports isn’t
even a game; it’s a tech demo. I guess I’m more afraid than angry at these
casual gamers for what they represent, which is the potential future of the
industry. If big-name developers start making titles continually geared toward
the casual gamer, will we lose our epic blockbusters? With the rise of games
like Wii Fit, a glorified jazzercise mat that’s currently the most popular
title in
I sure as hell don’t want to find myself five years from now “playing” Pilates
with Mario as my instructor, as pictured.
Despite my problems and concerns with these two gamer types,
I can’t be completely cynical and claim that they are both detrimental to
gaming. If anything, the hardcore and casual gamer provide the foundations on
which the medium can grow. I’m glad that some people love games enough to want
to play them like a part-time job, and I’m glad that more and more people are
gradually becoming interested in games, whatever form they may come in. As long
as people are willing to enjoy the pastime for what it is, then our industry
will have no choice but to prosper. So I say, rock on, gamers, rock the fuck
on.
