Casual seems like an innocuous enough word outside of gaming. Yet, this C-word can generate more enmity than ‘Newb’ or ‘Hanzo Main’. Even my lip curls when someone uses it as a slur against me. Why does this word have so much weight? Well, that is part of a long history of bad blood. Two groups vying for the love and attention of developers at the expense of the other.

Defining Casual And Hardcore

Casual is a term that requires context. Generally speaking, it refers to a layman who dabbles in something. In gaming, a casual player is someone who generally does not dedicate time or energy to a game. They play games for fun and treat them like any other form of a game. Just something to have fun and fill the time. In contrast, a hardcore player is someone who dedicates themselves to a game. They put in as much time as they are capable and invest heavily in gaming to the best of their ability. The actual funds of the players or time spent is irrelevant, it is the desire that is the key factor. I know plenty of casual players who play Candy Crush every time they are left unattended. Whereas I know hardcores with full-time jobs who arrange their classes to give them time to play with friends.

These terms can be used to generally describe someone’s approach to gaming. A casual gamer usually just playing for fun, a hardcore player usually going for satisfaction and skill growth. They can also be applied to one particular game “C-Krizzle is a hardcore Tekken player”. A casual player can be hardcore at one particular game while overall remaining casual and vice versa. These terms can also be applied to games. Games that require low effort or skill are casual whereas difficult and complex games are hardcore. A casual game can be played to a hardcore standard, like Pokemon or Smash Bros. Just as a hardcore game can be played casually.

They’re Ruining Games!

The bad blood between casual and hardcore gamers is similar to modern day politics. Each party uses the others name as an insult and views them as everything wrong with society. Just swap out ‘Literally-Hitler’ with ‘Elitist’ and ‘Libtard’ with ‘Casual’. The truth is games need both of these groups in order to survive and sustain themselves. This is especially true for MMORPGs. If a game is too hardcore it is less approachable for new players. This leads to a small but dedicated fan base. If a game is too casual, lots of people will play, but quickly leave because they’ll outgrow it. Both groups of players want dramatically different things. When they meet it is often an oil and water situation.

The average hardcore player is not going to give a casual any grief. We’ll just silently judge you as you pull before the tank and wipe the party for the 12th time. If a hardcore gives advice to a casual or explains mechanics it often construed a condescension. If they get frustrated and criticise a casual then they’re an elitist. So the vast majority stay silent or don’t care what others do. This tension contributes to feelings of ill will between the two groups. Also, it isn’t as if these groups are homogenised. I consider myself a hardcore FFXIV player, but I still get flack from other hardcore players. More than a casual I’d bet because I put myself in situations where perfection is required. Having a bad experience with a member of the other side can brand the whole.

From a social standpoint, these groups are fire and ice. Both avoiding interacting with the other for the most part. Yet, the ‘ruining’ comes when developers choose who they gear the game towards.

The Slap In The Face Of Changing Content

The moment that spawned this whole article was the moment I tried the new PVP in FFXIV. PVP was one of my favourite things in the game and I did it religiously. Unfortunately, it recently underwent changes to make it more ‘accessible’. These changes included removing most of the moves so fewer buttons were involved and erasing certain stats like morale. Essentially making it less complex all over. The result is a very boring button mashing experience. Press Y as fast as you can while cycling through targets to win. After a few hours of playing an effortlessly racking up kills, I logged out, disappointed and unsatisfied.

I spent about an hour blowing my top in my PVP Discord. Punctuated only by my friends going “I have never seen her this mad” every pause between walls of text. I powered through all the stages of grief in about an hour.

This can’t be happening, there must be something I’m missing!

Why did Square Enix do this? How could they destroy this! How dare they!

Maybe if enough people complain they’ll change it back?

It’ll never be the same, what’s the point in playing anymore? What’s the point in trying?

Well, I guess I’ll find something else in the game I enjoy. It’s targeted at casuals, I shouldn’t expect better.

All my achievements were suddenly nothing. My pride went in an instant. Anyone could gain the titles I fought and persevered for now. All they had to do was smash their face against the keyboard like a human Drinking Bird toy. This is the regular slap in the face hardcore players experience when developers suddenly cater to casuals. I can tell you, in that moment I hated all casual players for even existing.

Change Isn’t Always Good For Everyone

My experience is the norm for hardcore gamers. You work hard at something and reach your objective only to have the difficulty permanently nerfed. Suddenly, your achievements are meaningless. We don’t have the choice to go back and play our favourite dungeons on their hardest difficulty. When a developer chooses to change content to cater to casuals over hardcores it hurts. It’s a bit like cheating on your wife with a busty girl in the toilets of a nightclub. Sure, hardcores have always been there for you supporting you but damn this casual has a tight- well anyway.

This process is nothing new, it just has a different skin. In reality, whole franchises have been brought down by this process. They attempt to appeal to the lowest common denominator instead of staying true to what they were. The results are disappointed fans and semi-interested casuals who are still put off by the series’ reputation. Think of Silent Hill Shattered Memories, sure it had the skin of a Silent Hill game, but it wasn’t scary. It didn’t have the same level of deep psychological themes others had. It was a watered down experience like Book of Memories aimed at players outside their usual target demographic.

The thing about trying to appeal to everyone is it kills innovation. It limits what games can be and inevitably hurts gaming’s image and chances at being considered anything more than a toy. The more developers who put their profits before their players, the more generic our games become. They’re passable, not great, but passable. This is what is meant when someone says “Casuals are ruining gaming”. It isn’t even that they are ruining it, merely facilitating that ruin.

Where’s The Challenge?

The problem with making hardcore content easier is it hurts the hardcore players. Casual games can become more complex without upsetting their audiences too much. It’s like the parable about boiling a frog. It’s all about slowly scaling up, eventually, a casual game can become hardcore. The problem then comes when someone wants to be at the end of that content without earning it. This is a fundamental difference between a hardcore gamer and casual one. Hardcore gamers get pleasure from working hard and exceeding expectations. They value personal growth and skill growth which is why many are also competitive players. Many of them are old school gamers who know that victory and completion are not entitlements with your purchase. Contrast this to a casual gamer who doesn’t really care about any of that. They just want to win not to work.

This is why you’ll notice many casual games are pay to win or ‘party games’. There are very few casual games that punish death severely or use it to teach players things. A casual just wants to play and have fun, if they can skip unlocking stuff then they will. This is part of what makes casual such an effective slur. It applies you didn’t work for your position. It’s the same reason we look down on women who ‘sleep their way to the top’. Many a time I have heard casual players whining that content is too difficult and that they are excluded or ‘locked out’ by elitists. I don’t think I have ever felt an ounce of sympathy for the speaker.

Locked Out By Elitism?

Many casual players claim they are locked out by elitists or that elitists ruin the game. It’s true that many of these so-called elitists do not have the time or energy to deal with a casual. The phrase ‘Get Gud’ pretty much surmises the interactions between casuals and hardcores in endgame content. Sometimes looking through Party Finder on FFXIV I get tired of terminology like ‘No Bonus’ and ‘Deeps Only’. Then I remember Nidhogg Extreme.

When I first stumbled unprepared into the trial known as Nidhogg Extreme I was obliterated. I later found out that most players avoided this dungeon. It was love at first bite, a moment of “Oh hell yes”. You have to understand, there was no argument to this defeat. This wasn’t lag or being under levelled this was literally my skills not being enough. I dedicated the next 2 week to playing through this daily, watching videos and guides. My friend would sit next to me unable to understand my temporary insanity.

“What do you get if you win?”

“I’m not sure”

“Are you even having fun?”

“Not especially.”

I was going to sleep at 5pm after work so that I could wake up at midnight. This way no one would be online at my local internet cafe and I could avoid lag. I consistently turned up to my classes positively brimming with energy from hours of concentrated play. My assistant thought I’d fallen in love. I defeated Nidhogg at 5:04am on a Sunday morning. I know it was 5:04am because the first thing I did was message my DM who had been teasing me about my obsession. It was an experience worth working to achieve. People aren’t locked out by elitism. They are locked out by their unwillingness to work. Get Gud.

Hardcore Players Are Outnumbered And Unloved

In nearly any game, casual players outnumber hardcore ones. This means that casual players have a lot of weight to throw around. If they come together and decide something needs to change then chances are developers will listen. Whereas when hardcore players cry out it is harder to get noticed. There is something darker to worry about, though. Being so heavily outnumbered means that expressing any anti-casual sentiment is an invitation for attack.

Go to any MMORPG forum right now and search a phrase like ‘Casuals are ruining gaming’. No matter how reasonable the argument there will be a 10:1 ratio of people there for blood. While doing research for this piece I found myself sickened again and again by the responses. After a while, they all start to sound the same. Looking at it now, I realise I avoid the FFXIV Reddit for similar reasons. The community is simply toxic for someone like me. I know if I ask a question it’ll be downvoted and God forbid I have a criticism. The only time I have ever felt legitimately frightened on the internet was when someone from the FFXIV Reddit took offence to a comment I made and proceeded to send me my personal information in threatening messages. Inevitably I ended up deleting the account and avoiding interacting in the subreddit.

It Has Always Been Okay To Be A Casual Player

Casual and Hardcore players have very different perspectives on gaming. A lot of hardcore players are old school gamers who grew up with that stigma. When the finger of blame is going around it is the hardcore gamers on the receiving end. It makes sense. It’s unlikely that someone with a vague passing interest in a game is going to receive any meaningful influence from them. That basement dweller who spends 6 hours a day playing games is a far more likely candidate. It’s always been okay to be casual.

Being a hardcore gamer is pretty much a culture in itself. Among fellow gamers, I’m downright proud of me excessive 36-hour stints at games. I have no shame in my misanthropy or venting about some idiot who tried to talk to me during PvP. I often joke that I live in China simply to minimise the number of people who can talk to me. Outside of that community though? I’m just a straight-laced school teacher who’s slightly panda eyed all the time.

There isn’t really a right or wrong in this situation. Yet, due to the vast numbers of casual players, they’re often seen in the right. Hardcore being the minority are made out to be bullies and elitists and something wrong with the community. Hardcores end up forced into tight communities to avoid having to deal with casuals. This is seen as elitism and exclusion.

Difficult Content Creates Community

Communities are important. This is especially true in MMOs where socialising is a key element at times. The truth is difficult content drives people together out of necessity. For raids and end game content you need people you can rely on. When learning a difficult dungeon you want people you can trust to help you. It isn’t just in-game either. Hardcore players are the dedicated fans who churn out artwork, music, fanfictions and more. Casual players have communities too of course. The trouble is, casuals by definition are not dedicated to the game so they come and go like the tide. It is very difficult to maintain a community without having regular people in it.

When these games die out hardcore fans keep them alive. Think of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines and how its dedicated community brings out mods to this day. They’re immortalized and preserved and worked on and eventually brought before a whole new generation. Hardcore players often run servers and work hard to keep their small communities alive. Phantasy Star Online has been officially dead for years, but its dedicated player base has the game up and running. Not just that but content has been added to the game since its demise. Unfortunately, this is not profitable for the developers or publishers. Despite how remarkable some of these communities are, the casual market is more valuable.

Many don’t even consider the input of hardcores outside of the game. It’s very easy to focus on the negatives and elitism. In reality, nobody likes a bully no matter if you are a casual or a hardcore.

Can We Coexist?

There are games that cater to casuals and ones that cater to hardcore gamers. Then others cater to both. The question is can we coexist? Despite our differences I think we can if we just meet each other halfway. Developers are also a big part of this process since a lot of the hatred for casuals has nothing to do with them. Rather decisions developers make in order to cater for them. A lot of the problems casuals have with hardcore players are purely social. Here are some ideas games (especially MMOs) can use to build bridges between these audiences.

Mentoring Programs

The first step toward peace is communication. Mentoring is the perfect situation for casuals and hardcores to come together. The casual player is already admitting they know less and therefore won’t feel bad when the mentor explains. This is a weight off any hardcore’s mind. As well as rewards for their teaching they also know that there will be one less ‘incompetent’ player in the game. The fact that a casual is taking the time to learn a mechanic automatically earns them more respect. This isn’t the average headless chicken casual player running into Cthulu’s maw.

There is a system like this in FFXIV but it is imperfect. Not to mention the requirements mean very few people are actually mentors. I don’t think earning level 60 in every class is a good criteria. I would rather learn to be bard from a master bard than a jack of all trades. This would involved a more complex system that paired players with mentors who mained the same class or were at least proficient.

These programs need moderation. Teaching takes patience and social skills and sometimes your heart isn’t in it. A rating system would be a good way to make sure teachers played nice with their students. One that affected the rate you were chosen for mentor roulette.

Rewarding A Player’s Time Investment

The main point that hardcore players resent is that developers cater to the instant gratification culture that casuals promote. If a player can just throw money at a game and become as good as the elites it is frustrating. Yet, a game that rewards a player’s efforts with something of a higher quality that ill will is nullified. This involves not nerfing the difficulty of these quests just because a better weapon becomes available. Even if the reward does become obsolete in play owning it is still a source of pride. This is especially true if it came with a title or a mount.

Now you can have a casual and a hardcore both with level 270 gear. The hardcore player’s gear might have better stats or looks really cool while the casual player’s is simply functional. This is overall better for the game since it’ll encourage casuals to play for longer. Eventually leading to them becoming more invested in the game.

Nerfing the difficulty of quest purely to facilitate casual players need to stop. How about instead having easier modes and not making the hard modes a requirement for the main story?

Purchase Does Not Entitle You To Victory

When we buy a game we need to realize it is a time investment. Winning is nice but every victory should be earned. Buying a game does not mean you will finish it and if you can’t that is not a failing of the developer. Trying to appeal to developers to make the content easier inevitably hurts other players. Not to mention forces the developers to change something they were obviously happy to release.

If you can’t beat a game then keep practising and trying. Look up walkthroughs and guides. If you don’t want to try then simply put the game down. There are billions of games, no one of any merit will judge you for not mastering one. Developers can help by making games that are easy to learn but hard to master. This supplies material for both groups of people to enjoy. Think of Pokemon. The main campaign is easy and even if you lack skill you can brute force it by grinding. Outside of that you have people who IV train their Pokemon and competitive battling.

A main scenario quest that is approachable for everyone alongside optional hardcore content works well. All that is required is abandoning the idea that you are owed a victory.

Tolerance

At the end of the day, we don’t have to like each other. I hate most humans on principle anyway and that’s not changing. All we have to do is tolerate each others existence. You think that guy is playing one handed? Carry harder. Enjoy the challenge of dead weight. You think this guy is an elitist? Will squabbling in the chat help the team?

We’re only human and we all are messed up in our own unique and creative ways.