Casual Game Blather

People debate casual vs hardcore games. This guy says we should talk about games as far as their genre, not as far as being 'hardcore' or 'casual'. I think many hardcore gamers would be lost as far as casual game genres. Time management or hidden object might get a 'huh' from hardcore gamers. I'm a hardcore casual gamer, btw. I loved Diner Dash Tycoon, but thought that there should be a hard mode. I'm certainly a tourist in this taxonomy. I don't compete to be the best at a game, because I know I can't compete. I'll be tired of a game way before I get anywhere near good enough to compete at any level. When I replay a game, it's because I want to experience more of it- I replayed Persona 3 so that I could unlock some more costumes and see more of the social links I had bypassed, not so much that I could say that I had done everything in the game or that I was somehow the best.


I love playing casual games, especially if there's a new twist or if the same old gameplay is executed really really well. I have several casual game mechanics that bother me. I hate sliding customers into stations- what, they can't walk? and I also dislike hidden object games. I also love games in which I can micromanage things. Bigfish is pissing me off with hidden object games every day now, BTW. I need games that can be played in bursts now, because even though I only work 30 hours a week, that means that sometimes for 3 or 4 days in a row, I don't get to game more than 15 or maybe 30 minutes. I don't even have kids!