On "Hardcore"

[Sasagawa]

Hardcore MMO Playes: are people with lots and lots of time on hand, that are able to commit a vast majority of it, to a video game, hence why they defend and promote content that is catered around low % Drop rates, and content that roadblocks casuals or semi hardcore players from their content.

In short: They are the crowd that want to be the special snowflakes, just because they have no lives. Skill has nothing to do with being hardcore(In their eyes) it is all about the ability to commit your life, for a game.

This is something I feel 90% of the MMO players of today think hardcore is, whereas I have to say I agree more with the OPs original concept of hard mode.

Today MMOs are a mix of both in honesty

There is the large amount of time and effort to get the fantastic gear from semi hardcore events (or medium level difficulty) which are usually luck based drops. Followed by the powerful and hard bosses that can only be beaten through time effort and decent equipment.

SO in conclusion

Hardcore means both time sink and the ability to fell the hardest bosses in the game

[HiirNoivl]

Hardcore means both time sink and the ability to fell the hardest bosses in the game

Agreed. It also means that people actually plan and structure what they do in game. Just because they have a lot of time doesn't mean they want to waste it. Hardcore people know the quickest way to do X and the most efficient way to complete Y. Hardcore people are the ones who complete content quickly not because they have the most time to spend on game necessarily, but because they always plan to be ahead of the curve content wise. They're always working on their gear, their gil, and their stats. When the new content comes out, they've already got their group together, they go out and kill it and go back to making sure they're OP'ed for the next round.