What justifies the "casual" label?

[nekochen]

My definition of a casual player is, someone who isn't aggressively seeking to be better than most other players. There is another zone in between hardcore and casual, one that I don't know the word for it... I think myself fits in that zone. One that wants to improve but fails to find the appropriate group of player that wishes the same, so it ends up being stuck in the middle.

[Trife]

I consider a casual (such as myself), someone that doesn't play on a determined schedule with end-game goals in mind. I don't at all use the term to gauge someones skill-set. A casual can easily be able to out-play anybody else. It's just how much time you dedicate to the game, or a particular goal-oriented group. I'm capable of measuring up to any elitist once I learn the boss fights.

Currently, I'm more worried about success and working on crafting/gathering while my BLM is chillin' at 30. When I do feel ready to raid, I'll kick it in gear and look for a dedicated raid group.

[Ryios]

Casual to me is someone who participates in end game content but does so at a level under performing of someone who's more hardcore. E.g. someone who expects to get a seat in a raid mon-tues that can't play wed, thur, fri when the FC's raid times are mon-sat 8pm to 12am eastern time. Casual might also refer to someone who tries to do titan but can't handle the amount of people failing on it and gets frustrated and requests a nerf.

Really a casual player is someone who rolls through content in a game and just wants to have fun and doesn't want to do a lot of work (not fun) to experience the content. They buckle first when something is hard. They are more likely to leave groups after 10's of wipes due to some elitism rage from someone else. They are overall more skiddish in feedback and don't handle criticism well and are emotionally driven. They don't except advice from others if the advice is not being given in a positive manner.

So they are casual: Not putting as much effort into something; Requesting things be brought down to their level; Complaining about elitism from the more hardcore players (who are are equally as frustrated in the opposite direction); Complaing something takes to long; Requesting bans against legit players that just want people to try harder and have run out of ways to positively communicate that;

I get that some people don't have a crap ton of time to play the game. IF so, join a casual FC with raid times that fit your schedule, don't try to join the servers best progression FC with 30 hours+ of mandatory raid time every week. And then don't complain about the content being the way it is because said FC won't take you and you feel like your missing out, that get's you labeled as casual.

People just need to accept that this is an MMO and an MMO requires more time from a player than any other game genre. If you don't have the time, maybe consider playing something that's not an MMO.

[rabbitzero]

It's become the bogey man to toss out whenever a game does something you feel you don't like. Levels don't take months to gain? Casuals fault. Can solo some things? Casuals. Bad attitudes in game? Casuals (even though the worst offenders here are those who consider themselves hardcore).

It's a meaningless term now. It used to mean people who played short sessions a day, if that much, usually not too interested in progression or endgame and usually don't frequent forums. They are also by far the largest majority in any game, much to the dismay of people who consider themselves hardcore (who usually aren't really).

[Sidious]

Casuals are interesting creatures. I myself could be described as a casual, or perhaps a quasi-casual.

Casuals can either carry an MMO to greatness or destroy it entirely.

The one thing I know about casuals is they don't *actually* want to play a P2P MMO that is as casual as they think they want.

[Happysour]

I think people are really blurring the line here. Look at it this way, I work fulltime and go to the gym 3 days a week, and I babysit one morning. Now, generally I play on my days off for an hour or so after work if I'm not busy.

This is the true definition of a casual, someone who plays casually from time to time, not "i play casually 8 hours a day". If you play 8 hours a day and don't progress much at all each day, it's not that you are a casual, it's that you really just don't play the game.

EDIT: I also do not like easy content and I don't see a rush to 50 reason. But then this is coming from someone who actively played Lineage 2 for a good 4 years, a lot when I was younger.

[Concerto]

I think people are really blurring the line here. Look at it this way, I work fulltime and go to the gym 3 days a week, and I babysit one morning. Now, generally I play on my days off for an hour or so after work if I'm not busy.

This is the true definition of a casual, someone who plays casually from time to time, not "i play casually 8 hours a day". If you play 8 hours a day and don't progress much at all each day, it's not that you are a casual, it's that you really just don't play the game.

EDIT: I also do not like easy content and I don't see a rush to 50 reason. But then this is coming from someone who actively played Lineage 2 for a good 4 years, a lot when I was younger.

^ this.
That's actually the definition of a casual player.

[Xceriis]

Basically people who just want to play the game and not get into the numbers and narrow focus of pwn kids.

[Velox]

It's always been a meaningless term, and so is "elite." They do not have solid definitions, therefore rendering them as subjective. Truth is, there really is no such thing as elite gamers, casuals, hardcore gamers, noobs, elitists, etc.

If you play video games and you enjoy video games, you're a gamer. No its, ands, or buts. Anyone tells you otherwise is either ignorant to this fact, or can't handle being affiliated with people who, gods forbid, might just enjoy something in a "different" way than they do.

[RobotoInu]

I'm casual, even though I play for several hours a day, here is why.

I don't let the game determine my real life schedule.
I don't take it seriously.
I don't rage when my DF group does poorly.
I just enjoy the game and the people without the desire to be better than anyone else.

-RobotoInu