Hardcore Gamers on the Decline?

[wraggster]

via /.

Ars Technica's Opposable Thumbs blog takes a look at the numbers for last year, and makes an interesting observation: hardcore gamers are probably not the future. Specifically, last year's videogame sales numbers show a huge trend in the adoption of mass-market licensed games. We've also previously discussed the extreme popularity of casual games. Despite Gears of War selling around the same amount as Cars (both around 2 million units), the cost in time and money to create Gears was substantially greater than the cost to create the Pixar-licensed title. The result?

"As growth continues, we're bound to see some substantial changes. As it stands, hardcore gamers are still a pivotal purchasing force in the games market: most of the top ten titles were what I would consider "hardcore" games. However, the trend away from the hardcore and towards the casual is becoming increasingly more predominant. We've talked quite a bit lately about the growing demand and response for casual games, and when coupled with the shocking sales of licensed products, I'm left wondering whether or not the number of hardcore gamers is dwindling."

[John Vattic]

Quit making games for stupid people. Granted most people are stupid, but it's a talking NASCAR for crying out loud. I mean, this game is teaching kids that it's ok to do methamphetamine.

Also, gears of war is not a hardcore game either.

The last "hardcore" game i played was mario kart for gamecube. It started so many fights in my house.

[kiariki]

What the heck makes a game "hardcore" or "casual"?! O.o I understand it within gamers (there being hardcore and casual gamers), but how do you tell one game's "hardcore"-liness from the next?

[fatdad]

the only reason cars sold so well was because parents , aunties , uncles , grand parents...etc..got it for their kids for christmas

[rokobungi]

it's because of the licence if it was called Talking Car Racer (also providing there wasn't also a movie called that released at the same time) it wouldn't sell jack.
same thing as if you shut out anyone else from making a particular sports licence..... your game is going to sell like crazy.

[ICE]

yeah im not too sure what makes a game "hardcore" either. however im just recently really getting into games and being serious about being good. just ask anyone how theICE_MAN is at socom ftb

[baracki96]

If you clocked how much I gamed last year, It would only equate to 70 hours. However, I am hooked on guitar hero, gears of war, and HALO 2 ( after not touching it for months). Xbox live is what re-connected me with gaming, although I have lost my "hard-core" ways over the years.

[mikebeaver]

I ont think this would even include the "Hard-core" anyways, my idea of a hardcore gamer is one who will have the latest games direct from Japan, learns the language to play Shenmue, has a collection of vintage games, doesn't spend time on any other interests, can kill you in 2 moves in Tekken, and doesn't own cars: the video game.
I used to know people like this, they still exist, but because of their buying habits the charts will never be affected anyway.
The Hard-core gamer isn't on the decline, the games that are any good are dissapearing with all the licensed crap that comes out.

[Dickhead]

Well if you want to know what a Hardcore gamer is its a person who plays computer games alot and is infront of a screen most of the time... Now who wants a game of Pacman??

[Kramer]

It's probably a good thing that there declining because hardcore gamers are the ones that take drugs to stay awake and keep focused to play games.