This was the first of three test articles for Opnoobs.com. The next two will be in the next two days.

It Is Okay To Be A Casual Gamer

Casual is a word that is thrown around in some circles usually to the vision of the person who likes games, but does not completely throw themselves in to the gaming world. There is this rift seemingly setting two different groups of people who like the same thing at varying levels of passion against each other. For a moment think of two young feuding children who claim they love their mother and in that moment you can see how more it can be both in some ways funny and annoying.

Despite the two groups what defines one from another changes from group to group, and even person to person. Casuals supposedly are the evil spawn of the gaming community bound to crush everything the hardcore gamers love with vast amounts of money, other hobbies, and short attention spans. Hardcore gamers supposedly sit in their mother’s basements or small apartments rubbing together their limited edition triforce branded leather gloves wondering why no one wants to play the game they pumped 800 hours into. Both sides have become stereotypes that have no use, and I can prove it.

One person I know is a bit of a rabid learner. He tries to do well spending as much time to learn about things that interest him. This person goes to protests and debates with people about important issues whenever he can just to learn more about people and the world they inhabit. He plays games to take a moment decompressing over the issues of the day in a setting where the worries can melt away in the enjoyment of a good game. We get together have a drink, and maybe enjoy something he found in it.

Another person is someone who has gone to anime and game conventions up and down the west coast. While doing they had done well in gaming tournaments claiming top eight or sixteen in fields of hundreds for the Super Smash Bros. games. In short this person was good and whooped me on it like I had owed him rent.

Both of these people are playing games, and their money goes to the companies that sold and published those games whether how much they love it or don’t. We can as a group of people that like or love to play games make the community better for each other instead of trying to blame the other for some of the supposed ills of the industry. Those two people described above can get together for a drink and a play session when both of them feel up to it and it is great despite one of them being a casual.

Different people will like different things. If we can take a moment though respecting the opinion of others who we do not agree with then maybe we can find ways to make gaming better. Be hardcore or be a casual just play the games and enjoy.