What Do you consider to be a Casual Player?

Casdha

What type of player do you consider to be a Casual Player? I'm not going to get all possibilities on this poll, if one doesn't match or doesn't fit your needs, please choose other and explain if you wish.

If you would just like to answer as it pertains to yourself, feel free to explain in the comments.

Edit: I forgot, as usual I will give a click for each comment as long as it is not rude even if it is just an "insightful" for sharing your opinion.

StormeReigns

Both, they just play this on the side

Inb4 the blanketed "casuals are bad and cry for nerfs" comment with zero support or evidence to back it up.

Casdha

Someone who is casual about the content, Meta and Competition be danged I'm here for fun!!

I Can't choose any other because I generally spend multiple hours a day playing. I have been known to have 18 hour days on the weekends when the weather is bad or new content comes out. I also have never cared of where I fit on the leader boards and I've never put on a monster mask or used a monster set and I've never seen a Maelstrom Weapon.

My game/life motto...

Have Fun!!

Waffennacht

Someone who is casual about the content, Meta and Competition be danged I'm here for fun!!

Amount of time doesn't have a direct effect on the player's level of "casual," I can see a correlation sure, but definitely not causation

coop500

Neither / Other

To me casuals are people who don't do dungeons, PVP, trails and such, they just quest around the zones and chill. Which isn't a bad thing mind you.

Casdha

Someone who is casual about the content, Meta and Competition be danged I'm here for fun!!

The reason I asked this is when I read the posts on here it looks as if different folks have different ideas of what they mean when they say it. I wanted to see if I was right.

dazee

Both, they just play this on the side

SkerKro wrote: »

Inb4 the blanketed "casuals are bad and cry for nerfs" comment with zero support or evidence to back it up.

Nerfs hurt the underperforming players the most. They arent the ones crying for nerfs. the ones crying for nerfs are overperformers and pvpers.

There ARE some cases where I would request a nerf or change to an ability to promote choices and diversity in builds but only with that goal in mind. I'm not some trodgolyte who believes we are too powerful and need to be brought down to size. I believe in fun, build choices, and diversity.

Daedric_NB_187

A PC EU player. Can't be hardcore if you can't ever log in to play. Guess you can't call them casual either l don't know then

JadeCoin

Someone who is casual about the content, Meta and Competition be danged I'm here for fun!!

This is me, I suppose. I'm very serious about my real life, which is where I give 100%, and the game is just what I do for fun and enjoyment during my break time.

The only part I take truly seriously is how I treat other people in the game, since they're the part of it that's real.

KhajiitFelix

Neither / Other

Someone who will always take a shortcut, take the easiest way, won't spend a lot of time on activities and the most important won't bother learning to improve.

Casdha

Someone who is casual about the content, Meta and Competition be danged I'm here for fun!!

KhajiitFelix wrote: »

Someone who will always take a shortcut, take the easiest way, won't spend a lot of time on activities and the most important won't bother learning to improve.

I disagree, I think those folks fall under the second option, but you still got an insightful for putting your opinion the nicest way possible.

Shadow_Akula

Both, they just play this on the side

If you play an hour or two a day and don’t care about the content your running or how your “supposed” to build your char, your casual, but that just also means your playing the way the game is supposed to be played - for fun.

dazee

Both, they just play this on the side

KhajiitFelix wrote: »

Someone who will always take a shortcut, take the easiest way, won't spend a lot of time on activities and the most important won't bother learning to improve.

That's not a casual. the word for that is stupid.

Thorvarg

Both, they just play this on the side

The definition "casual player" is self explaining.

Ectheliontnacil

In pvp it's everyone using snipe.

In pve it's everyone who isn't Hodor.

phermitgb

Both, they just play this on the side

my definition of a casual player is...me.

JadeCoin

Someone who is casual about the content, Meta and Competition be danged I'm here for fun!!

KhajiitFelix wrote: »

Someone who will always take a shortcut, take the easiest way, won't spend a lot of time on activities and the most important won't bother learning to improve.

Defining casual in this way is kind of like defining hardcore players as "judgmental, condescending elitists with no life who boost their egos by looking down on others." There's probably a little bit of overlap between the two groups, but it's a terrible definition, since it basically casts a blanket judgment on the entire group, rather than respecting and appreciating their playstyle.

Tommy_The_Gun

Someone who is casual about the content, Meta and Competition be danged I'm here for fun!!

I do believe it is all about accessibility. Some ppl play not for "stats", but to "enjoy" the game. Back in the day when I was younger I treated games like a "challenge". Something that makes you better somehow. Now, I have other challenges in RL that it is simply hilarious to think of a game like that.

btw. Jim Sterling has made a pretty good video about Difficulty in games. Imho whenever you are a casual, or hard core gamer or even a game DEV - you should watch it. It does not directly says anything about ESO, but everything still applies to eso.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIWivb-8C1w

leeux

Neither / Other

Neiter/Other:

Someone who plays the game and wants to get better at it, but still considers it a *game* instead of a job...

Where "practicing" and "training" and "putting hours to get the perfect rotation" and "dumping weeks and weeks of farming to get the right VMA weapon" are things that are out of scope for the time investment available.

Itzmichi

Easy: Don't know how to heal, don't know how to tank and deals 2k dps.

Basically people who don't want to git gud at anything.

Hippie4927

Someone who is casual about the content, Meta and Competition be danged I'm here for fun!!

To me it's not about how much time you do or don't spend in the game. It's about how you play. I consider myself to be a casual and I spend a lot of time ingame. But I am not competitive, I don't follow the meta, and I never use dungeon finder. I only do dungeons with friends or guildies. I have never completed vMA (not for lack of trying). I enjoy PVP even though I suck at it. I play to have fun and only do what is fun for me.

JadeCoin

Someone who is casual about the content, Meta and Competition be danged I'm here for fun!!

dazee wrote: »

KhajiitFelix wrote: »

Someone who will always take a shortcut, take the easiest way, won't spend a lot of time on activities and the most important won't bother learning to improve.

That's not a casual. the word for that is stupid.

Actually, it's close to the dictionary definition of "lazy":

"unwilling to work or use energy; characterized by lack of effort or activity; showing a lack of effort or care"

I don't think all casual players are lazy. I just think they use their effort, energy, activity, and care in ways that are fun for them. Which may not involve practicing rotations, following the meta, or doing HM runs.

As to the notion that if you're just having fun you must not be expending any energy or effort, well, the only person who would accept that definition is a lazy person, for whom any and all effort is un-fun.

Sylvermynx

Someone who is casual about the content, Meta and Competition be danged I'm here for fun!!

I consider myself casual now. In WoW and RIFT, I raided, I ran dungeons with my guilds (friends and family), I pvp'd on a pvp server with a friend's guild in WoW. After I left those games, I decided life's too short to make a job out of a game I want to play for fun.... So yep. I'm a casual even though I spend 8-10 hours a day playing ESO.

Jeremy

Casdha wrote: »

What type of player do you consider to be a Casual Player? I'm not going to get all possibilities on this poll, if one doesn't match or doesn't fit your needs, please choose other and explain if you wish.

If you would just like to answer as it pertains to yourself, feel free to explain in the comments.

Edit: I forgot, as usual I will give a click for each comment as long as it is not rude even if it is just an "insightful" for sharing your opinion.

Someone who plays casually, which basically means off and on in an none-committed way. Think of it as a casual relationship - only with a video game instead of a person. ^^

JadeCoin

Someone who is casual about the content, Meta and Competition be danged I'm here for fun!!

Jeremy wrote: »

Casdha wrote: »

What type of player do you consider to be a Casual Player? I'm not going to get all possibilities on this poll, if one doesn't match or doesn't fit your needs, please choose other and explain if you wish.

If you would just like to answer as it pertains to yourself, feel free to explain in the comments.

Edit: I forgot, as usual I will give a click for each comment as long as it is not rude even if it is just an "insightful" for sharing your opinion.

Someone who plays casually, which basically means off and on in an none-committed way. Think of it as a casual relationship - only with a video game instead of a person. ^^

Agreed, the word does have this implication, and it may have been introduced to mean something more like "sporadic."

It's kind of unfortunate that there's not another word in circulation, since a lot of people who play regularly, even daily, self-define as "casual" (there are some in this thread). The meaning has clearly shifted, even if the word hasn't.

Runefang

Neither / Other

Casuals are either not actively competing in end-game PvP or end-game PvE.

Sylvermynx

Someone who is casual about the content, Meta and Competition be danged I'm here for fun!!

Runefang wrote: »

Casuals are either not actively competing in end-game PvP or end-game PvE.

Yep. That would be me.

max_only

Someone who is casual about the amount of time played (hour here, two hours there)

There’s got to be something between being a casual and being an elitist. I play all the time, mostly to fart around. But if I see an opportunity to catch up to BIS, I’ll take it. Like my healer is in last season’s fashions (spc, Worm) and I have 1 or 2 pieces of this season (wearing earthgore monster set but not enough pieces of olorime) but I’m not frothing at the mouth for the rest.

There’s got to be a middle ground.

CrimsonGTX

I think a casual player is someone who just plays the game by questing, wandering & etc and don't care about achievements/meta. I would call my gf a casual player, she don't care about meta, sets, rotations, dungeons, trials, skins and etc, that stuff is pretty much meaningless to her. She likes to play how she wants, with whats comfortable to her.

Me on the other-hand would probably be labeled as a advanced player, I enjoy vMA leaderboard runs, vet dungeons, I could hit 45k-54k dps on specific classes, I ran trials but don't enjoy them much anymore mainly because I'm burned out and find endgame pve stale. Currently I find myself enjoying the casual things in the game.

Linaleah

Someone who is casual about the content, Meta and Competition be danged I'm here for fun!!

if you are minmaxing your character to the point of race changing them because race passive changes reduced their performance by 2%? you are probably not a casual. if you spend hours in front of the target dummy refining (not even learning - refining) your rotation? you are probably not a casual

bear in mind, there is absolutely nothing wrong with playing in a style above. it only becomes questionable when a minmaxer above demands that everyone else play the same way or they are not allowed into group content.

JadeCoin

Someone who is casual about the content, Meta and Competition be danged I'm here for fun!!

max_only wrote: »

There’s got to be something between being a casual and being an elitist. I play all the time, mostly to fart around. But if I see an opportunity to catch up to BIS, I’ll take it. Like my healer is in last season’s fashions (spc, Worm) and I have 1 or 2 pieces of this season (wearing earth gore set but not enough pieces of olorime) but I’m not frothing at the mouth for the rest.

There’s got to be a middle ground.

It's a valid point. Maybe we can talk about semi-casuals, in which case I'd place myself there.

I have some characters built more or less according to the meta, who hit just over 30k solo self-buffed on the 3m (nothing to write home about, but a bit harder to achieve on Xbox than PC). They can complete most endgame PvE content, but they're never going to make it onto the leaderboards, and I'm not interested in trying to put them there. I've spent some time on the target dummy, but less time than I spend farming, crafting, decorating, and helping other players get gear, which are the things I enjoy most. I have a few characters who are off-off-meta (including a Breton stamden and an Argonian stam DK), and I enjoy playing those as much if not more than the others. I try to be a considerate teammate in group content, so I always bring the strongest build I can if I'm with a group. Most of the time, though, I'm on my own, and there's no harm in doing whatever I feel like.

If you define casuals as "true" or "strict" casuals, as opposed to semi-casuals, I don't actually know many of them. Or any of them, now that I come to think about it.