Games you're playing right now, and my freetime's demise

[N'JAN]

Just finished RE5 and playing Metal Gear Solid 1 with PS1 emulator .I decided to play all the parts to know all about this series...MGS4 is greatness

[shadowgrin]

NBA 2K9 and casual games like Insaniquarium, Cooking Academy, Feeding Frenzy, Chuzzle, 7 Wonders. That sort of shite.

[Matthew]

Cooking academy?! Please tell me there's multiplayer for that...

[shadowgrin]

None I know of. You're better off having multiplayer fun in Yahoo chess than finding it in most casual games (as what the genre is referred to).

[Matthew]

Does anyone else find it hilarious that videogames have the classification of "casual" now.. Serious games seems like the epitome of an oxymoron

[shadowgrin]

It is weird to me too. I would classify those games mostly as puzzle-solving not "casual".
I guess the gaming industry and gaming fanboys are to blame for videogames turning into a serious hobby.
Just look at the Live or 2K franchise and the countless YouTube videos posted by people highlighting the bugs/glitches/flaws of those games, that just shows how serious gaming is now.

[Andrew]

It's a funny term to use in some respects but I think it's appropriate all the same. It's a reasonable way to distinguish those who play video games as a more regular hobby and get into games with a more immersive experience (or look for a more immersive experience in their games) from people who don't play games as often and don't seek to get that "into" games in general. As for the games themselves, I think it's appropriate enough to distinguish between them too.

[benji]

Cooking Mama has multiplayer. Cooking Academy's just a PC knock-off of Cooking Mama.

[Matthew]

It's a funny term to use in some respects but I think it's appropriate all the same. It's a reasonable way to distinguish those who play video games as a more regular hobby and get into games with a more immersive experience (or look for a more immersive experience in their games) from people who don't play games as often and don't seek to get that "into" games in general. As for the games themselves, I think it's appropriate enough to distinguish between them too.

Well, personally speaking, I've gotten "into" certain games, but i've never took them seriously like you take a girlfriend, or anything real life seriously.

Video games, outside those nerd fest MLG tournaments (where people are playing for money) are just recreation.

[Andrew]

I didn't mean taking games more seriously than real life commitments and responsibilities, more just a regular interest in video gaming and selecting games that offer a more immersive experience. I guess if I had to put specific examples on it, I'd say someone who enjoys playing games like Fallout 3 or GTA IV is more of a "serious" gamer while someone who pretty much just plays solitaire and such is more of a casual gamer; they play games but it's not really a hobby. Then you'have people who take gaming too seriously who make up a third group, obsessive. It's a broad definition I know, but it's basically the gist of what I was going for there.

[Matthew]

I'm not doing a Ben here, but what do you really mean about being more a serious gamer? I play GTA, R6V2, Halo 3 etc, but when I was growing up I played solitaire and less complicated games too. I don't consider myself any more serious of a gamer (hell I don't consider myself one in the first place) then I did when I was 10 years old on my 486.

[benji]

I'm not doing a Ben here

lol wat.

Casual Gamer = Anyone who plays games you don't think qualify as games. Usually things with bright colors, cartoony looks and no guns. Also anything on the Wii. Children and Elderly People, as well as Soccer Moms.
Hardcore Gamer = Someone who plays what you play. Especially if it has guns and blood, and looks "realistic" or is an RPG. Exceptions made for Rock Band/Guitar Hero. All games published for the PS3 and 360. Males 16-30.
True Gamer = Someone who owns Killzone 2.

[Matthew]

Uh oh. I own killzone 2

[Andrew]

I'm not doing a Ben here, but what do you really mean about being more a serious gamer? I play GTA, R6V2, Halo 3 etc, but when I was growing up I played solitaire and less complicated games too. I don't consider myself any more serious of a gamer (hell I don't consider myself one in the first place) then I did when I was 10 years old on my 486.

"Serious" probably has connotations that aren't really appropriate but when I say serious gamers I tend to think of people like us and probably most people who post in this forum (and others). We have perspective on our gaming, it's a hobby and it doesn't rule our lives but it is a keen interest and we keep up with the gaming news, get new games when they come out (or at least the ones that interest us personally) and we game enough for us to accurately call it one of our pastimes. As for the games themselves, they can range from solitaire and the like all the way up to a game like GTA IV but it is that upper range of deeper games like GTA IV etc that make us more "serious" gamers because we're interested in playing a game like that which will take up a bit more of our time.

Above that you'd have obsessive gamers who take their interest to a whole new level and not really in a healthy way.

In contrast to that, what I think is implied by the term "casual gamer" (or at least how I'd define it) is someone who plays games much more infrequently and lean towards games that aren't as deep and don't require as much of an investment of time and interest. That's a pretty broad generalisation I admit, so you could divide up casual gamers into the people who might play solitaire or something while having some morning tea or a coffee break at one end of the scale and at the other there'd be people who do play more sophisticated games but still fairly infrequently and without the depth of a GTA IV (for example).

I guess I'd break it down like this. For serious gamers, it's a hobby. For casual gamers, it's something to do at a gathering (music/rhythm and trivia games) or when there's nothing else you feel like doing, for obsessive gamers it's a hobby taken to extreme and possibly unhealthy levels.

[shadowgrin]

WoW players = obsessive gamers?

[Andrew]

Not by default, but perhaps prime candidates to fall into that category.

[N'JAN]

Just finished Metal Gear Solid 1 and now I can play the second part of this great series .
I hope my PC can run the 3-rd Metal Gear...
And yeah time to time playing Resident Evil 5 on PS3.Decided to play the game on rank S .

[Lean]

If you're running a good PC, MGS3 can be played using an emulator.

[N'JAN]

If you're running a good PC, MGS3 can be played using an emulator.

My PC is not so good...
Cpu - Athlon x2 4200+
VGA - GeForce8500gt 512mb
Ram - 1GB
Will it run MGS3?

I hope so coz my PS3 doesn't have either hardware or soft compatability with PS2

[Lean]

Uh, no. I tried PCSX2, we have almost the same specs but,

[cyanide]

WoW players = obsessive gamers?

And addicts. I should know.

[NovU]

Cuz I knew WoW was addictive as hell, I chose Guild Wars back few years go. That game too was addictive got me playing it every few hours for 6 months or something(Even owned my own guild & recruited 15 members). Sad I have to try to stay away from those kind of games.

[deihatein]

Currently hook on Resistance Retribution Online play. Got me addicted.
Also playing Prinny: Can I really be the Hero?

[Lean]

I'm currently playing Oblivion, still looks good IMO.

[kibaxx7]

Playing right now:

• @ PC: NBA 2K9, PES6, Virtua Tennis 3, C&C Red Alert 3, GTA IV.
• @ PS2: Guitar Hero I-II-80's-III-World Tour