A reader rejects the label of hardcore gamer and asks what the phrase actually means and who else it’d apply to.
I’ve been a gamer now for over 20 years and I prefer to assume I do know the pastime fairly effectively. I’ve all the present consoles, I preserve updated with information and occasions, I do know all the massive title publishers and builders, and I’ve performed or a minimum of learn about all the massive franchises. Does that make me a hardcore gamer although? I feel by some definitions it might do. If I used to be speaking about motion pictures I’d be often called a movie buff however is hardcore gamer actually the equal of that? I’m not so certain.
I’ve various youthful cousins who’re additionally, by their very own admission, actually into video games, however they don’t appear to know or care about any of the issues I like. Their mostly performed video games are Apex Legends, Name Of Responsibility: Warzone, Fortnite, Minecraft, and Future 2. All both free video games or reside service video games, none of which I’ve any curiosity in.
To me these are the equal of claiming you’re a petrolhead, and actually into automobiles, and but discovering out you haven’t really obtained a automotive and take the bus all over the place. Though a few of the free-to-play video games are superb – I notably like Apex Legends – the dimensions of their success is just not attributable to their high quality as a recreation however the truth that they’re free.
Fortnite specifically is just not an particularly good recreation and if you happen to needed to pay full value for it, it might be nowhere close to as well-liked as it’s. Being free excuses quite a lot of issues and Fortnite has lengthy since developed from being a straight shooter to a bizarre mixture of neighborhood chat room and social expertise. That’s positive, that’s nice, however to me none of that has something to do with video video games.
Similarly, the explanation video games like Future 2 and Minecraft are profitable is as a result of they’re additionally social experiences. Future 2 now has little or no in frequent with issues like Halo or Name Of Responsibility, and not competes with them and even tries to supply the identical type of experiences.
It’s not the gameplay or the story that’s the attraction with any of those video games, as it’s with all those I get pleasure from, it’s the simple accessibility, the consistently altering content material, and, most significantly, the sense of neighborhood and social interplay.
The free video games aren’t actually free, as a result of as quickly as you begin stepping into them, you’re tempted to purchase all of the battle passes and microtransactions. I’m consistently shocked at my nephews shopping for skins and different, to my thoughts, pointless cosmetics for the price of an entire indie recreation. I think they really find yourself spending extra on video games than me, regardless that I’m shopping for full value video games.
So are they the hardcore players? I discover it arduous to say they’re given how little curiosity they appear to have within the video games themselves or any conventional titles. To them, the concept of a recreation having a narrative or development being opposed by something apart from different gamers is totally alien, to the purpose the place it appears this stuff they play ought to virtually be known as one thing apart from video video games.
But when they’re not hardcore players then who’re? Possibly esports gamers and different professionals? I suppose you could possibly argue that, however these folks often solely play one recreation, which appears far too specialist to deserve such an all-encompassing description. Streamers would possibly play a couple of totally different video games, but it surely appears to me they’ve the identical limitation of slim horizons.
So perhaps it’s me. Possibly I’m a hardcore gamer. I nonetheless don’t really feel that means but when it’s not me or folks like me, I don’t know who else it is perhaps. I suppose ultimately it’s not the title that’s essential, however what we imply by it. Possibly we’re all hardcore players ultimately or perhaps merely… players.
By reader Cribbens
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