What is a casual gamer?

[Cowboy]

Not wanting to derail some of the other current discussions. What exactly is a casual gamer? The character that shows up once a RL week for a couple hours? or one that is around for an hour a RL day?  Two?  Three?   Play twice a RL week? Only shows up for HRPT's?    I was just wondering what folks consider casual play.           

[brytta.leofa]

When I'm playing, I think I put in about 10 hours per week.  So anything less than that is casual play.

[Sokotra]

Not wanting to derail some of the other current discussions. What exactly is a casual gamer? The character that shows up once a RL week for a couple hours? or one that is around for an hour a RL day?  Two?  Three?   Play twice a RL week? Only shows up for HRPT's?    I was just wondering what folks consider casual play.           

Yeah, probably somewhere in the vicinity of all of those you mentioned.. depending on the player.  More than two or three times a week being in the game for an hour or two at a time would be more than casual, I guess.  Depends on perspective and what you are actually able to get accomplished while in the game.  Also, consistency... if your play times are pretty random, even though you put in 8 hours per week you might be more casual than someone that only plays 6 hours per week yet is able to be in around the same time each week and doing something specific... getting stuff done, accomplishing goals, etc.

[Reiloth]

I would say that I am a casual player. When I have a day that I work, I usually don't play at all, or incredibly off-peak for an hour or two. When I have a day off where i'm not absorbed with music, errands, or my girlfriend, i'll play for a few hours. Sometimes, even four hours! But I mostly just log in for little spurts of fun, 2-4 times a week (1-2hrs)

[Cowboy]

So casual players aren't defined by just a number but other factors like consistency.  If I played every Monday and Wednesday night for four hours each night...I'd be a regular player, right?

[Seeker]

Here are some ranges that are likely to find general consensus:

Hardcore player:  100 - 20 average hours/week, 2-7 days a week,
Regular player:  50 - 5 average hours/week, 1-7 days a week
Casual player:  30 - 0 average hours/week, 0-6 days a week

Just for reference.  YMMV.

[NOFUN]

Some one who doesn't play a true-inked half-elf in allanak.

[Kalai]

Some one who doesn't play a true-inked half-elf in allanak.

Those who do play true-inked half-elves in Allanak may find themselves casual players at times as well, though...

[jstorrie]

So casual players aren't defined by just a number but other factors like consistency.  If I played every Monday and Wednesday night for four hours each night...I'd be a regular player, right?

Yes.

[Barzalene]

Here's the thing. I play about 20 hours a week. I don't feel like a casual player. I feel like a time challenged, serious player.

[Sokotra]

I would rate 20 hrs per week as a pretty serious, hardcore player.  That's like a part-time job or more, heh.  Again, it depends on perspective a little bit.  I know back years ago when I was playing 5 hrs per day, 20 a week would seem pretty average.  Nowadays, 8 hours per week would even seem pretty serious to me.

[Synthesis]

Yeah, these days I can put in maybe an hour a night with full attention...and can stretch it to maybe 2 hours if I'm spending most of my attention doing something else.

I probably spend more time on the GDB, really, because I can pop in for 10 minutes with no commitment to staying logged in...so any time there's a lull in the action or I'm sick of reading things that matter, I can pop in and rant.

[Clavis]

I think I'm a casual player, I don't play to master every skill or any for that matter. I play to have fun, rp, make odd and strange characters. If I can beat a scrab or five cool, or take down kryl while being subtly naked it really doesn't matter.

I think the more serious, hardcore players or those that seek to win in one form or another. To Beat the game or their fellow players. To master as many skills as possible.

[musashi]

Yeah, these days I can put in maybe an hour a night with full attention...and can stretch it to maybe 2 hours if I'm spending most of my attention doing something else.

I probably spend more time on the GDB, really, because I can pop in for 10 minutes with no commitment to staying logged in...so any time there's a lull in the action or I'm sick of reading things that matter, I can pop in and rant.

+1

[Reiloth]

Yeah, these days I can put in maybe an hour a night with full attention...and can stretch it to maybe 2 hours if I'm spending most of my attention doing something else.

I probably spend more time on the GDB, really, because I can pop in for 10 minutes with no commitment to staying logged in...so any time there's a lull in the action or I'm sick of reading things that matter, I can pop in and rant.

+1

-2

You're late to the party, musashi.

And you didn't bring any cucumber sandwiches.

[Case]

Anything less than 200 hours a week

[Malifaxis]

Yeah, these days I can put in maybe an hour a night with full attention...and can stretch it to maybe 2 hours if I'm spending most of my attention doing something else.

I probably spend more time on the GDB, really, because I can pop in for 10 minutes with no commitment to staying logged in...so any time there's a lull in the action or I'm sick of reading things that matter, I can pop in and rant.

+1

-2

You're late to the party, musashi.

And you didn't bring any cucumber sandwiches.

They don't have cucumbers in Japan.

[Booya]

They don't have cucumbers in Japan.

Of course they do:




Edit: Quickly back on track, I think you can idle around for quite a long time IG and be a casual gamer, or log in and -do- stuff, maybe only a couple of times a week, and not be so casual.

Also as Cutthroat and others have said, having consistent playtimes helps dramtically - both for you getting involved, and others getting you involved. 

[Barzalene]

Where do those Japanese cucumbers come from?

[Booya]

I'm not sure I understand your question Ma'am.

[Malifaxis]

They don't have cucumbers in Japan.

Of course they do:




Edit: Quickly back on track, I think you can idle around for quite a long time IG and be a casual gamer, or log in and -do- stuff, maybe only a couple of times a week, and not be so casual.

Also as Cutthroat and others have said, having consistent playtimes helps dramtically - both for you getting involved, and others getting you involved. 

Pictured:  No cucumber.

Thank you, your honor!  I rest my case!  PEACE!  I'm out.
*throws down his lawyer shit and jumps into a convertible with four sho'ties and five fo'ties*

[valeria]

On the OP's question, I think it depends on the context.

I usually only play 5-6 nights a week for 2-4 hours a night.  I consider myself a regular player.  One time I was really into a character I played an average of 6 hours a day, then I felt super addicted.

However, in the past in certain clans I have played 5-6 nights a week for 2-4 hours a night and felt way too casual to get involved in anything anyone else was doing.  In those circumstances, it seemed like no matter when I logged in, I was always late getting on the bus, and half the time there wouldn't be any point even hopping on because I would end up stuck in the wilderness when I needed to log out.  That made me feel like a casual player, even though I was playing the same play times.

[musashi]

Yeah, these days I can put in maybe an hour a night with full attention...and can stretch it to maybe 2 hours if I'm spending most of my attention doing something else.

I probably spend more time on the GDB, really, because I can pop in for 10 minutes with no commitment to staying logged in...so any time there's a lull in the action or I'm sick of reading things that matter, I can pop in and rant.

+1

-2

You're late to the party, musashi.

And you didn't bring any cucumber sandwiches.

Sheesh, can't I just discreetly raise my post count in peace? 

[HavokBlue]

I would rate 20 hrs per week as a pretty serious, hardcore player.  That's like a part-time job or more, heh.  Again, it depends on perspective a little bit.  I know back years ago when I was playing 5 hrs per day, 20 a week would seem pretty average.  Nowadays, 8 hours per week would even seem pretty serious to me.

I dunno, think about how much time the average person spends watching TV? A quick google puts the US and the UK at 28 hours a week. I'd say the definition of "casual" is relative.

As a side note, I consider myself casual. When I'm not caught up in IRL stuff, I can very easily rack up 2-3 days played in a week. Generally any time I'm on my laptop, I'm logged into Arm in the background, idling in an apartment or whatever even if I'm not playing. It's easy for me to multitask something like working on a school paper or a video edit and Arm.

[Cindy42]

cucumbers wut wut