Hardcore Vs. Casual: It's A Woman's Prerogative

Women face a challenge when trying to find a place for themselves among the men of the gaming world.  This is especially true if you are a woman that plays games as a major source of recreation.  The language used to describe gaming habits has the tendency to put women in a different category as men in relationship to time spent gaming and the types of games played, but what if you are a women gamer whose gaming profile has more in common with the male standard?  What language applies to your gaming style?

There is a lot of gender bias wrapped up in the terms "hardcore" and "casual" when applied to gamers.  Women have been identified as casual gamers in much of the marketing analysis gathered on their gaming habits, reinforced by the fact that many of the games that are popular among women get the title of "casual games".  The number of women playing games is on the rise, but statistics so far show that increase to be primarily among the class of casual games.  Because of this fact, women in general are being identified as casual gamers, especially women beyond the 18 - 24 age bracket.  What is interesting about this name being applied to women playing games like Tetris or Bejeweled is that it is not uncommon for players to get sucked into these games and play them for hours and hours at a time.  Compared to the impression that these games are played for small segments of time, "casual gamers" are sometimes pretty "hardcore".  Sjofn, a commenter on the Guilded Lilies blog puts it this way:

"So instead of playing, say, Knights of the Old Republic, where you can get sucked in for hours and hours, pick up a few rounds of Bejeweled before dinner instead. Major flaw with this theory is that I, personally, can spend hours and hours playing Tetris without noticing."

What if you are a woman over the age of 24 who doesn't play "casually"?  You may like shooters as much or even more than Tetris, or you may spend 6 nights a week online playing WoW or Guild Wars.  Maybe you NEVER play solitaire?  Does this make you a "hardcore" gamer?

The term "hardcore" when applied to gaming brings up the immediate image of a young male player, most likely with a game controller tightly gripped in his hands.  For many, this idea of the "hardcore" gamer defines gaming - it is the standard by which all other gamers are measured.  Any approach to gaming that falls outside of this parameter is not given the same status as being serious enough to be considered a real gamer. Using this standard alone "casual" gamers fall short, and since female players are the ones being identified with the "casual" gamer classification, women are often seen as not being real gamers.

Part of the challenge in finding the right fit for female gamers is that terms like "hardcore" are better suited to the male experience of gaming.  The underlying meaning of "hardcore" (interestingly enough the same language applied to describe drug use) is something that measures time spent gaming as equal to dedication to gaming.  It is quantitative, so can be easily compared from one gamer to another.  Women generally approach gaming from a different perspective - not that we don't like competition, it's just that it probably isn't the defining quality of our enjoyment of games.  "Casual", as a term to describe gaming, suggests a lack of dedication or commitment, fickle even.  When comparing "casual" to "hardcore" gaming, the old saw "It's a woman's prerogative to change her mind" would seem to apply.  The problem with that approach is that  it is also a woman's prerogative to kick your butt in Halo 2.

For women gamers, trying to find a way to make this language fit us is just another layer of discomfort we could do without.  There are better ways to understand approaches to gaming, ways that don't reinforce gender divisions the way the "hardcore" "casual" comparison does.  We may not have found the right language yet, but that won't stop us from enjoying the time we spend gaming, regardless of how dedicated people think we are. 

Thanks to Tekanji's post "Gaming While Female" for the inspiration for this post.

Comments

[tekanji]

Great post! You hit exactly what I was trying to figure out about why the "hardcore" and "casual" distinctions were bothering me. I'm glad my rambly post inspired you :)

[Sarah]

The problem is defining "hardcore" and "casual" (or the way it's usually implied, "gaming" and "women's gaming") according to the time required to play through an instance of a game, rather than the way someone plays a game.

Speaking of "casual" games - the "hardcore" gaming of my childhood is what gets called "casual" gaming today. Though I suppose by today's standards Ultima was the hardcore to the casual gaming of Breakout (or whatever) - but I do believe back then arcade style games were the "hardcore" and advertures - even vast sprawling ones - were casual (since you could play for a minute or two and then turn it off).

[Guilded Lily]

Sarah -

Yes, there is a real problem when attitudes toward gaming are measured only by the amount of time spent playing in one sitting. The old arcade game standard needs to be shifted for something that better reflects current gaming trends, and without reinforcing the gender divide that originates with this early approach to playing games. Thanks - GL

[Sjofn]

Part of the issue is also the silly notion you can only be "hardcore" or "casual." In WoW, I never raided, because I hate raiding with a black, cruel hatred that burns my very soul. This means I get tossed into the "casual" abyss, apparently only interested in picking flowers and holding hands and singing merry songs in Ironforge while I try to get to 60 for the very first time, over a year after release.

It's stupid. There, I said it!

[Guilded Lily]

Tekanji -

I enjoy your ramblings, thanks! - GL

[Guilded Lily]

Sjofn -

Yes, the either/or aspect to the terminology is bothersome too.

I have heard that there are many rumblings about the inequality of loot distribution in WoW, with raiders getting all the best goods. You just keep playing WoW the way you want to - ta hell with all that flashy stuff! - GL

[Sjofn]

I could write a book about the loot issue. It's awful. My husband and I finally gave up hope of it getting fixed any time soon and decided to stop playing until the expansion comes out and the level cap raises. Alas!

[Guilded Lily]

Sjofn -

Maybe by then they will have worked out the server issues too! - GL

[Askani]

Reading through this thread, I notice something. My apartment operates much like a gaming LAN for me and my friends. We have several computers networked together on a cable modem and we probably spend more time playing video games than doing anything else except for possibly sleeping, and that is often debatable.

We never sling around these terms. Casual, hardcore, obsessive, occasional... it doesn't matter. We have male friends and female friends spend time playing games together. We make no distinction along these lines.

I will say that the vast majority of females DO play significantly less than the males, but I would hardly call that a bad thing or even really comment on it outside of the specific topic.

Frequently I hear about a lot of ... less than mature behavior by gamers. I suspect that this is due to the fact that there is a large number of teenagers playing these games online. Immaturity comes with the territory I am afraid.

I fail to see why any distinction is necissary and even fail to feel its presence. You play how you want to play and don't let some kid's categorization bother you. Equality will never exist as long as the majority lets the vocal minority affect them.

Don't worry, be happy ya?

[Guilded Lily]

Askani -

The online gaming culture does seem to be more aggressive, anonymity providing an excuse for people to behave badly. For many gamers the online gaming community is their prime source of interactions with other gamers, particularly for computer gamers. It's great that you have a gaming community where players don't use language to create barriers; I wish there were more gaming communities like yours! - GL