The term "casual"

[Brutalistic]

I feel the name casual has been used a lot incorrectly. It doesn't mean someone who is bad at the game, or someone who has less play-time. I consider myself a casual player. I like to do things like World Explorer, or waste hours trying to get a cooler looking mount, just for the sake of having a cooler looking mount. I'll even just fly to Howling Fjord or Nagrand just to look around. Casual means 'without serious intentions'. Although I do raid/ run heroics/ PvP a bit, I prefer to spend most of my time doing essentially useless things. But I love it! Also, the name Casual has often been used as an insult, which I feel that it is preposterous to insult someone over how they prefer to play a video game.

Yes, I just spewed my thoughts after browsing the forums, I have no coherent structure to my post, but whatever.

TL;DR -- Casual =/= baddie or someone who plays less.

[Adréal]

That's how the meaning of words gets twisted over time. Just like how "noob" originated from a synonym for "beginner".

And what comes to the word casual, well.. that mostly came from Blizzard justifying nerfs on bosses or dungeons, or making something easier so that casual players could also experience these things. Which obviously would make the "normal" players angry as they have worked hard for their whatever it was - that it was the casuals' fault or how Blizzard is serving the casuals.

Most notably by patch 3.2, when they added previous raid emblems to drop from all heroic dungeons.

[Alfador]

To be frank, the reason the word is being bastardized is probably due to the fact that a vocal minority of casuals have taken it upon themselves to whine and beg for everything to be handed to them. As is usual in these cases, the silent majority that is content with their position get lumped in and wind up looking bad as a result.

[Bloodsail the Orc]

Hardcore - Schedules real life around WoW... i.e.. Guild level Raiding, organized PVP, etc.
Casual - Someone who plays when ever they have free time.

A casual can play 6 hours a day, because they have nothing better to do. A hardcore can play for 1 hour a day, but as long as they know they will be on WoW at XX:XX then they are a hardcore.

Totalbiscuit did a better explanation.

[Elementium]

To be frank, the reason the word is being bastardized is probably due to the fact that a vocal minority of casuals have taken it upon themselves to whine and beg for everything to be handed to them. As is usual in these cases, the silent majority that is content with their position get lumped in and wind up looking bad as a result.

You just perpetuated it.. Casuals don't whine anymore than Hardcore players do.. Hell logically Hardcores whine more because they spend more time being face to face with the games issues such as balance, bugs, boss fights, etc.

[orcshaman24]

You know I've begun to view the casual/hardcore comparison much like the alliance/horde comparison. Neither is better or worse then the other, its just both sides have there own way of doing things, and neither should be seen as being undermined. This is why I liked wotlk raiding and its means of doing things. On one side you had the easier to understand raids for the more casual player, and then you had the heroic modes for the hardcore player to get soaked up in, so it wasn't just for one brand of playerbase, there was something for all.

[Deleted]

You know I've begun to view the casual/hardcore comparison much like the alliance/horde comparison. Neither is better or worse then the other, its just both sides have there own way of doing things, and neither should be seen as being undermined. This is why I liked wotlk raiding and its means of doing things. On one side you had the easier to understand raids for the more casual player, and then you had the heroic modes for the hardcore player to get soaked up in, so it wasn't just for one brand of playerbase, there was something for all.

This is just not even remotly accurate, even as an opionion it's wrong.

First of all, this is not a discussion on what is best to be, it's more of a "what do you think when you hear casual" and ofcourse one is better than the other, depending on perspective and goals. Claiming otherwise would be foolish.

WotLK raiding had one flaw; There's more than 2 groups of raiders and because of this encounters were subject to progressive nerfs (Ulduar) or the ICC buff. ToGC was simply undertuned if you neglect Anub'arak, and no the Tribute to Insanity did not make the encounters harder.

It left alot to the imagination.

[Alfador]

You just perpetuated it.. Casuals don't whine anymore than Hardcore players do.. Hell logically Hardcores whine more because they spend more time being face to face with the games issues such as balance, bugs, boss fights, etc.

Maybe I wasn't clear, but I'm more inclined to believe you didn't pay close enough attention. I said a VOCAL MINORITY of casuals.

Most casuals are perfectly happy being exactly that, casual. They accept the limitations that places on what they can be expected to do. It's a small portion of them who refuse to and demand more that make the whole group look bad and give the term a bad connotation.

[orcshaman24]

Sorry but you can't have a discussion about casuals without a counterpoint talking about hardcore, its two sides of the same coin, and that comparison between the two.

Second, whatever means to want to call it, when blizzard moved from the 10 or 25 type raids, to all raids being 10/25 optional, the game took on a new means of raiding, and that itself was part of why many hardcore raiders disliked it, unlike sunwell and black temple, icecrown could be completed by 10 raiders instead of massive guilds. To them, they felt the end of game raiding was no longer theres and made for anyone, which in all honesty I prefer everyone getting a chance to do it. Its more about possession then anything, because despite them having downed the lich king long before the raid buff was given, they still wanted icc to be theres an no one elses.

[Elementium]

Maybe I wasn't clear, but I'm more inclined to believe you didn't pay close enough attention. I said a VOCAL MINORITY of casuals.

Most casuals are perfectly happy being exactly that, casual. They accept the limitations that places on what they can be expected to do. It's a small portion of them who refuse to and demand more that make the whole group look bad and give the term a bad connotation.

At the same time theirs no denying that Hardcores have an equally loud base of people that feel because they put more time into the game their money is worth more and they decide who's opinion is worthless and who's isn't.

[orcshaman24]

At the same time theirs no denying that Hardcores have an equally loud base of people that feel because they put more time into the game their money is worth more and they decide who's opinion is worthless and who's isn't.

thus making the idea that all hardcore players are self absorbed and only think the same is for them and on one else. Its why again I say I thought the way they came at wotlk with both normal and heroic raiding with the 10/25 option was better in the long run.