What is Hard Core? What is Casual?

[Xatsh]

Definition Varys but this is how I define it

Casual Player: A player playing mainly for fun. They put most RL activities above the game. They have a limited playtime usually below 20hrs a week. (So combination of Time they are playing and mentality of the player)

Hardcore Player: A player who is serious about maximizing themselves and the group. They put many RL activites on the backburner and put a ton of time into the game to be the best(Example in XI waking up at 3am to camp fafnir, camping Tiamat for 24-72hrs to get claim, not going out with friends to make a scheduled Raid). They play alot sometimes upwards of 6-10hrs per day.

I do not think there is a direct definition. You can play 60hrs a week but not be serious about the game... I would not consider you hardcore in that case. You can wake up at all hours of the night to do something, skip RL things but have a semi limited play time... So hardcore mentality but more of a casual playtime.

[Dargoth_Draconia]

It's mostly about time played, because casual generally tends to cater to the people who play 2 maybe 3 days a week and no more than 2-3 hours at a time. There are details and other things that elaborate into this and many people have mentioned it. I consider someone a hardcore player in an MMO if they play 4-5 days a week and for 4+ hours at a time. Doesn't matter if they are playing for fun or progression, you are playing and accomplishing something whether it is leveling all classes or crafting. Also if you been playing since release and didn't take a 2-3 month break like a lot of people did you probably can safely say you are in the hardcore bracket.

Really there is casual and then there is 2 levels of hardcore. Hardcore players who spend a lot of time because they have all the time in the world to play games (being a housewife like you said has it's perks or being jobless or whatever else reasons there are) and then the hardcore gamers on MMOs who really most may consider to the be "Elitists" of the MMOs. They are hardcore at everything they do and like many have said play for progression and other things.

[Zenaku]

Definition Varys but this is how I define it

Casual Player: A player playing mainly for fun. They put most RL activities above the game. They have a limited playtime usually below 20hrs a week. (So combination of Time they are playing and mentality of the player)

Hardcore Player: A player who is serious about maximizing themselves and the group. They put many RL activites on the backburner and put a ton of time into the game to be the best(Example in XI waking up at 3am to camp fafnir, camping Tiamat for 24-72hrs to get claim, not going out with friends to make a scheduled Raid). They play alot sometimes upwards of 6-10hrs per day.

I do not think there is a direct definition. You can play 60hrs a week but not be serious about the game... I would not consider you hardcore in that case. You can wake up at all hours of the night to do something, skip RL things but have a semi limited play time... So hardcore mentality but more of a casual playtime.

you can't say that hardcore = 60hours a week you can play 4hours and get a lot done that the point of being a hardcore lol finding a smart way of doing thing and also saying that they don't put life first somewhat seem wrong but i guess i can agree for some hardcore gamers

[HoolieWho]

What DoctorMog said.

I like challenging content, but only if I can play it casually. For instance, taking my friends into a raid on the classes they enjoy playing, instead of sticking to the efficiency guidelines which might dictate Alice switching to CON and leaving Bob out altogether.

[Jinrya-Geki]

What do you call the person who wants does both? :O

[Chocobits]

In a normal MMO, the differences between hardcore and casual could be thought of like this:

The number of hours played isn't generally an indicating factor. I played just as much FFXI when I was casual as I did when I became hardcore.

Casual players generally concentrate on making the most out of their playtime, whether it be an hour a day or 18 hours a day. They don't go to great personal inconvenience to obtain prized items or fight difficult monsters for themselves or others. They are also more likely to leave pickup groups at a moment's notice to attend to real life situations, without giving notice. The thought might not occur to them when they leave that they're inconveniencing a number of other players.

Hardcore players set goals for themselves to accomplish. They want specific items to complete a "gear build", or trophy items from difficult monsters. They work in a team to complete tasks as efficiently as possible. Their aim is to obtain those sought after items for themselves and their friends (guild mates, linkshell mates, what have you), and they're willing to play for many hours consecutively for that purpose. They pride themselves on their gear and personal skill, going to great lengths to learn the mechanics of the game and how to better perform their expected role.

In FFXIV however, there's no difference. Everyone is a casual beta player. There's no competition, no sought after items and barely any challenge. This will change eventually, but for now you just have a few "hardcasuals" running around pretending they're better than the horde of other casual players.

Hope that clears it up!

[Naqaj]

They are also more likely to leave pickup groups at a moment's notice to attend to real life situations, without giving notice. The thought might not occur to them when they leave that they're inconveniencing a number of other players.

I disagree with that part. Having a disregard for your teammates is not a defining trait of a casual player. It's a defining trait of a selfish bastard. Doesn't mean casuals can't also be bastards, just that it's not a part of their definition

[yukaru]

I would consider myself a casual player... I may play alot, (several hours a day) but not toward a specific goal... more so to have fun. My sis and I are on everyday, but not to play in groups, but to explore. We get our crafting up and slowly lvl our characters or just exploring the world. I want to reach lvl 50, but to me it's ok if I take my time to do it. I know would be easy for a player to come on and surpass the lvl I've acheived on several diffent of the battle class jobs or even grinding at crafting, just becaause they are more driven to lvl. I would consider that a way to tell if they are hardcore. so I would call myself a casual player or a hardcore slacker.... either way.

[zaviermhigo]

Casual and hardcore imo don't depend on game time, they depend on what you have done and how seriously you take the game. When a semester starts up i'm like "eff FFXIV" and maybe log on so people know I still will play eventually but school is more interesting sadly. But when summer comes I can log on at 2-3pm and stay on till 4am and keep doing that day after day. So the play time isn't really an issue its the seriousness, I know people who have logged everyday for a period of 2-3 months and remained level 30 and I had no clue how.

[Renshi]

I'm a casual player.
Most of the times I play for 2-3 hours a day, and 5-6 hours in the weekend, and I like to enjoy content without any care about ranking/leveling up.