What Do you consider to be a Casual Player?

DeadlyRecluse

Anyone who plays less then me is a casual.

Anyone who plays more than me is a tryhard.

SoLooney

Playing a lot has almost no correlation with how good you are in pve or pvp content. There a lot of people who just enjoy doing quests and exploring the region, housing etc etc

Theres really no specific qualities but if you cant do vet dungeons comfortably or in a reasonable time frame, don't run vet trials, and dont bother to have over 40k dps or good at tanking and healing, you're a casual in my eyes

Nothing wrong with it, just kind of how I see it

p00tx

Both, they just play this on the side

I think it's more to do with competitive vs non-competitive. Both of those categories carry a whole host of other connotations and assumptions, like gear choices and behavior. I choose to wear the best gear available in the game for the content that I'm working on at the time, so that requires a certain level of dedication and focus on my part. Someone who isn't into pushing scores or completing the hardest content isn't going to have a need for that gear and is probably going to be less than interested in everything that goes along with that part of the game. It's not better or worse in terms of value to the game. It's just different. I think it's kinda cool that this game has so much breadth that so many different players can have their different gaming needs met all on one platform.

Casdha

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

Mintaka5 wrote: »

Cut the high school ***. Why do we need to label and categorize every last aspect of gaming. My definition of casual player is someone who doesn't give a *** about your petty BS.

This is not petty HSBS, pardon the puns but this and attempt to Delve into the meaning of a label and Explore the viewpoints of those who frequent this site. Personally I hit 50 next year so I'm well out of High School. I've read every single post here because I am generally curious how folks broach this subject.

JadeCoin

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

FierceSam wrote: »

I despise segregating players based on any aspect of their game. For me one of the beauties of the game is that it is equally engaging and fun for the eternal role playing quester and the perpetual PvPer.

I don’t like the choice of categorisation for the guild finder, it’s astonishingly lazy labelling and seems to perpetuate an idea that social guilds are somehow less valuable than leaderboard chaser guilds, when both should be equally lauded.

For me a casual player is someone who hasn’t gone spreadsheet.

I can see that there could be issues and negative consequences from this. At the same time, there is something that does need to be communicated in terms of culture fit and guild expectations. I say this because I was in a guild once that was not a fit for me -- they were more hardcore, and I was more casual -- and I simply wasn't happy there.

Casdha

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

bzz86 wrote: »

I am sorry but my OCD will not let me vote till I point out that it is not:
'What Do you consider to be a Casual Player?'
but:
'Who do you consider to be casual player?'
or
'What do you consider to be casual game-play?'

Also, but that is just me I'd use 'would' instead of 'do'.

I am required to point out as well that the actual question you wanted to ask is 'How would you describe casual players?'

You are correct, I should have put "Casual Player" in quotes because the question is meant to be the exploration of a label/term that is used a lot on this site.

Thorvik_Tyrson

Neither / Other

I chose other as its not a simple answer.

I think a better way of categorize casual is to start with a definition of what is hardcore, and then by default anything that is not considered to be hardcore can be considered as casual. For some people the definition has to do with the number of hours played in a day/week, while other players define it as being able to do end game content/raids/dungeons... Etc.

Different people play for different reasons. My wife likes a game with lots of lore and will go thru all of the conversations before moving on. She also was an avid fisher/crafter in WoW while I was into dungeons and raiding. We both spent about the same amount of time in game, some weeks she spent more time fishing that I did in my dungeons and raids.

Anotherone773

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

I see casual as the opposite to elitism and meta players.

* A meta/ elitist player might spend more time killing training dummies than they do actual NPCs/players. A causal may not even own a training dummy or go to a house that has one. If they do own one, they could very likely mostly use it as decoration.

*A meta/ elitist player will constantly analyze combat metrics to see what up times are and how their rotation can be improved. A casual sometimes has to be reminded to keep their food buff active( and often will play without food) and a rotation is more likely to consist of random key pushes depending on what feels like a good ability to use next.

* A meta/elitist player will work on BiS gear relentlessly to get a couple hundred extra DPS. A casual cares more about how their gear looks than about how much it helps them kill stuff.

* A meta/elitist player will spend hours and hours researching and watching videos to understand the content and memorize all the fights before they even step foot in the content the first time. If they are going to be one of the first ones to explore it( newly released) then they will observe and document everything so they can inform others of the "proper" way to play the content. A causal might (but probably not) attempt to do some research on youtube but will more than likely get sidetracked by the suggested videos and fall down a youtube hole completely unrelated to ESO.

*A meta/ elitist player really only wants to play with people who take the game seriously, like they do. A casual player takes life seriously and wants to relax, let off some steam and have fun.

And finally....

* A meta/elitist player cares about stats, rankings, and leaderboards. A casual just want meta/elitists players to stop turning their relaxation time into a combination of accounting and an SAT Exam.

moonsugar66

JadeCoin

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

DenMoria wrote: »

Mintaka5 wrote: »

Cut the high school ***. Why do we need to label and categorize every last aspect of gaming. My definition of casual player is someone who doesn't give a *** about your petty BS.

Because the majority of the forumers are American and under the age of 30, therefore, everything must be labeled, categorized, judged, mocked and criticized.

The majority of 2 generations is locked in to the High-School mentality anyway. It's called "Arrested Development".

Those of us that are actual adults just ignore it.

Well, strictly speaking, "adult" and "arrested development" are labels/categories, too, and they do have implied judgments attached to them.

Humans create categories to communicate patterns that they see (or imagine) in the world around them. The problems usually arise not from the categories, per se, but from their use:

- When people use them to mask rather than draw distinctions, by lumping things together under a term which viewed from another, relevant perspective are quite different
- When people use them to dismiss arguments rather than engage with them ("who cares since you're a filthy casual")
- When people use them to belittle others by stigmatizing the category to which they belong
- When people use them as quick, cliche answers, proxies for active, original thinking
- When people don't stop and ask whether the category is unambiguous and, if it is, whether it is useful (for instance, whether "casual" is a useful term to ensure a culture fit when using the guild finder)

The last one, I think, is really what this thread is about.

DenMoria

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

Anotherone773 wrote: »

I see casual as the opposite to elitism and meta players.

* A meta/ elitist player might spend more time killing training dummies than they do actual NPCs/players. A causal may not even own a training dummy or go to a house that has one. If they do own one, they could very likely mostly use it as decoration.

*A meta/ elitist player will constantly analyze combat metrics to see what up times are and how their rotation can be improved. A casual sometimes has to be reminded to keep their food buff active( and often will play without food) and a rotation is more likely to consist of random key pushes depending on what feels like a good ability to use next.

* A meta/elitist player will work on BiS gear relentlessly to get a couple hundred extra DPS. A casual cares more about how their gear looks than about how much it helps them kill stuff.

* A meta/elitist player will spend hours and hours researching and watching videos to understand the content and memorize all the fights before they even step foot in the content the first time. If they are going to be one of the first ones to explore it( newly released) then they will observe and document everything so they can inform others of the "proper" way to play the content. A causal might (but probably not) attempt to do some research on youtube but will more than likely get sidetracked by the suggested videos and fall down a youtube hole completely unrelated to ESO.

*A meta/ elitist player really only wants to play with people who take the game seriously, like they do. A casual player takes life seriously and wants to relax, let off some steam and have fun.

And finally....

* A meta/elitist player cares about stats, rankings, and leaderboards. A casual just want meta/elitists players to stop turning their relaxation time into a combination of accounting and an SAT Exam.

Goodness it sounds like an awful lot of work to be a "meta/elistist".

I play to have fun. I can't imagine wanting to center my life around all that guff!

DenMoria

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

JadeCoin wrote: »

DenMoria wrote: »

Mintaka5 wrote: »

Cut the high school ***. Why do we need to label and categorize every last aspect of gaming. My definition of casual player is someone who doesn't give a *** about your petty BS.

Because the majority of the forumers are American and under the age of 30, therefore, everything must be labeled, categorized, judged, mocked and criticized.

The majority of 2 generations is locked in to the High-School mentality anyway. It's called "Arrested Development".

Those of us that are actual adults just ignore it.

Well, strictly speaking, "adult" and "arrested development" are labels/categories, too, and they do have implied judgments attached to them.

Humans create categories to communicate patterns that they see (or imagine) in the world around them. The problems usually arise not from the categories, per se, but from their use:

- When people use them to mask rather than draw distinctions, by lumping things together under a term which viewed from another, relevant perspective are quite different
- When people use them to dismiss arguments rather than engage with them ("who cares since you're a filthy casual")
- When people use them to belittle others by stigmatizing the category to which they belong
- When people use them as quick, cliche answers, proxies for active, original thinking
- When people don't stop and ask whether the category is unambiguous and, if it is, whether it is useful (for instance, whether "casual" is a useful term to ensure a culture fit when using the guild finder)

The last one, I think, is really what this thread is about.

Do casuals use "creative thinking"? I believe so, since we casuals play the way we want to and our own way rather than follow the herd.

moonsugar66

Itzmichi wrote: »

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.

I see. So, like how you don’t want to properly spell out “get” and “good”.

(I know it’s a figure of speech but the irony made it irresistible!!)

DenMoria

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

moonsugar66 wrote: »

Itzmichi wrote: »

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.

I see. So, like how you don’t want to properly spell out “get” and “good”.

(I know it’s a figure of speech but the irony made it irresistible!!)

I always wondered about the term "git gud".

So many folks don't even consider what "good" even means or if someone actually has the desire to "get good" as they define it.

I just broke in to Champion ranks last night (FINALLY!) after all these years of playing and quitting and I've:
1) Not done any group content whatsoever nor had any desire to
2) Solo'd more public dungeons and delves than I can count
3) Solo'd a few Dolmens
4) Helped out a few packs of werewolves with healing (I just love those packs - they seem to be having so much fun)
5) Not done any crafting whatsoever and done just fine
6) Actually beat 3 world bosses (let me tell you milliions of HP is insane!) all by my lonesome and survived

It's about rhythm and enjoyment, not about "getting good" enough to do something I would never do anyhow.

thedovahmon

Royaji wrote: »

You are a "dirty casul" unless you have 10 forum stars. That's the only way to show your commitment.

I'm fine with being part of Team Four star thank you very much

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PdXIHGvMpk

Anotherone773

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

DenMoria wrote: »

Anotherone773 wrote: »

I see casual as the opposite to elitism and meta players.

* A meta/ elitist player might spend more time killing training dummies than they do actual NPCs/players. A causal may not even own a training dummy or go to a house that has one. If they do own one, they could very likely mostly use it as decoration.

*A meta/ elitist player will constantly analyze combat metrics to see what up times are and how their rotation can be improved. A casual sometimes has to be reminded to keep their food buff active( and often will play without food) and a rotation is more likely to consist of random key pushes depending on what feels like a good ability to use next.

* A meta/elitist player will work on BiS gear relentlessly to get a couple hundred extra DPS. A casual cares more about how their gear looks than about how much it helps them kill stuff.

* A meta/elitist player will spend hours and hours researching and watching videos to understand the content and memorize all the fights before they even step foot in the content the first time. If they are going to be one of the first ones to explore it( newly released) then they will observe and document everything so they can inform others of the "proper" way to play the content. A causal might (but probably not) attempt to do some research on youtube but will more than likely get sidetracked by the suggested videos and fall down a youtube hole completely unrelated to ESO.

*A meta/ elitist player really only wants to play with people who take the game seriously, like they do. A casual player takes life seriously and wants to relax, let off some steam and have fun.

And finally....

* A meta/elitist player cares about stats, rankings, and leaderboards. A casual just want meta/elitists players to stop turning their relaxation time into a combination of accounting and an SAT Exam.

Goodness it sounds like an awful lot of work to be a "meta/elistist".

I play to have fun. I can't imagine wanting to center my life around all that guff!

It is a full time job. My nephew is a meta elitist in another game and i have known personally several meta gamers in my time. They spend A LOT of time playing games and they take it very seriously. My nephew is 21 live in his grandmothers basement( in laws side) and has had 6 jobs getting his first at 18. He had not kept a job longer than 2 months because it gets in his way of college( for game development) and gaming( about 12 hours a day).

In Eve Online, people will actually call in sick to work so they can participate in "epic" battles which are really just slow motion battles( they use time dilation to slow the servers down to a speed it can process the battle so everyone lags evenly) During most of the battle you spend time waiting or warping around with brief periods of fighting. But they think its important enough to call in sick to work, or set an alarm for 3 am.

While i like being in those alliances, they use to get ridiculous with it. You were on call like a doctor( i wasnt because i refused but they tried to make people participate). They have chilled out on it because they learned no one wants to dedicate their entire life to pew pew...at least no one that lives in reality.

DenMoria

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

Anotherone773 wrote: »

DenMoria wrote: »

Anotherone773 wrote: »

I see casual as the opposite to elitism and meta players.

* A meta/ elitist player might spend more time killing training dummies than they do actual NPCs/players. A causal may not even own a training dummy or go to a house that has one. If they do own one, they could very likely mostly use it as decoration.

*A meta/ elitist player will constantly analyze combat metrics to see what up times are and how their rotation can be improved. A casual sometimes has to be reminded to keep their food buff active( and often will play without food) and a rotation is more likely to consist of random key pushes depending on what feels like a good ability to use next.

* A meta/elitist player will work on BiS gear relentlessly to get a couple hundred extra DPS. A casual cares more about how their gear looks than about how much it helps them kill stuff.

* A meta/elitist player will spend hours and hours researching and watching videos to understand the content and memorize all the fights before they even step foot in the content the first time. If they are going to be one of the first ones to explore it( newly released) then they will observe and document everything so they can inform others of the "proper" way to play the content. A causal might (but probably not) attempt to do some research on youtube but will more than likely get sidetracked by the suggested videos and fall down a youtube hole completely unrelated to ESO.

*A meta/ elitist player really only wants to play with people who take the game seriously, like they do. A casual player takes life seriously and wants to relax, let off some steam and have fun.

And finally....

* A meta/elitist player cares about stats, rankings, and leaderboards. A casual just want meta/elitists players to stop turning their relaxation time into a combination of accounting and an SAT Exam.

Goodness it sounds like an awful lot of work to be a "meta/elistist".

I play to have fun. I can't imagine wanting to center my life around all that guff!

It is a full time job. My nephew is a meta elitist in another game and i have known personally several meta gamers in my time. They spend A LOT of time playing games and they take it very seriously. My nephew is 21 live in his grandmothers basement( in laws side) and has had 6 jobs getting his first at 18. He had not kept a job longer than 2 months because it gets in his way of college( for game development) and gaming( about 12 hours a day).

In Eve Online, people will actually call in sick to work so they can participate in "epic" battles which are really just slow motion battles( they use time dilation to slow the servers down to a speed it can process the battle so everyone lags evenly) During most of the battle you spend time waiting or warping around with brief periods of fighting. But they think its important enough to call in sick to work, or set an alarm for 3 am.

While i like being in those alliances, they use to get ridiculous with it. You were on call like a doctor( i wasnt because i refused but they tried to make people participate). They have chilled out on it because they learned no one wants to dedicate their entire life to pew pew...at least no one that lives in reality.

Oye!

I just reached Champion at about 30 odd points at this point and, frankly, after 2 months getting there, now I'm bored.

jainiadral

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

moonsugar66 wrote: »

Itzmichi wrote: »

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.

I see. So, like how you don’t want to properly spell out “get” and “good”.

(I know it’s a figure of speech but the irony made it irresistible!!)

I take it as a label. I mean, you could argue that "git" is American cowboy-speak, like "Git'er done." But it also has a wonderful history as a British insult. I tend to go British with it. So much more entertaining to think of it as a boast: "I'm gud at being a git."

Sylvermynx

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

jainiadral wrote: »

moonsugar66 wrote: »

Itzmichi wrote: »

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.

I see. So, like how you don’t want to properly spell out “get” and “good”.

(I know it’s a figure of speech but the irony made it irresistible!!)

I take it as a label. I mean, you could argue that "git" is American cowboy-speak, like "Git'er done." But it also has a wonderful history as a British insult. I tend to go British with it. So much more entertaining to think of it as a boast: "I'm gud at being a git."

Hmm. I equate "git'er done" with other groups than cowboys (one particular group comes immediately to mind.... and I have a REALLY HARD TIME BELIEVING that group is a censored word!)

Having grown up mostly in the west, and knowing plenty of cowboys of one sort or another over the years, the cowboy will usually go with "cowboy up", "man up", or "hold yer likker". Now admittedly this is digging back MANY years.... so perhaps things have changed.

ccmedaddy

Neither / Other

Are you a Master Angler?

If yes -> you are HARDCORE af
If not -> you are a casual

(I'm a filthy casual btw)

Hippie4927

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

ccmedaddy wrote: »

Are you a Master Angler?

If yes -> you are HARDCORE af
If not -> you are a casual

(I'm a filthy casual btw)

I guess I need to change my answer then! I never thought of Master Angler as hardcore and I have 7 Master Anglers.

Kikke

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

What? You ONLY run trials 9 hours a week?! Bloody Casual!!

thumpthing

Neither / Other

Kinda hard to gauge other people's intent based on how much they play. This is a silly, baiting poll.

Pinesy

Both, they just play this on the side

* I selected the wrong option, meant to select #4
I consider myself a casual, nowadays. I used to be a hardcore raider in WoW and Rift (NA First Kill of Regulos on Rift - I was a chloromancer named Pinesy - https://youtube.com/watch?v=0t8A8BQZAhY)

I find myself in a weird spot, because i'm mechanically skilled, but I don't have the confidence to search for a trial guild. That has resulted in me becoming a grand master crafter and housing aficionado. When I do run PuGs, I get extremely frustrated at how just BAD some people are on the base level. It's so frustrating for folks to still stand in junk, get killed over and over by one shot mechanics... I can't handle folks wasting my time like that, so I don't PuG. I try to use my guild as much as possible for any group content. At least I know then, I can try to help them without them being like "oh my jeeze, this is an elder scrolls game, I PLAY AS I WANT! how dare you try to help me be better".
I'm also someone who has enjoyed Elder Scrolls games for 15 years now, since Morrowind came out... it's my absolute favorite series, next to LOTR (RIP LOTRO)

Am I casual? Sure. By most folks definitions, the fact I don't do trials means i'm a casual. Casual does not mean you have to ignore the meta, ignore stuff that works... That's so rude to your fellow players, wasting their precious time ~ it seems a lot of these folks who are "not so great" have a TON OF TIME, yet they spend it just ... doing nothing?? I don't know.

Wifeaggro13

Neither / Other

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.

Its neither casual has nothing to do with time played. Casual is a general attitude in gaming , especially in MMOs. It's the attitude that you should be entitled to everything in game regardless of skill level,knowledge ,willingness to research and learn. You can play all day every day and still have a casual attitude and miss the beauty of the MMO experience. They are about community groups accomplishing things with friends and developing your character. I am carefull not to label that type of play. The churn base population is largely made up of whales that spend tons of money leave and never access the meat and patatoes

Hluill

Both, they just play this on the side

So, if the spectrum is between Hardcore and Casual. Hardcore being a total min-maxer in the best build and the Casual being the plays intermittently in quest gear. Most of us fall in between somewhere. I hope all of us are having fun, being entertained by our playstyles.

Me, I am hardcore about immersion. I avoid gear and animations that don't make sense. I don't use mounts much and staves not at all. My use of dual weapons and certain spells can also be fairly limited.

But, when I am in a pick-up group, all that is thrown aside and I play the best tank I can. I will never be doing the hardmodes, though.

Acharnor

Both, they just play this on the side

I am a total casual, don't have time to invest in playing everyday to grind things out (casuals don't grind - they settle for good crafted gear or an accessible dropped set). I can only focus on one main at a time and I cannot do it all. I may focus on Maelstrom Arena for a time, or how to get better DPS or a stint in Cyrodil, whatever strikes my fancy at the time.

Feanor

Neither / Other

There are also ambitious casuals - people who spend limited time in game but nonetheless want to be the best they can when they are on.

Anotherone773

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

DenMoria wrote: »

Anotherone773 wrote: »

DenMoria wrote: »

Anotherone773 wrote: »

I see casual as the opposite to elitism and meta players.

* A meta/ elitist player might spend more time killing training dummies than they do actual NPCs/players. A causal may not even own a training dummy or go to a house that has one. If they do own one, they could very likely mostly use it as decoration.

*A meta/ elitist player will constantly analyze combat metrics to see what up times are and how their rotation can be improved. A casual sometimes has to be reminded to keep their food buff active( and often will play without food) and a rotation is more likely to consist of random key pushes depending on what feels like a good ability to use next.

* A meta/elitist player will work on BiS gear relentlessly to get a couple hundred extra DPS. A casual cares more about how their gear looks than about how much it helps them kill stuff.

* A meta/elitist player will spend hours and hours researching and watching videos to understand the content and memorize all the fights before they even step foot in the content the first time. If they are going to be one of the first ones to explore it( newly released) then they will observe and document everything so they can inform others of the "proper" way to play the content. A causal might (but probably not) attempt to do some research on youtube but will more than likely get sidetracked by the suggested videos and fall down a youtube hole completely unrelated to ESO.

*A meta/ elitist player really only wants to play with people who take the game seriously, like they do. A casual player takes life seriously and wants to relax, let off some steam and have fun.

And finally....

* A meta/elitist player cares about stats, rankings, and leaderboards. A casual just want meta/elitists players to stop turning their relaxation time into a combination of accounting and an SAT Exam.

Goodness it sounds like an awful lot of work to be a "meta/elistist".

I play to have fun. I can't imagine wanting to center my life around all that guff!

It is a full time job. My nephew is a meta elitist in another game and i have known personally several meta gamers in my time. They spend A LOT of time playing games and they take it very seriously. My nephew is 21 live in his grandmothers basement( in laws side) and has had 6 jobs getting his first at 18. He had not kept a job longer than 2 months because it gets in his way of college( for game development) and gaming( about 12 hours a day).

In Eve Online, people will actually call in sick to work so they can participate in "epic" battles which are really just slow motion battles( they use time dilation to slow the servers down to a speed it can process the battle so everyone lags evenly) During most of the battle you spend time waiting or warping around with brief periods of fighting. But they think its important enough to call in sick to work, or set an alarm for 3 am.

While i like being in those alliances, they use to get ridiculous with it. You were on call like a doctor( i wasnt because i refused but they tried to make people participate). They have chilled out on it because they learned no one wants to dedicate their entire life to pew pew...at least no one that lives in reality.

Oye!

I just reached Champion at about 30 odd points at this point and, frankly, after 2 months getting there, now I'm bored.

Same happened to me especially when i realized what little value a champion point was. But i pushed on to 160 to get my final set of gear and then just let the rest of my points come as i did other things. Ive been here over 2 years and about 30 points from cap.

FlopsyPrince

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

SkerKro wrote: »

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

Claiming no evidence doesn't mean no evidence exists. The attitude is far more likely the other way.