How do you describe a gamer who buys more than a dozen games a year and never beats any of them? I play games largely for the novelty of the experience (as Craig so aptly pointed out a while ago).

I’m extraordinarily games-literate, I really get into the games I play, and I consider games to be a deep part of my entertainment time in my life. Together, I’d say that’s what makes me “hardcore”.

I just hate the implication that hardcore means you have to master everything you play and turn games into a pathetic, juvenile pissing contest.

And I think there are levels of “casualness”. I have a good friend who I would consider a casual gamer since he is always asking me for advice on what games to buy and he usually wants something similar to something he already plays. “Is there anything out there like Pirates?” “When is the next Total War game coming out?” And before he met me, it was just Madden, Madden, Madden.

The question is, in a new genre such as drama, where the literacy isn’t there on either side of the fence, how would one go about designing a casual drama game?

This happens really quickly. In less than a month, I go from able to beat a game in “hard” to total beginner.

I’m hardcore! You can tell by the way I fumble any game you happen to name…