Hardcore Distractions

Journal of Clarity – 023 – March 28, 2013

Yesterday was rather personal… and depressing… and lame. So let’s talk about something else for a while. I think I’ll focus on the subject of games for a few entries until I feel more up to talking about what happened. I might make a few mentions here or there. But I don’t really want to get into it right now.

I’m tired of people calling themselves hardcore gamers, and yet all they play is Halo or only Call of Duty or only Gears of War. I’m especially tired of them calling people who don’t play those games, and have been playing games since the NES days nothing but casual gamers simply because they prefer Mario or Zelda over the typical FPS gaming scene. I’m not trying to invalidate Halo or other FPS games nor am I trying to vindicate Mario or Zelda. What I’m actually trying to get at is that I really don’t agree with their definition of what a hardcore gamer really is and what a casual gamer really is.

Let me ask you something. When someone partakes in a hobby other than videogames, like for example, making model trainsets, is there a set definition of hardcore model-train-enthusiasts and casual-model-train-enthusiasts? I don’t know, and you probably wouldn’t think so, though I’m sure that distinction somehow exists. But what do you think separates the two different parties in my hypothetical scenario? For me, I would speculate a person really into the model train scene would spend a lot of time working on crafting everything around the model train to make a perfect little world within his little modeling set. Meanwhile, I would then speculate a person only casually into the hobby would just focus on the train and maybe a few model buildings and call it a day. Maybe it’s something he/she does with the kids for fun and nothing more.

That’s sort of the distinction I use for gaming as well. To me, a casual gamer is someone who only does a little of gaming be it small amounts of time, only playing a certain type of game, or just playing with their kids for fun and not looking for any stories or challenge on their own behalf. Meanwhile, a hardcore gamer is someone who will spend a lot of time devoted to the hobby, probably unhealthily so. They will play a wide variety of games, not just FPS games or Super Mario, but both and many things in between. And they aren’t just looking for fun, but also for exploration, adventure, stories, challenge, and whatever other reason you can think to have an interactive experience.

So why do I think my distinction is so important to differentiate from the people I’m now calling casual fratboy gamers who only play Call of Duty? Because their definition excludes a large variety of the market. I don’t like a lot of the games that most people consider hardcore for a large variety of reasons. I’m not big into online gaming because until recently I’ve never had a solid connection and I’ve always preferred local multiplayer with friends over online with total strangers shouting swears and sounding like they’re 12 years old. I don’t like how games like Call of Duty look and feel like the same installment every time and their attempts at innovation are nothing more than thrown more toys into the game we spend little time with to actually enjoy. And I also don’t like how most of these games have criminally short solo campaigns because the main drive behind them is that online multiplayer business I mentioned already.

How would these casual fucks fair if they were to enter a game of Silent Hill 2? They’d probably hate it because they wouldn’t like the combat. What about Portal? They’d probably hate how they don’t get to kill anything themselves. What about Bastion? They’d probably hate the general aesthetic of the game, but rather than say that, they’d say it has shit graphics despite the fact the game looks absolutely gorgeous. And these are three of some of the best games I’ve ever experienced, and they are all significantly better than any Halo, Call of Duty, or Gears of War I’ve encountered.

You know what else? They are a survival horror game, a first-person puzzle game, and an action-rpg. Three different games, three different styles of gameplay, and three great experiences that don’t mean shit to people who call themselves hardcore but only play one type of game. I find that notion to be entirely fucked on its upside-down head. I don’t care about rankings, MLG, or the online community for a game. If you seriously only play one type of game, you are nothing more than a casual gamer who limits themselves from experiencing a wide array of unique experiences beyond that.

And you know what? I’m not hating on people who fit my definition of a casual gamer. We’re all busy people with lots going on in our lives. We can’t all game all the time or nothing would ever get done. But the people who are fitting my definition of casual need to stop being such dickheads to the people who they’re calling casual. They enjoy a different type of game and play style than you do. They may like puzzles or exploring a narrative or jumping around on platforms. You like shooting guns at things from behind a wall while being surrounded by buff guys shouting about how they fucked your mom last night because you’re apparently a faggot. Yeah, think about that before you start spouting about how MLG and hardcore you are. Fuck.

So I guess talk more things about me?

Still don’t feel like talking about what happened yet. Like I said, give me time to process it.

I do know this much. I had intentions of moving back to Des Moines largely because of her. Now that she’s out of the picture, presumably, I am lost. Not in the sense I can’t live without her, but in the sense that I’m unsure where I want to go now that her presence is no longer an issue. I can go back to Des Moines to be closer to family and work with bigger opportunities. But at the same time, I really no longer have a drive to want to be in Des Moines.

I could stay in Iowa City… no. Fuck that. The job I have is garbage. The school is almost done. And while I do have some good friends here, there’s nothing that is ultimately tying me to this place.

As I’ve said before, I am interested in going to Austin. But I don’t know the city well. There’s only one job there I’m interested in getting, and even that isn’t a guarantee. And I’m not sure how the pricing for housing or cost of living will be. But regardless, it’s the most interesting option thus far.

Then there’s Seattle… because I like Seattle and wouldn’t mind living there instead. Will it happen? Maybe someday. But it’s probably even more expensive out there and I’d have no idea where to go once I’m there.

 

So, yeah, now I’m in a position where I have a lot of options but nothing really drawing me in like it did before. I still have time to figure it out. Just wish that things had gone better so that my moving to Des Moines was solid and not just a question of whether I really want to or not.