This post has not been edited by the GamesBeat staff. Opinions by GamesBeat community writers do not necessarily reflect those of the staff.
What exact qualities define a “hardcore gamer”?
Before I became an active member of gaming editorials, I was pointed in the direction of Kathleen Sanders. Excited to talk to someone from the gaming industry for the first time, I visited 1UP.com and made a page for myself before I talked to Ms. Sanders.
After we began talking via e-mail, I had asked her what she thought a hardcore gamer was. She shed some light on areas I hadn’t thought of (mostly from the business standpoint):
“I personally chalk it up to dedication. I know a girl who has played HOURS of Zuma on her cell phone. That’s pretty hardcore to me. But most people think of hardcore gamers as people who play your standard AAA titles — the Halo clan leaders, etc.
“I think that advertisers and marketers even have facts and figures on what classifies someone as a “hardcore” gamer. Someone who buys more than two videogames per month or spends a certain amount of money at it, but casual game makers like PopCap and Three Rings are making tons of money from homemakers downloading different versions of Bejeweled and grannies downloading Wheel of Fortune.”
What I told her I envisioned was that a hardcore gamer was someone who incorporated both the games themselves and the gaming culture into their lives. Gaming could employ simply playing them, and the culture aspect would include making yourself an active participant (e.g., creating a blog), and also to make yourself aware about what is happening in the industry. I also believe a hardcore gamer would want to promote the goodness of games and spread the knowledge that they have unto others who simply think gaming is a fad or, as of late, a cash cow.
Perhaps that is the definition of an ultimate gamer?
I would like to enlist the opinions of those who have plenty of gaming experience: What do you consider a “hardcore gamer?”