Why Is "casual" An Insult/negative Term?

[Archistopheles]

Why is "casual"... well, bad?

If anything, shouldn't it be the opposite case? Appealing to the masses has lead to multiple games becoming more popular than ever, with widespread player bases, and even in markets that are traditionally unfriendly to new players

Some of us prefer that games don't get too popular. The perfect example is Morrowind VS Skyrim. Skyrim is obviously more successful, is played by more people, and overall more popular, but Elder scrolls fans, the "hardcore" players prefer the depth that Morrowind had.

Another great example: Everquest vs WoW. WoW is a more "casual" game because you don't need to invest lots of hours to get the top level while Everquest is arguably more "rewarding" because of the struggle it took to get from 1-50 (or 1-60 depending on era).

Darksouls has a cult following because it's not made for casuals. It's special and unique because of it's difficulty.

Etc etc. Casual games are not for everyone, and by bringing in a "wider audience" you also lose players.

[Nikodemos]

wat r u a casul????

 

git gud u nub, f8 me 1v1 m8 i rek u

[Sziklamester]

Casual basicly mean try to be equal for fun with peoples who put more effort than you just to feel you aren't less than that guy who working hard on the progress.

 

There is nothing wrong with casual peoples because the reading, playing video games, watch tv is all a thing which different a bit from the real life and you can feel free to waste your times on other duties.

 

The illusion you are using your time more useful and feel some happyness and don't feel what you feel often in real life that you should work hard for efforts.

 

Peoples often misunderstand the things and often think the game quality drop because the devs made the game more fun orient and workless. Hard try players always looking the possibilities and they are always try different ways to reach the same and have some other category like stat hunters whom want their stats to be maxed because they want achieve that and again others feel gaming is a work. (depend on view) if you are game dev then you see the possibilities and learning in games if you think you are just a player then you looking for the fun.

 

Good and bad players have in each game but this is a very subjective thing who is the bad or who is doing different things than you for achieve his/her missions. In early levels if you see a player on survival mission activating the o2 capsules that could be mean they are newbies but equal could be trolls whom had fun on your pain.

 

Casual players mostly looking for the fun and they doesn't want more than this so they aren't the guys whom playing arcade/logic/puzzle/adventure/point&click etc games. They like the easy games which not complicate the things and easy to understand.

 

Just some thought.

[Kayblis]

Because casuals in warframe want to bring garbage frames/weapons to the highest difficulty and then expect to do good

If you have any kind of common sense you'd obviously think that they would ask for the difficulty to be toned down to their level right? Well not in warframe. What they do is they just want to destroy any kind of viability the "elitist jerk" players have to play extremely high level content so that nobody will be able to even do it.

See any post/topic made by either azawarau or vaugahn and most of the founder threads if you want to see what i'm talking about. Once you checked those out it should be extremely easy for you to figure out why casuals are so looked down upon here

[Kaiservadin]

I hate the word geek because it makes me think the person who use the word thinks the other person has no life ...

[TheGuyver]

In my experience, the word casual is negative thing because a lot of companies cater to that type of player to keep them playing. Look at world of warcraft, after burning crusade it slowly started turning more and more casual. By the time mists of pandaria came out, they had farmville and pokemon in game. All the more hardcore players got were raids, with recycled boss mechanics and a grind. Those raiders/hardcore players from vanilla and BC were pretty much slapped in the face because the challenge slowly became dull and less and less content was being made for that sect of players because blizzard began catering to casual players rather than them.

 

Warframe can only suffer from something like that for so long, since the game in itself is pretty simple. Kill, build, kill, build, etc.

[(PSN)Mazda_07_]

I been told I'm a casual.... So this hole time I been insulted?? Not cool man!

[Djangofett]

Who cares? Let them call you whatever they want. It doesn't make a difference.

[Feallike]

My Opinion: 

 

A casual is someone who constantly complains about a perfectly OK enemy that just needs a simple trick to beat but changes your playstyle so you feel threatened and complain. (AKA Nullifer, Maniac, Infested, maybe Sentients)

 

 

I feel casual players in warframe mean: You force players to play the most popular frames no matter the mission,

you use the top of the top weapons no matter if its level 1 enemies,

you don't use anything that requires skill even if it is objectively better than what you are using because what your using is easier (Tonkor, Bows, anything but Boltor/SomaP), 

 

You, get, mad, at, other, players, for, not, playing, the, game, the, way, you, think, they should.

 

You complain about perfectly needed nerfs and stranglehold developers into not nerfing a obviously OP weapon..... AKA Boltor prime.

 

If not known the Developers have said in a dev stream(Do not make me look up which one I won't) that they recognize Boltor Prime is a little to powerful but won't nerf it because they don't want to lose players because they invested so much into that weapon.

Edited May 5, 2015 by Feallike

[Lost_Cartographer]

The best thing is to stay between a casual gamer & a hardcore-geek-nerd-no life gamer. (my opinion)

 

To have a social life without playing a too simple game that sees you as a stupid user...

 

I know some people who've played League of Legends or World of Warcraft for thousands hours and don't go out. I find it ridiculous : life isn't supposed to be lived behind a screen!

 

I also know some people who play Angry birds and think that they know they're pro & say that "they're soooo acting like nerds lol". I also find it ridiculous : videogames are more than this!

 

What I try to do is to have balance between both. (but I can't sink too many hours in a game without burning out)

 

Don't look like this guy :

 

All I have to say on this post is that it's harder for some people to socialize with other people, especially when they can't seem to find anyone that actually appreciates, understands, and most importantly relates to or even enjoys the same hobbies.  Foreveralone.jpg.  I play online games constantly and I still have a hard time connecting to people.  I just can't relate to them outside of the topic hobbies of video games and anime.

 

Now that that tangent is over with, "Casual" as a derogatory term is really mentioned towards players that complain about the grind in such a way as to imply it's not fair that X group can get something sooner because they play more, and that they themselves shouldn't have to spend weeks to months grinding because "they have a life, job, family, outtings with friends, etc."  And that's the part that really antagonizes the people calling them casuals, the idea that because these casuals have a "life, job, family, outtings with friends, etc." is frankly insulting.  The people that do very well and can devote more time into a game may also too have a life, job, family, and outtings with friends, etc.  They just allocate MORE time towards their hobby of playing the game.  

 

And then there are the people that only have the job part, (like me) and it's insulting that these people would point their fingers at their loved one's as the reason the game is unfair to them.  YOU KNOW they wouldn't sit their spouse/fiance/lover down and tell them straight to their face "I can't play this game and succeed as much as I want to because you take up too much of my time."  So really, why should my play experience be marginalized because these people have opted to work for charity for 2 hours every day and then sit down for an hour of TV on top of opting to hang with friends/loved ones instead of playing a game, enjoying it, and getting better at it?  The issue is continually exacerbated with nearly every new MMO having droves of people going in coming from WoW and pointing out all the little things that take a modicum of learning capacity and time commitment as cardinal sins.

 

And we can see the results of catering entirely to casuals and many games that hand stuff to players (Warframe comes pretty darn close, honestly.)  They quickly chew through everything, complain there's nothing to do, and then move on only to repeat the whole process.

 

So there you have it.  "Casual" as an initial derogatory term refers to people that won't commit learning and playing a game for whatever reasons, but expect to reap the same results as those that treat gaming as a hobby.  They play to win, not to play.  A hobbiest that devotes is more likely to fall in love with the game.  A casual that devotes and doesn't complain is more likely to fall in love with the game.  A casual that complains when he can't win within a week isn't someone that will stick around.  Ever.  

 

This is also why anything with a cash shop is demonized into pay-to-win for even the most outlandish of reasons.  People want to be on par or better than everyone else, without having to put in too much effort.  It's also why anytime there's a modicum of actual challenge in Warframe, people start screaming bloody murder.

[(PSN)NachoZissou]

I think it's because people who play a particular game to extremes secretly know that they've wasted a load of their life doing so (don't get me wrong that's me too) so they try to belittle others with the subconscious intention of aggrandising their own ultimately meaningless achievements.

[IANOBW]

Why is being a "casual" an insult? I suppose it implies you're bad at the game because you don't want to spend too much time playing the game.

 

But it's a stupid insult, and it's made expecially for basement-dwellers to use.

[FishNeedles]

It's not.  Indicates that you don't care THAT much and don't obsess over specific games.  You have better things to do, which everyone should.  Or not, whatever makes you happy in life.  Let's all join hands.

Edited May 5, 2015 by FishNeedles

[DraccoDoom]

The term "casual player" is used in many games to refer to the lowest common denominator" type of player. The insult generally comes from them wanting everything handed to them easily. Because if it took actual effort and there brains to figure something out they complain until the game changes to suit them since they are "the masses" and companies want to game to go out to as many as possible they will appease them.

 

In other genres you see it too such as in RPG's where they get less complex and "dumbed down" so they function more like action adventure games then traditional RPG's. Example Original Fallouts got turned into Fallout 3 drastic change to it mechanics, playstyle and perspective. IT basiclly got turned into "Oblivion with guns" TES has claims on being an RPG but fails at many aspects of traditional RPGs. IT's basiclly as  Isaid before an Action adventure game and not an RPG. So by creating Fallout 3 the way it is, it was Catering to the masses/Casuals" and "ruined" the game as seen and loved in the original titles.

 

In other words, it's a fear of losing loved gameplay mechanics, or feel to the uncaring masses. The "casual player" isn't committed to the game but usually the game is catered to there whims by them being the more numerous. That in a nutshell is why the dedicated players of various games don't look kindly on the "Casual" player, and use it as an insult to refer to people they feel don't really care about the core of the game. Many times you see it used on people that refer to an easy mission as hard and want it made easier. Hence making the game "dumber".

 

Do you guys get what I'm saying?

 

Pretty much this. I will add that most casual player want to have simple mechanics that are easy to learn and use. Which leads in turn to simple games that lose depth and creativity because they need to be simplistic to cater to mass market. Good example is Dragon Age Origins combat and Inquisition, before you could set what skill to use if a enemy was frozen, to first atack ranged  or magic users or use specific skill if there were more then 3 enemies close and so on and on ......NOW in Inquisition you can set when drink a potion or what skill to use or disable and that it :(  you have only 8 skill and its more of a action game then strategy.

[unknow99]

All I have to say on this post is that it's harder for some people to socialize with other people, especially when they can't seem to find anyone that actually appreciates, understands, and most importantly relates to or even enjoys the same hobbies.  Foreveralone.jpg.  I play online games constantly and I still have a hard time connecting to people.  I just can't relate to them outside of the topic hobbies of video games and anime.

 

Now that that tangent is over with, "Casual" as a derogatory term is really mentioned towards players that complain about the grind in such a way as to imply it's not fair that X group can get something sooner because they play more, and that they themselves shouldn't have to spend weeks to months grinding because "they have a life, job, family, outtings with friends, etc."  And that's the part that really antagonizes the people calling them casuals, the idea that because these casuals have a "life, job, family, outtings with friends, etc." is frankly insulting.  The people that do very well and can devote more time into a game may also too have a life, job, family, and outtings with friends, etc.  They just allocate MORE time towards their hobby of playing the game.  

 

And then there are the people that only have the job part, (like me) and it's insulting that these people would point their fingers at their loved one's as the reason the game is unfair to them.  YOU KNOW they wouldn't sit their spouse/fiance/lover down and tell them straight to their face "I can't play this game and succeed as much as I want to because you take up too much of my time."  So really, why should my play experience be marginalized because these people have opted to work for charity for 2 hours every day and then sit down for an hour of TV on top of opting to hang with friends/loved ones instead of playing a game, enjoying it, and getting better at it?  The issue is continually exacerbated with nearly every new MMO having droves of people going in coming from WoW and pointing out all the little things that take a modicum of learning capacity and time commitment as cardinal sins.

 

And we can see the results of catering entirely to casuals and many games that hand stuff to players (Warframe comes pretty darn close, honestly.)  They quickly chew through everything, complain there's nothing to do, and then move on only to repeat the whole process.

 

So there you have it.  "Casual" as an initial derogatory term refers to people that won't commit learning and playing a game for whatever reasons, but expect to reap the same results as those that treat gaming as a hobby.  They play to win, not to play.  A hobbiest that devotes is more likely to fall in love with the game.  A casual that devotes and doesn't complain is more likely to fall in love with the game.  A casual that complains when he can't win within a week isn't someone that will stick around.  Ever.  

 

This is also why anything with a cash shop is demonized into pay-to-win for even the most outlandish of reasons.  People want to be on par or better than everyone else, without having to put in too much effort.  It's also why anytime there's a modicum of actual challenge in Warframe, people start screaming bloody murder.

This is a good comment. :)

 

Although I understand your point about extremely introvert people, I find it very sad that they'd fall into despair if you unplug their electrical devices... :/

 

I myself am in Computer science study, so I see this kind of people very often... I'm part of those who struggle to be in these studies without being /being seen as a geek! :p (I'm doing great so far)

Why is being a "casual" an insult? I suppose it implies you're bad at the game because you don't want to spend too much time playing the game.

 

But it's a stupid insult, and it's made expecially for basement-dwellers to use.

[(PSN)xXToastiButterXx]

I don't see casual being used as an insult, I play with my friends, we do high level missions and love goofing off (if you take it too seriously in a game, you'll become insane) just the other day we were doing a T4 defense, and we kept killing eachother with lasers (on purpose) and we couldn't stop laughing.

This to me is the definition of "casual", having fun, laid-back attitude, and being comfortable with people you play with.

[KracsNZ]

Guessing 'elitist' is a worse insult than 'casual'. The only people who should have egos in video games are top-tier e-sports winner earning 6 figure+ salaries. IMO you can be 'hard-core' without being 'elitist', all in your attitude in how you treat other players. I'm pretty much on the casual side of things now, having a 5-month old son to look after.

[(PSN)D4rk50ul-v2]

#TheCasualLife is how we roll. Its dangerous to go hardcore.

[cary2010haha]

becuz " casual " may means i need to take care your part, which you should handle it yourself.

[Omnimorph]

The only distinction that matters is people who are $&*^wads and people who aren't. 

 

IOW, if someone's unskilled but isn't a $&*^wad, then it's not a problem; they might be fun to play with in other respects, and so long as they're aware that they're unskilled and play honestly within their parameters, listen to instructions and don't do anything stupid, then I don't think anyone seriously minds, even to the extent of "carrying" them a bit.  OTOH if they continually get the team into trouble, continually don't listen to instructions, continually chat bollocks, etc., then it's annoying.

 

Conversely, someone can be a skilled player and be a PITA, and not be worth playing with at all - they fill up all the psychic space with ego garbage in one form or another.

 

It's actually a toss-up which is worse - a skilled player who hectors other players (especially weaker players) or an unskilled player who has delusions of grandeur. 

 

Both are terrible to play with.

[Sixty5]

To be fair, casual is only really an insult when used towards someone who would use it as an insult.

If you are a casual then the connotations the word hold have no bearing on you.

[(XBOX)GOAT Spartan]

i always thought casual was used to point out someone who doesn't play enough to make a valid point to further progress the game as far as updates go. what I'm saying is, i alway thought that when someone called another "casual", they mean that person doesn't the play time to give a valid opinion for an update i guess. 

 

idk thats what I've always figured.

[JDP04]

Lots of people have superiority complex.

Maybe because they lack self-esteem/confident in real life.

for me casual is neither good or bad, usually casual player is the type that don't have many time to play the game and they just want to enjoy it. Usually they don't participate in competitive gameplay.

And casual =/= bad players.

[(PSN)Dan_Aria]

i always thought casual was used to point out someone who doesn't play enough to make a valid point to further progress the game as far as updates go. what I'm saying is, i alway thought that when someone called another "casual", they mean that person doesn't the play time to give a valid opinion for an update i guess. 

 

idk thats what I've always figured.

To be fair Casual players are actually players who don't play for very extended periods of time and when they do play, they play for fun and not for a Min-Max-3hrs-T4-surv-MLG status.

As for why some people think it's an insult: Some people assume that because some players have other stuff to do with their lives or don't feel so hyped about going for extended periods of time doing the same thing over and over in "endgame" (aka hours into T4 survival) that means they're a "casual" who doesn't know anything about the game because u've only played Warframe if u've done what I previously stated.

Also: people who use Casual as insult are kind of insulting themselves more than the casual.. the casual is often busy with life or only playing for some relaxing moment while murdering corpus and grineer... whereas the guy insulting is so busy min-maxing and being a $&*^ to people who just want to play the game without turning it into an e-peen contest.

Disclaimer: I'm not saying that min-maxers are all bad guys who don't have fun, I'm addressing those who min-max for the sake of e-peen+ego growth and the "right" to step on people for playing the game just for fun and using the weapons they enjoy the most regardless of what the pixels on the screen say about it.

 

 

To be fair, casual is only really an insult when used towards someone who would use it as an insult.

If you are a casual then the connotations the word hold have no bearing on you.

Also: this ^

Edited May 6, 2015 by (PS4)Dan_Aria

[TheErebus.]

I'm a casual player of warframe. I mean I only play for like 2 to 3 short matches and then I leave it. And even then, it's just for the fun of the game.

 

If someone were to call me a casual, I'd just say "Yup, I am" and then go on my merry way.

 

Conclusion: Don't care for what others label you. Have fun with the game however you wish.