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The videogames market has become rather multifaceted over the last
twenty years-or-so since its arrival in mainstream culture.
Developers, publishers and even videogames
press have for years been cultivating a series of labels through
which each market demographic can be directly addressed. Yet,
something seems to have become quite muddled in recent years – if
the developers and their respective publishers can’t decide on the
difference between the “hardcore” gamers and the “core” gamers, how
would they be able to orientate their production correctly? And to
that end, how can you tell whether a product is being developed with
your interests at heart?
The majority of those reading this will no doubt fall
into either of the above categories, but where does your little
brother qualify; still playing KillZone on his PlayStation2?
Or your partner, who deems
Nintendogs a shrill and contrived attempt at
garnering the “isn’t it cute?” factor for ten minutes, instead
finding themselves blazing Brutes for an hour-at-a-time on
Halo 3? And, while orienteering these demographics into
their tidy little pockets, how do you sell
Guitar Hero to all
of them?
The definition of each label will vary drastically
between each party utilising such viewer-friendly terms, and often
two or more will in-fact be considered to referring to the same key
audience. When such confusion arises before a product even hits the
shop shelves, is it really that difficult to understand much of the
newer videogames audience are falling-short of the likes of
Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition, and instead finding themselves
locked into Nintendo’s tri-monthly “casual games” launch system? And
so, to that end,
Electronic Theatre will endeavour, through this article, to
make some distinction between each target audience. Using such
keywords to label people into “boxes” will invariable cause both
understanding and offence, and it is not
Electronic Theatre’s intention to permeate such arguments,
simply to define these terms for future use; beginning with that
“new” audience - the Casual Gamer - and progressing through a
complicated matrix of preteen girls, fanboys, family-gaming,
cosplayers and Otaku.
Casual Gamer: The term “casual” has come to define anything that
doesn’t resonate with the most involved gamer. Physical and mental
workout games,
Mario Kart-inspired titles, Quiz games and
even that most notoriously hardcore genre, Puzzle games. However,
this is often far from the case. The Casual Gamer is in-fact
qualified by one of two attributes; those without either the time to
dedicate to videogames, or the disposable income. Remember your mum
devoting her life to Tetris on your Game Boy when you were a
child? Do you ever remember her buying her own Game Boy? The
woman sitting opposite you on the bus playing Sudoku on her
mobile phone; does she have a NintendoDS? That guy down the street
who’s always talking about Grand Theft Auto? The one who only
buys pre-owned games; these are the Casual Gamers.
Mainstream Gamer: The least commonly used term because, quite
frankly, the Mainstream Gamer is quite a comparatively easy
demographic to satisfy. Mostly limiting their investment in
videogames to youtube videos and Cheat sites, the Mainstream gamer
will hold the occasional big-name title, as well as most likely
finding a fair few in the bargain bin. While getting their kicks
from Metal Gear Solid, it’s unlikely they’ll progress to
Syphon Filter or Splinter Cell. Typically owning but one
system from the Current-Generation, the Mainstream Gamer isn’t
likely to take a £300 venture with a pinch-of-salt.
Core
Gamer: The Super Nintendo Entertainment System was great, wasn’t
it? While your own collection may have stood at a paltry six titles,
your access to software extended to hundreds, simply because
everyone you knew had one too. Having grown-up with that ethos, and
now with the added support of a disposable income, it’s not uncommon
for a Core Gamer to own more than one system from the
Current-Generation. In-fact, a Core Gamer will most likely follow
their favourite videogames franchise onto many – if not all –
platforms, and has been for some years. The Core Gamer regularly
follows the industry with an interest, and may even have a
subscription to their favourite videogames publication.
Hardcore Gamer: A term often ignored by publishers in favour of
a more sweeping “Core Gamer” than that above, the Hardcore Gamer is
the most vocal demographic. While eschewing “fanboyism” for a more
sedate approach to gaming being a medium with which to invest in on
the whole, the Hardcore Gamer will most likely own every console in
the Current-Generation, and probably still has their original Super
Nintendo Entertainment System in full working order. Regularly
consuming games that both the industry celebrates, and that which
the player has even a slight investment or interest in, a Hardcore
Gamer proudly defines themselves as such. With videogaming having
diversified exponentially across the last two hardware
 generations,
it’s quite common to find the Hardcore Gamer unable - or unwilling -
to accept that new players may too wish to entertain themselves with
what was once an entirely Hardcore Gamer-orientated proposition –
and it’s here that Nintendo are currently struggling.
Many of you may well argue that none of the above
defines you, as an individual, and the way you play games. Why, it’s
true that many of
Electronic Theatre’s own members – and even staff – may find
themselves straddling a gap between two demographics. However, these
labels aren’t aimed at the individual; but instead the collective.
Compare yourself to the first ten people that pop into your head;
where do you find yourself placed in comparison to where you
would place them? Keywords and labels are used simply to define
target audiences for developers, publishers and the press. An
understanding of which they assume each of us to be will better
equip consumers to receive their labours. |
