Casual is not 1-2 hours a day

Casual is not 1-2 hours a day

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Posted by: ghettogenius.9174

ghettogenius.9174

I keep seeing and hearing this ideology thrown around, and I used to accept it as well. However, after much careful introspection and observations I have come to the conclusion that this is not true.

Casual is much less that 1-2 hours a day. I feel this way because I used to think I was casual and I play 1-2 hours a day. When you think about it, that’s more time than some working folks spend with their families, more time than some students spend at their studies, and more time than many people spend exercising and trying to stay healthy.

The casual player thinks, “Maybe I will have some time tonight to get on and play a few pvp matches or explore that area of Sparkfly Fens that I never saw.”

Not, “I need to get out of work soon so I can get home and farm CoF1 and get my daily done before 8pm.”

I would even go so far as to say that logging on every day is not quite casual. That is pretty strict and rigid if you ask me. Aside from my job and family, I don’t have any obligations or activities which necessitate my time and attention on a daily basis.

So where am I going with all of this? I am just trying to highlight this misconception of what a “casual” player is and what their limitations are in GW2. As it has been pointed out, Anet has made many concessions to and for casual players with limited time to progress and have fun, and that’s great! But if you are casual by the definition I have proposed, then you can throw out any ideas of you having a legendary, or BiS armor, or even many exotics in less than a year or two – possibly even longer. Remember, I have already shown that I am not a casual player based on my frequency – I seem to put in even more hours, yet still can’t reach my goals. What classification would you apply to someone that is less than hardcore and more than casual?

As an example, in 8 months I have exactly, 6 corrupted lodestones (and that is from parking a character in Frostgorge and farming when I can). Need 50 for Jormags Breath – an exotic. You can do the math. I understand Anets approach in making things difficult to acquire, thus attempting to keep players around longer. However, they may have overlooked the fact that players will leave eventually – whether or not they have met their in game goals. It is just that some players will leave happy and satisfied, while others will not. This is likely by design. But does it have to be this way?

So basically in a nutshell I am saying:

1. That the “casual” term is misused – at least in GW2.
2. True casual players (and even some more hardcore) will never reach their in game goals of gear/achievements – even after years of playing (without using gems or getting lucky drops).
3. Perhaps it is time we stop pretending that this game is for casuals.

Sorry for the rant. I feel better now.

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Posted by: Rising Dusk.2408

Rising Dusk.2408

Casual / hardcore has nothing to do with how much time you spend on the game, but how you use the time you do spend online.

[VZ] Valor Zeal – Stormbluff Isle – Looking for steady, casual-friendly NA raiders!

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Posted by: Vayne.8563

Vayne.8563

So if I go home every night and watch TV, I’m a hard core TV person?

Casual has less to do with hours played and more to do with how you play the game. Plenty of people in my guild play all the time, but play casually. They don’t take it too seriously. That’s really what casual means. They dont’ have goals. They bum around. They chat. They don’t get anything done and they don’t really care…because they’re casual.

I don’t think hours played has anything to do with it.

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Posted by: Olba.5376

Olba.5376

1. That the “casual” term is misused – at least in GW2.
2. True casual players (and even some more hardcore) will never reach their in game goals of gear/achievements – even after years of playing (without using gems or getting lucky drops).
3. Perhaps it is time we stop pretending that this game is for casuals.

  1. “Misused” is a bit wrong here. The definition isn’t by any means absolute. It really depends on the person. However, you have to realize that you’re on the forums here. The people on the forums are usually the ones that care more. I would wager that a lot of the people who post on the forums would not fall under any definition of “casual”. So of course, if you’re sampling based on the forums, you’re going to get a misleading picture.
  2. Again, you’re kinda straying here. Achieving those goals is not about the game, it’s about the player. After all, it’s the player who sets themselves those goals, not the game. Defining “casual” as “someone who will never reach their goals” is ridiculous, because you can just set a goal of “log into the game once”, that satisfies “casual” and the goal is fulfilled under any definition of “playing the game”.
  3. Or perhaps we stop trying to define the exact border of “casual” by the amount of play time.

For example, I can pull out quite a few convincing definitions for a “casual gamer”:

  1. Someone who does not play the game every single day
  2. Someone who has trouble getting their daily done every single day
  3. Someone who had trouble getting their monthly done
  4. Someone who plays less than 2 hours a day
  5. Someone who does not do dungeons on a regular basis
  6. Someone who is not in a guild
  7. Someone who does not do PvP/WvW on a regular basis
  8. Someone who does not have a single level 80 character but has multiple characters below 80

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Posted by: Vol.5241

Vol.5241

The Bureau of Gamer Classifications disagrees

[Permabanned on Forums]
[Currently Inactive, Playing BF4]
Magic find works. http://sinasdf.imgur.com/

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Posted by: Indoles.1467

Indoles.1467

Casual / hardcore has nothing to do with how much time you spend on the game, but how you use the time you do spend online.

Well, doesn’t spending more time on something influence the time you have to do certain things while online? In other words, the definitions aren’t set in stone and can be influenced by time.

In terms of how I see it, if you spend 2 hours a day on GW2 sitting in LA you may be a casual gw2 gamer, but are a hardcore gw2 player. There are many aspects of a game, and I may only play one day out of a week but when I do I spend it all in WvW or PvP and therefore consider myself a casual gw2 player but a hardcore pvp/wvw gamer.

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Posted by: ghettogenius.9174

ghettogenius.9174

So if I go home every night and watch TV, I’m a hard core TV person?

Casual has less to do with hours played and more to do with how you play the game. Plenty of people in my guild play all the time, but play casually. They don’t take it too seriously. That’s really what casual means. They dont’ have goals. They bum around. They chat. They don’t get anything done and they don’t really care…because they’re casual.

I don’t think hours played has anything to do with it.

I disagree that casual players can’t have goals. Everyone has goals. They just don’t pursue them as vehemently as others.

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Posted by: LanfearShadowflame.3189

LanfearShadowflame.3189

For example, I can pull out quite a few convincing definitions for a “casual gamer”:

  1. Someone who does not play the game every single day
  2. Someone who has trouble getting their daily done every single day
  3. Someone who had trouble getting their monthly done
  4. Someone who plays less than 2 hours a day
  5. Someone who does not do dungeons on a regular basis
  6. Someone who is not in a guild
  7. Someone who does not do PvP/WvW on a regular basis
  8. Someone who does not have a single level 80 character but has multiple characters below 80

Lol by many of these I’m a sub-casual gamer apparently, but as you said, there are a lot of things to take into consideration, and it has a lot to do with the person him/her self.

@OP – Truthfully, you can’t define someone as a specific player type solely based on how much or how often they play or even what they do when they play. Although most of the time ‘casual’ is applied to those that only dedicate a a few hours a week, but still….

What if they choose not to do dailies or monthlies? Maybe they have other crap they want to do and just don’t want to be bothered?

Maybe they don’t have BiS gear…could be because they don’t want to buy it, they want to spend the time earning it, or maybe they don’t have the money. Maybe they haven’t decided on what look they want, some people don’t invest or start working towards it until they know what they want. Maybe they roll through the game fine in what they have and don’t feel the need to upgrade.

What if they don’t enjoy doing dungeons? Or WvW? Or PvP? Doesn’t necessarily make them ‘casual’ because they don’t do it, or because they are only on a couple of times a week.

That doesn’t mean they won’t achieve a legendary w/o buying it (real world cash). It doesn’t mean they won’t achieve BiS gear given time. Because some of those ‘casual’ people DO have those things, just from ‘casual’ play. Farming the gold and buying the legendary is still obtaining it without ‘buying it’ as you referred to it.

Don’t look at me like that. Whatever you’ve heard, it’s probably not true.

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Posted by: Vayne.8563

Vayne.8563

So if I go home every night and watch TV, I’m a hard core TV person?

Casual has less to do with hours played and more to do with how you play the game. Plenty of people in my guild play all the time, but play casually. They don’t take it too seriously. That’s really what casual means. They dont’ have goals. They bum around. They chat. They don’t get anything done and they don’t really care…because they’re casual.

I don’t think hours played has anything to do with it.

I disagree that casual players can’t have goals. Everyone has goals. They just don’t pursue them as vehemently as others.

Yep I worded that badly. Everyone has goals. But casuals don’t take their goals as seriously. They’re not as attached to their goals.

A casual player might log in and think, I just want to do the daily…but then not actually end up doing the daily. If they’re casual about it, it’s no big deal. The goal is there, but it’s not something set in stone.

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Posted by: Inculpatus cedo.9234

Inculpatus cedo.9234

I don’t consider myself Hardcore. At all. I do, however, log in every day and fulfill the goals I have set for myself. I have no BiS gear, I am not trying to get a Legendary, I rarely do dungeons, rarely set foot in Fractals or WvW, I don’t min/max. I do have quite a few hours logged, thus far, and a moderate amount of Achievement points (90%).

I would guess that many people have different definitions of Hardcore and Casual, as my definitions do not seem to match yours. Not sure it matters, in the least, though. =)

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Posted by: Sirius.4510

Sirius.4510

I’m not really sure how this gets to “GW2 isn’t for casual players”. Sure, they’re not going to be getting legendaries, but why are we presuming that’s what they’re playing GW2 for?

Just a random PuGgle.
Stormbluff Isle ( http://www.stormbluffisle.com )

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Posted by: CrazyDuck.4610

CrazyDuck.4610

Casual / hardcore has nothing to do with how much time you spend on the game, but how you use the time you do spend online.

Bingo couldn’t have said it better myself.

YouWish – Guard
DragonBrand – [Agg] Aggression

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Posted by: kishter.9578

kishter.9578

if i want to say im casual because i dont spend 5h doing the same, instead 2h doing a fractal and then dialy. log off return next day and do MF and some COF1, 2h again what the problem?

We just don’t want players to grind in Guild Wars 2. No one enjoys that.

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Posted by: Sarie.1630

Sarie.1630

Casual / hardcore has nothing to do with how much time you spend on the game, but how you use the time you do spend online.

This.

Since I completed my legendary I stopped grinding dungeons non-stop, stopped farming. These days, although I play several hours a day I generally wander around hoovering up achievement points, but regardless of the time I spend I am certainly in the casual category…for now, anyway.

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Posted by: Asmodal.6489

Asmodal.6489

seems to me that a lot of people argueing that 2 hours a day is casual gaming do not want to admit a certain addiciton to online gaming. it reall is not casual gaming if you have to spent a 8 hours a day providing for yourself or your family.

still you can play gw2 casual but thats true for every game although most tend to pressure you into more.

i play 2-3 hours every other day sometimes i skip a couple of days and i am fine with that. working towards fire bringer and thats it for me after that.

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Posted by: Jaall.3420

Jaall.3420

The mmo target market is so massive that they need content that will appeal to hardcore players and casual players, and the only way to do that is to have items that aren’t possible for casual players. Like has been mentioned though, the casual players don’t really care because casual is simply a word to describe their attitude towards the game not the hours spent.

I don’t think people with a casual mind set will be aiming for something so high, and if they do go for it, and want it within a few months then they would definitely not be considered casual, and would then be considered hardcore. There has to be content for both mindsets because the mmo target market is so incredibly diverse that if they don’t, they really wouldn’t have had as big a success as they have.

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Posted by: Zeefa.3915

Zeefa.3915

I have to agree with Rising Dusk… people that spend less hours online may very well have achieved much more than someone playing everyday. If the one playing less time plays hardcore when he/she can and the one playing everyday does so casually.

I know I spend quite a bit of time in game… but there is tons of things I have not done, that some with less time than me have done… long ago even.

Don’t know what BiS stands for btw…

Life doesn’t stop being funny just because the dead can’t laugh.

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Posted by: Jemmi.6058

Jemmi.6058

Personally, I do not care much for Casual vs Hardcore arguments. For some reason, I find them both kind of insulting. If someone said I was casual, I’d assume they mean I barely play and am not very good, and if someone said I am hardcore, I’d assume that I am too addicted and should stop playing as it is consuming my life.

I think most people fall in the middle-class ground and are neither casual nor hardcore.

I also don’t think it really matters what you call it. Play the way you want and do what you want and don’t worry about its label.

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Posted by: BobbyT.7192

BobbyT.7192

BIS = best in stats

Am i casual if I am only on 1 hour a day, 2-3 days a week, but i spend all that time farming CoF for money to get a weapon i want?
Am i hardcore if i spend 4 hours each night in LA not really doing much, and just doing the dailies?
What if i do the former one week, and the latter the next, what am I then?

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Posted by: JustTrogdor.7892

JustTrogdor.7892

Casual is highly subjective. Some people that normally play 5 hours everyday might see casual as 1 – 2 hours a day. Some people that consider themselves casual gamers might feel someone that plays everyday more than two hours is somewhat hardcore.

How can you judge casual players by saying this?

Yep I worded that badly. Everyone has goals. But casuals don’t take their goals as seriously. They’re not as attached to their goals.

I am a very casual player, maybe 3 -4 days a week for a few hours at a time. However when I do play I take my personal goals for the game seriously. As a casual player my goals may be different but I still pursue them. From the get go my goal wasn’t to race to level cap as fast as I can.

My goal was to enjoy the game, do quests, craft, and interact with other players via guilds and such. When I play those few hours in a day I do my best to pursue those goals. I like the fact that I can log out for several days or even a week or more, come back and still pursue my goals. So saying that a casual player doesn’t take their goals seriously is just silly.

Not every person in GW2 has the goal of getting to 80 as fast as they can, run every fractal, complete their monthly as fast as they can, get the best armor as fast as they can, make 200 gold as fast as they can and dominate WvW.

Personally I couldn’t care less about WvW, being level 80, having more gold than I can spend. That doesn’t mean I’m not serious about my goals in the game because they are different that yours.

So subjectively, I consider myself a casual player. You may not and that is your prerogative but don’t judge a persons game goals and how seriously they take it based on how much they play.

The Burninator

(edited by JustTrogdor.7892)

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Posted by: Jemmi.6058

Jemmi.6058

BIS = best in stats

Am i casual if I am only on 1 hour a day, 2-3 days a week, but i spend all that time farming CoF for money to get a weapon i want?
Am i hardcore if i spend 4 hours each night in LA not really doing much, and just doing the dailies?
What if i do the former one week, and the latter the next, what am I then?

You, sir, are BobbyT! And don’t let anyone tell you different.

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Posted by: ghettogenius.9174

ghettogenius.9174

I’m not really sure how this gets to “GW2 isn’t for casual players”. Sure, they’re not going to be getting legendaries, but why are we presuming that’s what they’re playing GW2 for?

I am not presuming that casual players are playing GW2 for the legendaries or even exotics – clearly there are other motivational factors. But dont you think a casual player might eventually reach a plateau where they would be interested in acquiring one? Is it presumptuous to assume they might set that goal sooner rather than later?

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Posted by: LanfearShadowflame.3189

LanfearShadowflame.3189

Casual is highly subjective. snip

I used to play GW1 8-10 hours a day and I was still considered a ‘casual’ gamer. Why? Because I didn’t speed clear. I didn’t have a Glads title. Etc and so on… Yet I had 46 characters through almost every campaign by the end, I had 3 HoMs filled out and enough gold to almost completely fund 4 of my friends HoMs, and 2 more that needed the last little bit of help. shrug I played how I liked to play, and that’s all that mattered.

So yeah, I agree, it’s really subjective

Don’t look at me like that. Whatever you’ve heard, it’s probably not true.

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Posted by: ghettogenius.9174

ghettogenius.9174

seems to me that a lot of people argueing that 2 hours a day is casual gaming do not want to admit a certain addiciton to online gaming. it reall is not casual gaming if you have to spent a 8 hours a day providing for yourself or your family.

Dude I’ve got to echo that sentiment.

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Posted by: Jemmi.6058

Jemmi.6058

I’m not really sure how this gets to “GW2 isn’t for casual players”. Sure, they’re not going to be getting legendaries, but why are we presuming that’s what they’re playing GW2 for?

I am not presuming that casual players are playing GW2 for the legendaries or even exotics – clearly there are other motivational factors. But dont you think a casual player might eventually reach a plateau where they would be interested in acquiring one? Is it presumptuous to assume they might set that goal sooner rather than later?

Possibly. I would say that I am more on the end of Hardcore than Casual. Though, I am not sure if I really fit in either. Anyway, I have 0 interest in getting a legendary. If I receive a precursor in a drop, I will 100% sell it instantly. I sell all my mats etc. IMO the legendaries do not look good, and I would rather have the gold to buy Tier 3 armor skins and exotic gears for alts and alternate builds.

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Posted by: Calae.1738

Calae.1738

Casual gamers can spend 8 hours a day playing a game. It’s what they do in the game that makes them casual. Playing the game on the easiest setting and never failing at any obstacle is a pretty good example.

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Posted by: JustTrogdor.7892

JustTrogdor.7892

Casual gamers can spend 8 hours a day playing a game. It’s what they do in the game that makes them casual. Playing the game on the easiest setting and never failing at any obstacle is a pretty good example.

Well that is subjective too and your opinion which you have every right to believe. Under that rational people that don’t play PvP and WvW are casual because it is difficult and the likely hood of failing is high.

I don’t even know why we feel the need to start labeling people as casual, regular or hardcore based on their style of game play anyway. Let me decide if I am a casual player or not. The only reason I can see that people want to call people casual because they don’t have the same goals or don’t play at a more difficult level is elitism. There is no need to label game play styles.

I call myself casual because I limit my play time more than a lot of people in the game. I don’t try to call someone else hardcore because they play 6 hours a day and do harder tasks.

I like being casual, in my opinion of the term, because I don’t always have to play the hardest content to the point that I’m getting frustrated and banging my head against the monitor. When my frustration grows I just log and and go for a walk or spend time with my girlfriend. I like the later best.

The Burninator

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Posted by: Mirta.5029

Mirta.5029

playing one hour a day sounds pretty casual to me. You go back home, spend some time with your wife and kids, think “oh I have an hour free, maybe I’ll log in on guild wars and do a few quick pvp matches”. One pvp match is about 20 minutes. IF you just log in to do 2 or 3 of them from time to time you’re playing casually. One CoF run is 6 minutes. If a person logs in and thinks “hey, I’ll run one path of CoF with my friends and maybe I’ll chat a bit” and spends 10 minutes in game every day you can hardly call that not casual. The same with dailies, it will take you about 20 minutes to do. If you log in to do that daily I don’t see nothing not casual about it. The only problem is when you start thinking that you HAVE to log in. You don’t.

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Posted by: JustTrogdor.7892

JustTrogdor.7892

playing one hour a day sounds pretty casual to me. You go back home, spend some time with your wife and kids, think “oh I have an hour free, maybe I’ll log in on guild wars and do a few quick pvp matches”. One pvp match is about 20 minutes. IF you just log in to do 2 or 3 of them from time to time you’re playing casually. One CoF run is 6 minutes. If a person logs in and thinks “hey, I’ll run one path of CoF with my friends and maybe I’ll chat a bit” and spends 10 minutes in game every day you can hardly call that not casual. The same with dailies, it will take you about 20 minutes to do. If you log in to do that daily I don’t see nothing not casual about it. The only problem is when you start thinking that you HAVE to log in. You don’t.

Like I said before the term is subjective and it seems like you understand that based on the opinion you shared. The issue is when people try to say this game isn’t for casual players or saying that they don’t pursue goals in the game.

In MY Opinion this game is great for the casual player as well as the more dedicated player. I label myself casual. I have goals although one day they might be to log in for 10 minutes and craft then log out. I don’t think it is appropriate to for other people to start deciding who the game is for, what their goals should be, and how intensely they should pursue those goals.

Statments like this seem elitest to me:

2. True casual players (and even some more hardcore) will never reach their in game goals of gear/achievements – even after years of playing (without using gems or getting lucky drops).
3. Perhaps it is time we stop pretending that this game is for casuals.

Yes I will never reach my goals because I’m a self labeled casual.. I’ll never play just to have fun, I’ll never finish daily when I want to, I’ll never meet people in game I enjoy doing things with, I’ll never craft a few items and sell them and so on.

I will probably never make 80. I played WoW for years and never came close to the cap.
However my goal is to enjoy the game the way I see fit and GW2 does a great job of accommodating that. So in my opinion the game is for casuals and people should not determine what my goals should be.

The Burninator

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Posted by: Tisler.6297

Tisler.6297

So basically in a nutshell I am saying:

1. That the “casual” term is misused – at least in GW2.
2. True casual players (and even some more hardcore) will never reach their in game goals of gear/achievements – even after years of playing (without using gems or getting lucky drops).
3. Perhaps it is time we stop pretending that this game is for casuals.

Sorry for the rant. I feel better now.

1. You are 100 % right. People use “casual” as excuse for “noob”
2. A true “casual” player(by your definition) should not play MMO at all, it’s waste of time.(Normal RPG will be much better for them).
3. Since GW2 is a traditional setup MMO, it never truly for casual player.

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Posted by: IndigoSundown.5419

IndigoSundown.5419

I don’t think casual/hardcore. I think pastime/hobby. People can play as a pastime whether they have a little or a lot of time on their hands. Hobbyists will usually devote all the time they can get away with to their hobby.

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Posted by: Raf.1078

Raf.1078

Thats just your defintion OP. Others definition may vary. Its not like its set in stone.

PF/ GOAT on Tarnished Coast (Semi-Retired)
Raf Longshanks-80 Norn Guardian / 9 more alts of various lvls / Charter Member Altaholics Anon

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Posted by: ghettogenius.9174

ghettogenius.9174

playing one hour a day sounds pretty casual to me. You go back home, spend some time with your wife and kids, think “oh I have an hour free, maybe I’ll log in on guild wars and do a few quick pvp matches”. One pvp match is about 20 minutes. IF you just log in to do 2 or 3 of them from time to time you’re playing casually. One CoF run is 6 minutes. If a person logs in and thinks “hey, I’ll run one path of CoF with my friends and maybe I’ll chat a bit” and spends 10 minutes in game every day you can hardly call that not casual. The same with dailies, it will take you about 20 minutes to do. If you log in to do that daily I don’t see nothing not casual about it. The only problem is when you start thinking that you HAVE to log in. You don’t.

Like I said before the term is subjective and it seems like you understand that based on the opinion you shared. The issue is when people try to say this game isn’t for casual players or saying that they don’t pursue goals in the game.

In MY Opinion this game is great for the casual player as well as the more dedicated player. I label myself casual. I have goals although one day they might be to log in for 10 minutes and craft then log out. I don’t think it is appropriate to for other people to start deciding who the game is for, what their goals should be, and how intensely they should pursue those goals.

Statments like this seem elitest to me:

2. True casual players (and even some more hardcore) will never reach their in game goals of gear/achievements – even after years of playing (without using gems or getting lucky drops).
3. Perhaps it is time we stop pretending that this game is for casuals.

Well, never been alluded to as an elitist before. I would expect an elitist to just power through and grind, sell, and exploit their way to their goal and then complain about how easy it is and how much harder it should be made for consecutive people. It’s cool though. You wouldn’t be the first person to misunderstand me. I don’t play nearly enough, nor do I pretend to be better than anyone else. I’m quite average in this game actually, though with practice I can hang in there competitively with better players in PvP and WvW – sometimes. I like a good challenge. It makes reaching the goal that much more filling. It just seems GW2 end gear game goals are too far out of reach for the average player, and that is beginning to bother me.

Obviously we can’t all agree on the terminology surrounding hardcore vs casual. I hate the labeling myself too. I only brought up the term and made this thread to express my dissatisfaction with the illusion that someone who plays the game like do will ever reach certain end game goals like a crafted mystic forge exotic – not even a legendary mind you. At my current rate it will take 6 years to gather just the lodestones. Perhaps I am exaggerating and I could do it in 3 or maybe even 2 if I dumped all my mats on the TP and thus forsake crafting altogether. I just think this is far too long and by far exceeds any time that was necessary for me to gain end game gear in past MMOs with my casual approach.

Yes my statement above (#3) could be easily misconstrued. There are certainly lots of things for casual (there’s that kitten word again lol) players to accomplish here in GW2. So long as it’s not a cool exotic or legendary.

Seriously, if this thread has done nothing else it has proven to me that if I want Jormags Breath I’ll need to just buy more gems, convert them to gold, buy the rest of the mats, and craft the kitten thing. There is simply no other alternative for a player like me without drastically changing my playstyle and time spent in game.

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Posted by: Ferum Flamebender.5910

Ferum Flamebender.5910

I must agree with the other people who responded here, 1-2 hours isn’t hardcore. I am talking in the ts and guild chat half of the time (that’s why I can’t run dungeons with pugs, I die to often) and chill, (aswell a reason why my commanding isn’t going that smooth in WvW, ;P logging in for half an hour zerging around and leaving everyone in confusion.. ya.. ).

But on the contrary, since october the 25th I’ve played a total of 423 hours (for conveniene I’m leaving out the minutes and seconds). Today it’s the 10th of may, in between there are 233 days. Approximatly I’ve played 1.835 hour a day; that is about one hour and 45 minutes a day! A DAY! That’s twelve hours a week! I am playing a dam game for a day every week. I’ve been thinking about this a long time. Imagine if every game did something more usefull with it’s time that people spend on it. I have been having the following thing in my head for a while:

If I had money, I’d hire a complete pro dev team, create a turn based strategy game (al la rome total war) set in the Israel of nowadays, with a really strong diplomacy aspect where people can create their own peace plan for the troubles between the western bank, gaza and Israel.
Then I’d use my money and influence to start new peace councils between the 2 fighting parties (in real life I mean) and present them every single plan gamers create (with of course looots of possibilites to create a plan in-game, and I mean a real real kittenload of possibilities) and after looots and looots of plans finally both israel aswell as the palestines see a plan they botch can agree on and the world gaming community, resolved a long going war!

But that’s just a dream ..

Edit: the math may not be correct, doing it from the head is not the secure way to do it.

Aetra Ironbender, Rated E for Engineer- [WoT] Warlocks of Tyria- Far Shiverpeaks

(edited by Ferum Flamebender.5910)

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Posted by: JustTrogdor.7892

JustTrogdor.7892

So basically in a nutshell I am saying:

1. That the “casual” term is misused – at least in GW2.
2. True casual players (and even some more hardcore) will never reach their in game goals of gear/achievements – even after years of playing (without using gems or getting lucky drops).
3. Perhaps it is time we stop pretending that this game is for casuals.

Sorry for the rant. I feel better now.

1. You are 100 % right. People use “casual” as excuse for “noob”
2. A true “casual” player(by your definition) should not play MMO at all, it’s waste of time.(Normal RPG will be much better for them).
3. Since GW2 is a traditional setup MMO, it never truly for casual player.

Thanks for educating me on that. I had no idea the fun I have had in this game has been a waste of time. I never realized that my game goals were supposed to be the best gear and all the achievements. I’m so glad that has been cleared up for me because I didn’t realize the fun I was having exploring, meeting other players in game and other less than elite things I was doing were a waste of time. I’m banning myself from MMOs forever and wiping GW2 off my computer so I won’t be tempted to have fun in a MMO that doesn’t include the goals of other players.

The Burninator

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Posted by: Shifty.5187

Shifty.5187

How is this problem not solved by removing Dailies, removing Ascended gear, and simply adding prestigious armors/weapons that look amazing and take a kittenload of gold and whatnot to achieve?

It seems to me the distinction between casual and hardcore comes from these elements in the game.

EDIT: The more I think about this, the more I miss Guild Wars 1 and how everything was done in that game. Unimportant ‘Dailies’, prestige-based items and not stats, no silly levelling, etc. I have never been active in the forums of Guild Wars 1, but did the same issue that we discuss here also arise there?

(edited by Shifty.5187)

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Posted by: darkace.8925

darkace.8925

Casual is a state of mind, not a time card. One can casually play four or more hours a day, or play hardcore for an hour every other day.

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Posted by: Khisanth.2948

Khisanth.2948

Casual is a state of mind, not a time card. One can casually play four or more hours a day

Mount Maelstrom is a great map for that!

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Posted by: digiowl.9620

digiowl.9620

Casual is a state of mind, not a time card. One can casually play four or more hours a day

Mount Maelstrom is a great map for that!

I find that map annoying. going eastwards from west map edge you have a strip of risen infested land, the vulcano, another risen infested strip, the cove filled with krait, and up north east the massive inquest facility. the place is all in all a pain to navigate.

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Posted by: Mimir.4690

Mimir.4690

Perhaps I am also “misuing” the term casual, but I wouldn’t call myself a casual player… I typically can only play a couple of hours on the weekend, and I have no level 80 characters yet despite getting the game at release, but I definitely do have in-game goals and I get pretty into the game content (rp, buying gems, etc.). I don’t play very often, due to time constraints as a college student, but I wouldn’t call myself a casual player. As others have said, I don’t think time equates whether a player is casual or not.

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Posted by: Chopps.5047

Chopps.5047

So if I go home every night and watch TV, I’m a hard core TV ?

Yes. I never watch tv, I believe slime oozes out of it onto the floor. I’d say one hour of tv a day is definately hardcore.

Tin Foil Hat Hearer »—> Ranger Extraordinaire »—> “Be like water…”

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Posted by: JustTrogdor.7892

JustTrogdor.7892

Perhaps I am also “misuing” the term casual, but I wouldn’t call myself a casual player… I typically can only play a couple of hours on the weekend, and I have no level 80 characters yet despite getting the game at release, but I definitely do have in-game goals and I get pretty into the game content (rp, buying gems, etc.). I don’t play very often, due to time constraints as a college student, but I wouldn’t call myself a casual player. As others have said, I don’t think time equates whether a player is casual or not.

Niether do the goals of a player factor into the casual label. I loved the quote where it was suggested that casual players who’s goals don’t include maxing their gear and completing all the accomplishments are wasting their time on MMO and should play an RPG instead. LOL

I think I see something in this thread that may have something to do with the other thread where players were angry about getting in parties with less experienced players. What I think is being hinted at is something along the lines of casual players are not as good, not maxed out etc. and therefore have no business playing with those who’s goals are to max out the game and have all the coolest stuff. They should just say I don’t want you in my game because I am better than the casual player and my objectives are better and more important.

Bottom line, let people play the way they want and don’t worry about a label. Don’t worry about how they play and what constitutes waisting their time. Trust me, you don’t want to get me started on the other end of the spectrum.

The Burninator

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Posted by: Calae.1738

Calae.1738

Casual gamers can spend 8 hours a day playing a game. It’s what they do in the game that makes them casual. Playing the game on the easiest setting and never failing at any obstacle is a pretty good example.

I like being casual, in my opinion of the term, because I don’t always have to play the hardest content to the point that I’m getting frustrated and banging my head against the monitor. When my frustration grows I just log and and go for a walk or spend time with my girlfriend. I like the later best.

People respond to problems in different ways.

Some people are challenged by problems and motivated to find a solution. These are extremely valuable traits that you can bring with you in the real world.

Or you can run away from problems and give up. That’s the biggest difference between a casual and a hardcore. A casual gamer just wants to relax in the sun. No strategy development and thought process required.

I’m just going to sit down on this chair, press this button and get tickled.

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Posted by: Tolmos.8395

Tolmos.8395

I play 1-2 hours a day and can’t imagine getting much more casual than that. I have 6 hours a day to finish any errands/chores I have after work and then spend time with the gf. After all of that, assuming work didn’t run over for some reason, I can log in maybe 2 hours tops into GW2.

With that schedule, I can barely get 1 story complete on an alt and do my daily before it’s time to call it quits.

I can’t even begin to imagine trying to play this game on less than that. >_>

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Posted by: Uruz Six.6594

Uruz Six.6594

People respond to problems in different ways.

Some people are challenged by problems and motivated to find a solution. These are extremely valuable traits that you can bring with you in the real world.

Or you can run away from problems and give up. That’s the biggest difference between a casual and a hardcore. A casual gamer just wants to relax in the sun. No strategy development and thought process required.

I’m just going to sit down on this chair, press this button and get tickled.

Yes, yes, we know ‘hardcores’ like you are the specialist of special snowflakes. Here’s your gold star, I’m sure it and ‘hardcore MMO player’ will look just dandy on that resume.

Now if you’ll excuse the rest of us, we’re going to have some casual fun. And there’s nothing you can do to stop us.

EDIT: I have nothing against actual hardcores themselves. Different strokes for different folks. Just remember we’re all bozos on this bus.

Skoryy, sylvari thief: “Act now, figure out ‘with wisdom’ later.”
Nanuchka, norn mesmer: “BOOZEAHOL!”
Tarnished Coast – Still Here, El Guapo!

(edited by Uruz Six.6594)

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Posted by: JustTrogdor.7892

JustTrogdor.7892

People respond to problems in different ways.

Some people are challenged by problems and motivated to find a solution. These are extremely valuable traits that you can bring with you in the real world.

Or you can run away from problems and give up. That’s the biggest difference between a casual and a hardcore. A casual gamer just wants to relax in the sun. No strategy development and thought process required.

I’m just going to sit down on this chair, press this button and get tickled.

Really you dug up a 7 day old thread to try to insult me? You have no idea how I respond to problems in the real world. If you knew enough about my life, my accomplishments, and the significant problems I’ve had to overcome then you would have probably not bumped this thread to judge others. But really it isn’t any of your business how I live my real world life and how I play a video game.

There is big difference between dealing with problems in a video game and dealing with problems in real life. I hate to tell you that. Also I could probably argue that people who spend long amounts of times playing video games are probably hiding from a fair share of their own real world problems. There is a reason people like fantasy.

So go ahead and continue to try to speculate how I live my real life. Start your own thread about it if you want and let everyone chime in on how I live my real life. It might make for a fun read.

The Burninator

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Posted by: Calae.1738

Calae.1738

My post was not intended to be insulting. It’s an observation from experience of playing online games since 1995. I have a hard time playing with casual players. Probably because casual play bores me too much.

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Posted by: iCryptik.1496

iCryptik.1496

1-2 hours a day is pretty casual. I maintain a minimum of two, but typically pull around anywhere from 4-7 hours.

And thats with a wife, a kid, and a pretty crazy job.

I dont sleep much.

Alshazzär
Tarnished Coast [TC]

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Posted by: Kichwas.7152

Kichwas.7152

People who don’t want to be seen as “addicted / junkie” to an MMO who are enjoying that MMO define casual as what they are doing.
- If they don’t like the game, they define what they are doing as ‘too hardcore.’

People who want to be seen as ‘skilled, active, and ready to take it on with the best’ who like a game define what they are doing as Hardcore.
- If they dislike the game they define what they are doing as ‘too casual.’

That’s really all these things amount to.

http://kichwas.wordpress.com/ – GW2 Blog Presenting the Opposing View
JAH Bless – Equal Rights and Justice for all.
Justice And Honor – Tarnished Coast.

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Posted by: Zacchary.6183

Zacchary.6183

Here is my definition of both casual and hardcore…

Casual – Play for fun.

Hardcore – Play to win.