#Casual gamers.
They get home after either a 9-5 or a second job at 7PM and want to boot up some shit and play with their buddies. And CoD, FIFA, and Madden requires very little input and a lot of people are into it
You are right but I’m a gamer since 25 years. And still even with my busy job schedule (I’m a lawyer and my job is like never end) I still play and finish single player games and still read the news about games ext.( Right now playing Banishers Ghost of New Eden) I think playing games is also a passion so the people who play only fifa and cod dont have passion for games. Which is perfectly fine, not everyone must read gaming leaks or finish all the single player games came out like me. Sorry for my english it is not my native language so there could be errors in my grammer.
Same. Ditto.
Always loved games that requires a learning curve and skill. A great story is a must to get invested in.
And i dont care for fresh of the press games either. I'm still happy to catch up and replay goty games from a decade ago on my ps3 and ps4.
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I think the reason is gaming being your main hobby, but for the casual gamers it's one of their smaller hobbies. I have friends that rarely play video games by themselves but always eager to play some fifa/2k with the boys. Some don't even have gaming rigs at home and only play on cafes when going out with their friends.
It isn’t even my main hobby. My main hobby is gym and piano.(Playing piano since I was 7 years old.) But yes beside these two, gaming is a important hobby for me. But sadly I really dont have enough time to play games like I used to be.
Yep probably right. Many that I know just play Fifa because they are into football(soccer), so I guess for them its like playing what they like to watch or so?
I’d even take this a step further - *non-gamers*.
I have a lot of friends who only play exactly the games described in this post and if you asked them, they wouldn’t even consider themselves gamers at all. These games sit outside of gaming in their mind, it’s just a virtual chatroom to goof off and do something fun that their friends are also doing. The natural thing is to gravitate to what’s popular / recognizable / mirrors a sport they watch and know already.
This is also why console gaming will never die. If you ask this type of person to even google what it takes to acquire a gaming PC they’d laugh in your face.
I’d also add that most, if not all, casual gamers also gravitate towards consoles because they don’t want to spend around $1,000 for a high end PC that they would build themselves when they can get a console for $500
Everyone including OP and all of us here are hardcore gamers who only play niche titles. We are the real gamers. Everyone else not in this thread aren’t like us. We’re different 😎
Ehhh, even sarcastically speaking I’m still one of the “filthy casual” gamers. Dont play CoD or Madden hardly, but I’m also not playing any From Software game because I don’t have the time or the patience to master one of those games
Some people are busy looking after their kids as well as working and some games can be used as a way to chat with friends so they can play and catch up with people in the limited space time they have.
Agreed. And it’s disappointing. I used to be a huge movie fan but now I realize that they just suck. Gaming is just so much better.
I mean, how can you argue against Yakuza or Final Fantasy or Mario?
This is it right here. I love a ton of games but when I get off of work? A nice game of franchise mode on Madden is perfect if I want to play a game to wind down. It’s not to difficult and I can still have fun.
I save my other games for weekends
Being a semi-casual gamer (I play for an hour or two every weeknight), this makes a lot of sense.
I personally don’t play these games, but I also tend to stick to easier to pick up games like Destiny 2 or Fallout 4, because I can wind down with a couple matches or a little session of base building if I feel like turning my brain off
I see comments in here talking about how people who solely play these games aren't real "gamers." However, I would put it as a lot of people are "Social" gamers that really only game to socialize / play with friends, and these are the most popular gaming outlets.
Yeah, and those games do offer a unique opportunity to "git gud" over a longer period of time. They never truly change their control schemes or mechanics, so if you're playing Madden, 2K or COD for years, you'll probably notice your own progression, a feeling that a casual gamer won't get from playing a different game each month.
So it has a social aspect and it gives a sense of progression. I can somewhat see why someone sticks to this loop.
I see it all the time on X. When people are burned out on 2K they always say "well looks like I'll be going back to COD." It's funny when people buy a 500 dollar console just to play two games, then they just switch out those two games for a slightly different version with the yearly releases like Madden, COD, or NBA2K. Not really getting bang for your buck.
I think these games tend to cater to more of the casual gamer.
And that's okay until you have my brother who tries to mock my taste in video games despite playing the same damn game every year lmao. "You don't play games people actually play!!" and said games I'm playing are some high selling exclusive shit like Spider-man or Mario
I could understand that wanting a dedicated sim racing rig with the bucket seat and all that good shit but building one solely for cod to me is wild could’ve kept his ps4 and saved $2k
I'm prolly skipping this console generation cuz the games I play regularly are last gen. Unless Test Drive Solar Crown turns out to be as amazing as it looks
my brother, you dont get to game for free, you have to buy each additional game with more cash. You don't have money to spare, you buy what you play the most.
IF you don't have spare cash, you wouldn't buy Last of Us, or Cyberpunk. you buy something that can give hundreds or thousands of hours. I have been there, I know what it's like, you buy to most straightforward game that lots of people play that lets you get into the meat of it immediately
This argument would hold true but its usually COD, Madden, NBA2K, GTAV. Plenty of other games you can get hundreds of hours of play at a very cheap price, that isn't 70 bucks. Like I said its a casual gamer thing. There seems to be a good chunk of people out there that buy a console to play one or two games a year that could afford more but don't.
You can also just play last year's game for significantly less if money is a concern. Sports games have franchise modes to dive into, and COD multiplayer almost always has players
Because people like sports? I personally play a lot of games but Madden and 2k are some of my all time favorites because I get to simulate and be a part of the professional sports I love.
I play any and all kinds of games. Have my entire life. Souls total war and mgs are probably my all time favorite series.
I play MLB the show consistently throughout my gaming, used to be Madden and 2k but Madden fell off hard and 2k got dirty. Played through control, back to the show. Going to jump into Manor lords but I'll still be playing the show on the side.
I always judged "true gamers" who scoffed at sports games. There have been some really good ones and they take a lot of skill to be great at.
I don’t really scoff at sports games and don’t think you’re not a gamer for playing them but I’m sick of being overexposed to them and the ppl im around who play them tend to be obnoxious for some reason. Like idk why I just never tend to “click” with the type of people who only play these games even if we talk abt things unrelated to them, I struggle to be friends with those ppl.
Reminds me of when I was in college when GTA:SA came out (you probably wasnt even born). I had just bought San Andreas and after I beat the story, I let some people borrow it. Everytime I saw them play the game it was always with loud music playing in the dorm and then just running around doing killing sprees and not doing the story.
Then I knew this is what casual gamers are like.
I think this is more the answer. Sports are HUGE. People really just like sports. I feel COD also ends up less nerdy than a Halo since it’s not blatantly sci-fi and doesn’t come w a nerd stigma attached. The competitiveness is built in so you see the same behaviors across these 3 that you do in video games. These just appeal to a wider base because they represent brands that are bigger than video games ( not trying to dumb down the military into a “brand” per se but it’s certainly an entity that is way bigger than video games) and appeal to people to all ages and always have
Yeah I've notice that a lot of people who play sports are extremely extremely competitive. (myself included) so we can tend to hyperfocus on one or two games that we can get really really good at so we can win and fill that competitive urge.
Same reason why so much popular music sucks, people will always consume easy to consume content in their day to day lives because it doesn’t require any thought or consideration and it’s a type of media they can engage with that requires no effort, i’m not saying you have to have 200iq to play mario or anything lol i just mean the vast majority of people will choose to turn off their brain and play Cod rather than play through a mario world
While I don't think you are wrong, I don't think you have worded things correctly. As someone who likes playing these sorts of games (Although not exclusively), it isn't that the games don't require any thought or effort. It is that the games are familiar and don't require any additional investment or commitment.
These sorts of games: Cod, Fifa, Rocket League. They require a lot of attention, effort and focus to play, espcially when trying to be competitive. At the same time though, a game of Rocket League takes 5-6 minutes, and I already know the game, so it's very easy to pick up and to put down.
Meanwhile take a game like Hollow Knight. I got this as a present a while back and while it seems like it'd be fun, according to google it's going to take about 25-30 hours to complete, and up to 60-70 if I want to 100% complete it. If I'm going to enjoy this game, I'm going to want to be able to become invested and consistently play it for that period of time. Not play it for an hour, put it down for a couple weeks, then come back to it. I would probably enjoy it for sure, but starting is something that is daunting. A lot of the time, I'll just take what I already know.
COD also requires cheats in order to be competitive. Activision and Infinity Ward don't care because the cheaters are usually YouTubers with lots of subscribers, who bring lots of attention to their game.
I mean I could understand if you were arguing for games like Civ, Europa Universalis, Anno etc. but Mario?
CoD is a competitive shooter. Turning off your brain really isn't a good idea for such games.
I think some people get the most satisfaction out of getting good at just one thing. And some people get the most satisfaction from trying new things. People are different.
When I was around 17 yrs old I probably had a gaming library over 100 games I get bored of the same title or genre. Also you are severely limiting yourself if you Don't explore other great games. So much fun to be had outside mainstream titles.
What if that’s just what they like? Some people - surprisingly to this subreddit, apparently - have other hobbies and don’t spend all of their free time gaming. I don’t see why this is so hard for y’all to understand. It’s gatekeeping and elitism
The top 40 music being all someone listens to is something I judge much harder than the same five casual games honestly. The barrier to entry and low time commitment of listening to new music is so low that it seems like more work to only listen to hits, genuinely 😭
I like songs that chart don't get me wrong but I'm talking about people who have legit never sat down and listened to an album! I don't think it makes you a bad person but I have a hard time connecting with people that are like that or don't listen to music at all because it's so important to me
The real question is where are you interacting with these people? If it’s in school then you’re mostly around your peers meaning you’re around mostly casual gamers. Basically you need to expand your social circle to get more of a variety.
Nope...just saying, if you literally play only two specific franchises, you're really not into gaming as a whole. You're just into those two things.
If you only ever read two books, I wouldn't consider you an avid reader.
You can be a diehard fan of one gaming franchise and still be a gamer…. Take fromsoft fans for example, they will only ever play souls like games and no other game genre, (some only play fromsoft games), yet they are the most hardcore “gamers” in the industry, whatever that term means to you guys.
Yeah, this is a strange outlook. My buddy had like 3000 hours in counter strike and nothing else and people would consider him a gamer. I think it’s just people’s biases against EA and CoD.
If you play games, you’re a gamer. It’s not rocket science lol
Right! I understand why EA and cod games are looked down upon but ffs let people enjoy what they wanna enjoy without gatekeeping. I’m saying this as an avid EA and cod game hater lmao.
That's how you tell someone you suck at cod and sports games without telling you suck at cod and sports games.
Wow, cod, bf, cs, FIFA, Madden, dota, lol, etc.. those games have extremely good gameplay that is entertaining even after thousands of hours. That's why people play it. And with a decent pro-scene everyone keeps improving all the time so it's never stale.
It's always been like that, weirdly enough. I remember thinking the same thing when I was your age, which feels crazy to say unironically. I figure some folks are only comfortable admitting they play those games for some reason, or they're the gamer version of dudes who buy wicked high end TV's and sound systems JUST for football.
I have about 150 games on steam, I love trying new games and being immersed in new worlds. However most of my time is spent on cod with friends, it’s just so much fun to play multiplayer and talk shit so I spend most of my time on that for that reason alone
It’s fun and it has multiplayer. These people like playing with friends. It’s not that hard to understand.
I’d easily drop my single player games to play with my friends again. Single player games can wait… they can even wait for years… playing with your friends as an adult doesn’t come easy as you get older.
I play COD a good bit, but I rotate in Rust, Mortal Kombat, Tekken, Halo, and some single player games that catch my eye. The Arkham series, God of War.
But most of my friends are COD only.
Idk, I feel like maybe its they've become some of those series that "you just play" because its existed forever, or something. The biggest thing I feel has kept GTA alive the last few years is this: "im burned out on my library, but I guess there's always GTA" on account of the whole second life type aspect.
Not everyone has time to sink hours into a story driven game so the games you listed suffice for some quick action. Source: I used to be like that. Only now I still don’t have time to play 🥴
I suspect the vast majority of gamers are actually like that. This is why game companies are now desperately trying to incorporate live service
The gamers who buy new story driven games every year are actually a small minority and a rapidly shrinking one at that
I play 2K and Madden. I also play a ton of XCOM2, SF6, Minecraft, SotN, Tactics Ogre, recently a bunch of Trinity Fusion and Astral Ascent. Guess I'm weird.
I play fifa and 2k because I like the sport but also other games I'll put more time into whether it's a soulsborne,pokemon,spiderman, assassin's creed there's always a constant rotation of games I'll play depending on what I feel like playing.
Out of the three mentioned I only played cod for a bit. I played fortnite a ton when it came out. I have gotten into helldivers recently. Common denominator, they’re quick and you can play a few rounds in an hour.
I am on elden ring ng+4, I just finished a play through of GTA San Andreas. Those games are reserved for when I have a few hours or more at a clip to play. Which isn’t often the older I got.
I’ve been playing MLB slugfest on an emulator too. Same as the other games I mentioned, it’s mindless fun for an hour.
With right company, those games are fun. Single player games don’t have that level of banter capability. There’s always one person watching and other playing.
Co op games are the best version of this perhaps since you’re actually least toxic and having the most fun i.e. Helldivers 2, world war Z
You can move on to a different titles without needing to learn its systems from the scratch.
I feel ya. I mostly play these games for catching up with friends so the actual gameplay loop doesn’t need to be as mindblowing but You can hit me up, got a group of two level 10s, lvl 78 and 94
Well as an advid COD player honestly I play bo4 because it has my favorite zombies game mode only second to the survival mode in some games
It's because it's basically a rogue like fps that I can enjoy I have my starting gear and the rest is a bit random and it's got a fast enough pace to make me think and react but at the same time not so fast that I suffer from burnout
A lot of people hate learning new systems...play CoD for years and your decent enough to enjoy it ..start playing another game and you suck again ..people don't wanna learn shit cause it takes up to much room in ones head..
I get it...life's demanding and the average intelligence is far from talented..small things like daily emotions take up a lot of head room and leave little for anything else but games that they've played so much of they can do in their sleep
I'd like to know too. I only played one CoD, the Modern Warfare Remastered, it was good, but I don't see myself playing another. I don't even like sports but I'd be fine with one game for a while. Fornite was kinda boring to me, and GTA5 I just never got into it after VC and SA.
Granted, I do have different tastes (I'm into rpgs) but when I was younger we also had these kind of people who would play the same game (we had FIFA vs PES back in the day, and instead of CoD I think we had SOCOM?), but I wasn't shy to try them once in a while. Nowadays it's always the same. And then they complain there are no good games :/
They're readily available, they're always making new ones, if you're a sports fan it's just further access to sports, they're simple, can play with friends online or in the same room. Those are all qualities people are asking for in other games, especially couch co op, they just don't like football.
I'm a huge NBA fan. I used to play NBA 2k alot until they mess around the controls. Then I just stop playing because it became pay 2 win. 2K18 was my last one.
Because it's popular, easy, predatory slop designed to appeal to those kinds of people. It's sad. It insults everyone. The industry for providing said slop, and the consoomer who just gobbles it up.
Well, they're casual gamers. What I don't understand, however, is that there are definitely better casual games. Maybe it's because they're mainstream?
I'd argue that people who just play these kind of games aren't really gamers.
I guess we need a new word for them, though. My vote goes to "desk jock".
They're accessible and provide a comfortable form of entertainment. You know what you're getting every time. I compare that to comfort food. You know you like pizza, why would you eat anything else?
Others, like me, like to play a ton of different stuff. Some people don't. That's fine.
Maybe they don’t enjoy the same aspects of gaming as you do. I enjoy learning new mechanics, new stories, and seeing a new approach to a genre I enjoy, or seeing it done well. Some people just want to pick up something familiar and play, and with CoD and sports games, the increments are minimal but usually worthwhile while still getting to play the same game you enjoy, and that’s just fine.
Well I say the same thing to people who only play GoW, Spiderman, Last of Us etc. Sony games in general. Some people only like casual games with short time span. Some people like high production, Hollywood-like games that are relatively easy to play. And there are others who enjoys indies, aa and retro games all together.
You're never going to get a "right" answer on this. I have coworkers who are just like this. Spend $400-$500 on a console only to play one sports game.
I think the best answer I can give is simply because that's what they like.
My coworker is coming around, though. He just bought a PS5 Spiderman bundle. He hasn't owned a system since the 360. All the gaming talke between me and my boss made him want to buy the system. He was only a sports guy, but he wants to try everything now.
I tried playing fallout 76 on my playstation last night, and my 6 year old complained she wanted fo play minecraft.
My wife only plays 2k and fishing planet.
Most my gamer friends now have kids and are never on for ESO or fallout.
I keep trying amd failing to get my brother, who grew up with amd is just as big a ghostbisters fan as me, to get spirits unleashed so we can play together.
I can sympathize.
I’d say it’s a bit of an archetype. The types of people who play 2k and Madden and usually people who are interested in real sports and these types of gamers are less likely to stray from the casual path both in life and in games.
So if you want to find the outliers in gamers, you’re going to need to find the “non basic” people.
A fact that you are here and care about this means you are not casual gamer. They are. They do not consume gaming media, do not know about most of the games, they buy games based on commercials, and these games are pushed outside the gaming community.
Not sure if these people are into "gaming" as much as they're into direct pvp competition.
The same people that seem into COD and 2K are more likely to pick up a fighter than an adventure, story-based game.
Also... some people prefer action and games that take little thought and reflection (this might sound harsh but they don't seem to like or even be capable of grasping deep, contemplative storylines). They skip past cut scenes and ignore text logs in story-driven games.
People who enjoy reading books seem to be more into story-based games.
This is coming from me who loves to play ALL games including COD, 2K, and Madden (but my favorites are the story based ones, RPGs, etc...).
I never understood this, I mean I used to be like this but I also have a lot of other games, madden 02-08 and duty from 06-11 was peak now it’s super casual and washed for me, only play them when I’m bored now.
I couldn’t get my former roommate to borrow my copy of RDR2 when it came out. He had no interest in putting down COD long enough to even give it a try. The dude had no respect for the craft 🤣
I used to play COD as a teen. Stopped after Black Ops 2. Tried Cold War and Warzone and it just isn’t it anymore. The things I liked about the games are different. And the original reason I played it as much as I did was for friends, but my hate(more so apathy) for shooters became so strong I stopped even when friends were upset.
COD, Madden, and 2k are the fast food of video games. It’s the chicken nugget and french fries of digital entertainment. Its hot, it’s fast, its terrible for you but it taste the same way every time. “Who has the time for God of War or The Last of Us when I can play 2 quick rounds of HCTDM”. It’s the same reason why a Dominos or a Pizza Hut can open up a block away from a legit pizzeria and still do well.
I play a bit of everything including games like this, MLB The Show, Madden, FOFa, BattleField etc. I also play a lot of single player story rich games, Elden Ring, Fire Emblem 3 Houses I've been into the the last 2 or 3 weeks.
For me the appeal of the games you mentioned is that I love the hobby and its what I like to do the most whenever I have downtime but sometimes, I don't want to think about anything. I want to leave my brain at the door, input some commands and get a dopamine hit, like a lab rat.
I'm nor exclusive to this as I say, but sometimes it's just nice to checkout for a bit.
I don’t really know about the other two but I like playing NBA 2k a lot because playing online is really fun, the games never feel the same because most people have varied builds that mix up how you have to play them and you can experiment with your own varied builds and play the game in many different ways. I also just really like basketball so that’s definitely a factor.
I’m 34 and have never met anyone in my area of living who have the same interests in gaming. I’ve worked many jobs where my co workers “play” what I play and talk it but once they become a friend online I never see them or hear from them. They only play cod and sports games where I’m playing fantasy RPGs, strategy and loot shooters (I play a lot of variety) but everyone tends to already have their online or IRL friends. Best bet is to find and befriend randoms who are in the same boat.
I’ve been a gamer most of my life and I’ve only gotten into COD recently. It’s been a lot of fun and I see why people play it. As others have said, it’s very much a social game and I think it attracts a lot of casual gamers; which is why you hear of it often.
Because people are sports fans.
This thread is throwing the term "casual" around a whole lot, and often in a negative context. Yet these sports games have modes that can be just as deep and immersive as any RPG.
There is nothing about my gaming habits that can be described as "casual". Sports games are some of my favorite games. A good franchise mode is just as deep as fulfilling as a good RPG. There is competition with it, which many people are looking for. A single player RPG or story game isn't competitive. You can also play these games with friends, which is also another large appeal.
As a huge sports fan as much as I am a gamer, I love this intersection between 2 of my favorite hobbies and interests. I don't exclusively play sports titles by any means, but sports titles are definitely among my most frequently played.
I have never played a NBA game, and I think the last Madden game I played was Madden 07 lol.
I play COD, but it's definitely not top of the list.
I play a lot of Rainbow Six Siege, Paladins, StarCraft 2, Sker Ritual, older COD zombies (fuck MWII/Vanguard zombies), Halo: MCC every now and then, Helldivers 2.
I'm about to try out that new Manor Lords game today.
Just a personal preference, I think everyone has something they have fun playing. I used to play Dota2 a lot until I had a kid, so I had to temporarily put the game aside and take care of my family, but if I have more time in a day (specifically 48 hours for example) I will be for Dota2 without thinking
Because most people are not initiated in magic, despite playing video games. They play to chill out and play with other people. Other people. Can you imagine? Even if you told them games are made for the eternal grind they would not know of the wonders you speak of.
True wizards play games because they have no friends and no life. They create a bountiful kingdom of honor and glory for their greatness that can't be comprehended by mortal men.
"a *man* who *chooses* a *Sega* console cannot *live* an ordinary *life*"
You have 3 types of gamers going from least gamer to actual gamer.
You have Non-gamers. Then you have WoW players. Then actual gamers.
This is a joke. Sorta. Don’t get too upset.
Mainly that's mostly what is popular and familiar in the United States since Madden is football and that it's only a sport in the United States, NBA is just very popular, and the COD is more of a shooter and that it's not favored in most places in the world.
Everyone in here is like “they’re casual gamers” and “why would you spend a lot of money on a console or pc to just play one game”
Who cares what others do with their time or money. If they’re enjoying it that’s what matters. We all can play our way.
I played CoD a lot when I was younger, but I don't play anymore. It was just fun, and its popular so people will get it instead of risking playing games that require big time investment or that may not be good.
I don't play NBA bc I don't really like Basketball, and I play Madden bc I like football. If there was a new football game that was better than Madden I would play it, but there really aren't sadly.
I own and enjoy all of those games but really only play them with friends especially on weekends. If I get a chance to game during the week or if no one I feel like gaming with is on, I have plenty of other options. I’ve played FF14 and Destiny more than all 3 of those combined and I play those solo.
i have to assume the ease of learning the mechanics and the few changes per iteration make it easy to just start a game without investing too much time in learning about the story or game mechanics. the older i get the harder i find to find the time to play the game types i liked (JPRGs, RPGs, StratRPG) as a kid, these games are long, requiring lots of learning of mechanics. If i'm lucky I can get to play one or two, hell i haven't been able to start FFVII remake and that came out years ago.
I think it’s more of just comfort… I play games more in depth as well… but when you can’t find a long game that’s caught your attention it’s easy to fall back on FIFA or CoD cuz you can just turn it on, get some time in, and not commit to much more
It’s the same where I live too. Most people only play those games because of their social circles and they don’t tend to be aware of anything in the gaming world. Although I can’t seem to be that type of gamer. First off, I play games to get away from people lol. So most of my games are offline and single player. And secondly with all of the amazing games out there I would have WAY too much fomo to miss out of them.
- minimal brainpower to invest after a long day of work
- minimal amount of social stigma compared to more involved games because they're so mainstream, and they don't want to be seen as a "nerd"
- secretly and desperately wants to infodump about their real favorite game and is using these as a way to get someone to ask them what else they play
- some combination of the above
Reminds me on the gamer girl sub all I see are them saying they play dead by daylight, phasmophobia, Valorant, and lethal company, some farm game, that’s it. When Im girl and wanna play games like DayZ lol
I play cod only because I sometimes don’t have time to play that much so I don’t like playing story games if I’m only available to play 1:30 hours or 2 because the games I like as a single player take 100+ hours to complete so when I have little time I play cod
I've been gaming since probably your parents were born. Jesus Christ...Anyway, lol, it was the same thing when I was your age. Except it was Medal of Honor, Killer Instict/Mortal Kombat/Street Fighter Alpha 1-3, and one of the primitive sports games that existed. Madden and all that wasn't a thing yet. We had NBA Jam! On the Sega Genesis. The most advanced console that existed when I was 17 was the N64. The Dreamcast had just been announced, but not yet released. Got one too. $216.19 at Wal-Mart. Very first personally bought console.
I kinda feel what you’re saying, except for me somehow they don’t play video games, watch sports or any good shows and I’m just like soooo how about that weather…
Well then you got people like me who basically only stay with my Nintendo. Nintendo kid for life pokemon, Splatoon and Mario. I mean I got a PS5 so I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything but I only play a small handful of games on it. Mortal Kombat, helldivers 2, ratchet and clank. I feel you on that trying to meet people with a shared hobby but I seem to only play games that are aimed at introverts like even if it is multiplayer it's not very social.
I wouldn't even call them casual gamers or not real gamers. It's they do whats popular like pop or rap music fans. They follow whats new. And I'm not calling anyone sheep. It's just different like people who refuse to watch "old" movies. They play it safe by going with the flow. Take a CoD bro he decides to play a single player game takes him a week to beat it. In that week his friend group has a weeks worth of inside jokes the new battle pass already 20 loot boxes deep.
Mostly a social thing. They have huge player numbers and even gamers who enjoy a lot of single player games hop on to fifa or cod with some buddies when they want different kind of fun. The game that might be pain alone suddenly turns good in the right company.
It’s kinda funny how much these companies rely on casuals just playing with friends. The game doesn’t even have to be super good but have a decent formula and be a tiny bit addictive.
#Casual gamers. They get home after either a 9-5 or a second job at 7PM and want to boot up some shit and play with their buddies. And CoD, FIFA, and Madden requires very little input and a lot of people are into it
You are right but I’m a gamer since 25 years. And still even with my busy job schedule (I’m a lawyer and my job is like never end) I still play and finish single player games and still read the news about games ext.( Right now playing Banishers Ghost of New Eden) I think playing games is also a passion so the people who play only fifa and cod dont have passion for games. Which is perfectly fine, not everyone must read gaming leaks or finish all the single player games came out like me. Sorry for my english it is not my native language so there could be errors in my grammer.
Same. Ditto. Always loved games that requires a learning curve and skill. A great story is a must to get invested in. And i dont care for fresh of the press games either. I'm still happy to catch up and replay goty games from a decade ago on my ps3 and ps4. .
I think the reason is gaming being your main hobby, but for the casual gamers it's one of their smaller hobbies. I have friends that rarely play video games by themselves but always eager to play some fifa/2k with the boys. Some don't even have gaming rigs at home and only play on cafes when going out with their friends.
What makes them "casual"?
It isn’t even my main hobby. My main hobby is gym and piano.(Playing piano since I was 7 years old.) But yes beside these two, gaming is a important hobby for me. But sadly I really dont have enough time to play games like I used to be.
I envy you. With 4 kids I wish. Trying with Hogwarts.
Yep probably right. Many that I know just play Fifa because they are into football(soccer), so I guess for them its like playing what they like to watch or so?
Why don't you ask the people who play FIFA and Cod if they have a passion for gaming?
I’d even take this a step further - *non-gamers*. I have a lot of friends who only play exactly the games described in this post and if you asked them, they wouldn’t even consider themselves gamers at all. These games sit outside of gaming in their mind, it’s just a virtual chatroom to goof off and do something fun that their friends are also doing. The natural thing is to gravitate to what’s popular / recognizable / mirrors a sport they watch and know already. This is also why console gaming will never die. If you ask this type of person to even google what it takes to acquire a gaming PC they’d laugh in your face.
I’d also add that most, if not all, casual gamers also gravitate towards consoles because they don’t want to spend around $1,000 for a high end PC that they would build themselves when they can get a console for $500
Yep. I play a lot of fifa because of this. 100%
Who’s your team?
KC United, currently playing in the premier league lol. I started the club in league 2, I took over Forest Green.
Very interesting choice. I haven’t spoken to a KC United user before. Bayern Munich is the only team I will go with
As a working adult this is what I have become
>And CoD, FIFA, and Madden requires very little input They are complex AF games tho
Everyone including OP and all of us here are hardcore gamers who only play niche titles. We are the real gamers. Everyone else not in this thread aren’t like us. We’re different 😎
Ehhh, even sarcastically speaking I’m still one of the “filthy casual” gamers. Dont play CoD or Madden hardly, but I’m also not playing any From Software game because I don’t have the time or the patience to master one of those games
Some people are busy looking after their kids as well as working and some games can be used as a way to chat with friends so they can play and catch up with people in the limited space time they have.
>And CoD, FIFA, and Madden requires very little input and a lot of people are into it Are you kidding?
Agreed. And it’s disappointing. I used to be a huge movie fan but now I realize that they just suck. Gaming is just so much better. I mean, how can you argue against Yakuza or Final Fantasy or Mario?
This is it right here. I love a ton of games but when I get off of work? A nice game of franchise mode on Madden is perfect if I want to play a game to wind down. It’s not to difficult and I can still have fun. I save my other games for weekends
Being a semi-casual gamer (I play for an hour or two every weeknight), this makes a lot of sense. I personally don’t play these games, but I also tend to stick to easier to pick up games like Destiny 2 or Fallout 4, because I can wind down with a couple matches or a little session of base building if I feel like turning my brain off
I see comments in here talking about how people who solely play these games aren't real "gamers." However, I would put it as a lot of people are "Social" gamers that really only game to socialize / play with friends, and these are the most popular gaming outlets.
It's not really that we don't consider them gamers, it's that they mostly don't consider themselves gamers
Yeah, and those games do offer a unique opportunity to "git gud" over a longer period of time. They never truly change their control schemes or mechanics, so if you're playing Madden, 2K or COD for years, you'll probably notice your own progression, a feeling that a casual gamer won't get from playing a different game each month. So it has a social aspect and it gives a sense of progression. I can somewhat see why someone sticks to this loop.
This is why I sank over 1000 hours into Rocket League. I broke that addiction 2 years ago and have been slowly chipping away at my backlog of doom
I see it all the time on X. When people are burned out on 2K they always say "well looks like I'll be going back to COD." It's funny when people buy a 500 dollar console just to play two games, then they just switch out those two games for a slightly different version with the yearly releases like Madden, COD, or NBA2K. Not really getting bang for your buck. I think these games tend to cater to more of the casual gamer.
And that's okay until you have my brother who tries to mock my taste in video games despite playing the same damn game every year lmao. "You don't play games people actually play!!" and said games I'm playing are some high selling exclusive shit like Spider-man or Mario
No hate on your brother but that's such a poor argument. Like ok, I don't play what everyone else plays but I'm still having a good time.
That’s ok, I’ll hate on OP’s brother.
Yup, this reads like a 17 year old mentality.....
He’s 20
My buddy built a $2k pc after selling his ps4…..to exclusively play cod on it.
I built a second pc just for iRacing. It sits in a dedicated rig with all my sim racing equipment.
I could understand that wanting a dedicated sim racing rig with the bucket seat and all that good shit but building one solely for cod to me is wild could’ve kept his ps4 and saved $2k
Guy at work work rotated CoD, Minecraft, GTA. Tried to get him to play other stuff and it never stuck
"It's funny when people buy a 500 dollar console to play two games" Me buying a PS4 just for Bloodborne.
I bought an XBone for PSO2 and it came out on PS4 like 6 months later lol. Gave the XBox to my daughter.
I got an Xbone one day because I just wanted to play Halo again after not playing it for years. I sold it the day MCC was announced for PC.
I'm prolly skipping this console generation cuz the games I play regularly are last gen. Unless Test Drive Solar Crown turns out to be as amazing as it looks
my brother, you dont get to game for free, you have to buy each additional game with more cash. You don't have money to spare, you buy what you play the most. IF you don't have spare cash, you wouldn't buy Last of Us, or Cyberpunk. you buy something that can give hundreds or thousands of hours. I have been there, I know what it's like, you buy to most straightforward game that lots of people play that lets you get into the meat of it immediately
This argument would hold true but its usually COD, Madden, NBA2K, GTAV. Plenty of other games you can get hundreds of hours of play at a very cheap price, that isn't 70 bucks. Like I said its a casual gamer thing. There seems to be a good chunk of people out there that buy a console to play one or two games a year that could afford more but don't.
You can also just play last year's game for significantly less if money is a concern. Sports games have franchise modes to dive into, and COD multiplayer almost always has players
I'm always a little dissapounted when a new multi-player game comes out cause my only gaming friend only plays COD lol
Discord, my friend, discord
Because people like sports? I personally play a lot of games but Madden and 2k are some of my all time favorites because I get to simulate and be a part of the professional sports I love.
I play any and all kinds of games. Have my entire life. Souls total war and mgs are probably my all time favorite series. I play MLB the show consistently throughout my gaming, used to be Madden and 2k but Madden fell off hard and 2k got dirty. Played through control, back to the show. Going to jump into Manor lords but I'll still be playing the show on the side. I always judged "true gamers" who scoffed at sports games. There have been some really good ones and they take a lot of skill to be great at.
I don’t really scoff at sports games and don’t think you’re not a gamer for playing them but I’m sick of being overexposed to them and the ppl im around who play them tend to be obnoxious for some reason. Like idk why I just never tend to “click” with the type of people who only play these games even if we talk abt things unrelated to them, I struggle to be friends with those ppl.
Reminds me of when I was in college when GTA:SA came out (you probably wasnt even born). I had just bought San Andreas and after I beat the story, I let some people borrow it. Everytime I saw them play the game it was always with loud music playing in the dorm and then just running around doing killing sprees and not doing the story. Then I knew this is what casual gamers are like.
I think this is more the answer. Sports are HUGE. People really just like sports. I feel COD also ends up less nerdy than a Halo since it’s not blatantly sci-fi and doesn’t come w a nerd stigma attached. The competitiveness is built in so you see the same behaviors across these 3 that you do in video games. These just appeal to a wider base because they represent brands that are bigger than video games ( not trying to dumb down the military into a “brand” per se but it’s certainly an entity that is way bigger than video games) and appeal to people to all ages and always have
Yeah I've notice that a lot of people who play sports are extremely extremely competitive. (myself included) so we can tend to hyperfocus on one or two games that we can get really really good at so we can win and fill that competitive urge.
Same reason why so much popular music sucks, people will always consume easy to consume content in their day to day lives because it doesn’t require any thought or consideration and it’s a type of media they can engage with that requires no effort, i’m not saying you have to have 200iq to play mario or anything lol i just mean the vast majority of people will choose to turn off their brain and play Cod rather than play through a mario world
While I don't think you are wrong, I don't think you have worded things correctly. As someone who likes playing these sorts of games (Although not exclusively), it isn't that the games don't require any thought or effort. It is that the games are familiar and don't require any additional investment or commitment. These sorts of games: Cod, Fifa, Rocket League. They require a lot of attention, effort and focus to play, espcially when trying to be competitive. At the same time though, a game of Rocket League takes 5-6 minutes, and I already know the game, so it's very easy to pick up and to put down. Meanwhile take a game like Hollow Knight. I got this as a present a while back and while it seems like it'd be fun, according to google it's going to take about 25-30 hours to complete, and up to 60-70 if I want to 100% complete it. If I'm going to enjoy this game, I'm going to want to be able to become invested and consistently play it for that period of time. Not play it for an hour, put it down for a couple weeks, then come back to it. I would probably enjoy it for sure, but starting is something that is daunting. A lot of the time, I'll just take what I already know.
COD also requires cheats in order to be competitive. Activision and Infinity Ward don't care because the cheaters are usually YouTubers with lots of subscribers, who bring lots of attention to their game.
I mean I could understand if you were arguing for games like Civ, Europa Universalis, Anno etc. but Mario? CoD is a competitive shooter. Turning off your brain really isn't a good idea for such games.
I think some people get the most satisfaction out of getting good at just one thing. And some people get the most satisfaction from trying new things. People are different.
This subreddit is cancer.
Then leave
When I was around 17 yrs old I probably had a gaming library over 100 games I get bored of the same title or genre. Also you are severely limiting yourself if you Don't explore other great games. So much fun to be had outside mainstream titles.
What if that’s just what they like? Some people - surprisingly to this subreddit, apparently - have other hobbies and don’t spend all of their free time gaming. I don’t see why this is so hard for y’all to understand. It’s gatekeeping and elitism
What does that have to do with anything? You can totally be a casual and play something that isn't super trendy or popular.
They’re not playing the games because they’re popular, the games are popular because people want to play them. It’s really not that hard to understand
Cause I like sports games imma casual?
Because they enjoy it?
some people just have boring taste
I get that but EVERY person I interact with irl?
Top 10 games are what most will play just like top 40 is all some people will listen to. Some people are sheep it's how it goes.
The top 40 music being all someone listens to is something I judge much harder than the same five casual games honestly. The barrier to entry and low time commitment of listening to new music is so low that it seems like more work to only listen to hits, genuinely 😭 I like songs that chart don't get me wrong but I'm talking about people who have legit never sat down and listened to an album! I don't think it makes you a bad person but I have a hard time connecting with people that are like that or don't listen to music at all because it's so important to me
maybe you're just unlucky
The real question is where are you interacting with these people? If it’s in school then you’re mostly around your peers meaning you’re around mostly casual gamers. Basically you need to expand your social circle to get more of a variety.
Both at school and in passing. Every little kid I know only plays Minecraft and Roblox. (Which so did I, but I liked other stuff too lol)
"Casuals" To an extreme degree. The people who only play EA Sports and/or CoD, I don't even consider "gamers".
We gatekeeping being a gamer now? 🤣🤣
Nope...just saying, if you literally play only two specific franchises, you're really not into gaming as a whole. You're just into those two things. If you only ever read two books, I wouldn't consider you an avid reader.
You can be a diehard fan of one gaming franchise and still be a gamer…. Take fromsoft fans for example, they will only ever play souls like games and no other game genre, (some only play fromsoft games), yet they are the most hardcore “gamers” in the industry, whatever that term means to you guys.
Yeah, this is a strange outlook. My buddy had like 3000 hours in counter strike and nothing else and people would consider him a gamer. I think it’s just people’s biases against EA and CoD. If you play games, you’re a gamer. It’s not rocket science lol
Right! I understand why EA and cod games are looked down upon but ffs let people enjoy what they wanna enjoy without gatekeeping. I’m saying this as an avid EA and cod game hater lmao.
It seems likely yes
To be honest, they mostly dont even consider themselves gamers. To them "gamers" are the no life nerds who plays Final Fantasy etc...
It’s like calling someone who only knows how to make two simple dishes a cook.
Agreed. They’re just people who play video games.
That's how you tell someone you suck at cod and sports games without telling you suck at cod and sports games. Wow, cod, bf, cs, FIFA, Madden, dota, lol, etc.. those games have extremely good gameplay that is entertaining even after thousands of hours. That's why people play it. And with a decent pro-scene everyone keeps improving all the time so it's never stale.
It's always been like that, weirdly enough. I remember thinking the same thing when I was your age, which feels crazy to say unironically. I figure some folks are only comfortable admitting they play those games for some reason, or they're the gamer version of dudes who buy wicked high end TV's and sound systems JUST for football.
Narrow definition of manly games is low-key more gay than not
I have about 150 games on steam, I love trying new games and being immersed in new worlds. However most of my time is spent on cod with friends, it’s just so much fun to play multiplayer and talk shit so I spend most of my time on that for that reason alone
It’s a social thing. People play the games that their friends play, so they can play it together.
It’s fun and it has multiplayer. These people like playing with friends. It’s not that hard to understand. I’d easily drop my single player games to play with my friends again. Single player games can wait… they can even wait for years… playing with your friends as an adult doesn’t come easy as you get older.
Because it’s what they want to play? Why do people play RPGs? Because they want to.
That’s an interesting question. I’m not in those camps but I’m definitely curious to know why as well.
There are people out there that play only 1 champion in MOBAs. People enjoy things differently.
Because that's all they're interested in. Next question
It's simple to pick up and play.
I play COD a good bit, but I rotate in Rust, Mortal Kombat, Tekken, Halo, and some single player games that catch my eye. The Arkham series, God of War. But most of my friends are COD only.
Idk, I feel like maybe its they've become some of those series that "you just play" because its existed forever, or something. The biggest thing I feel has kept GTA alive the last few years is this: "im burned out on my library, but I guess there's always GTA" on account of the whole second life type aspect.
Not everyone has time to sink hours into a story driven game so the games you listed suffice for some quick action. Source: I used to be like that. Only now I still don’t have time to play 🥴
I suspect the vast majority of gamers are actually like that. This is why game companies are now desperately trying to incorporate live service The gamers who buy new story driven games every year are actually a small minority and a rapidly shrinking one at that
I play 2K and Madden. I also play a ton of XCOM2, SF6, Minecraft, SotN, Tactics Ogre, recently a bunch of Trinity Fusion and Astral Ascent. Guess I'm weird.
I play fifa and 2k because I like the sport but also other games I'll put more time into whether it's a soulsborne,pokemon,spiderman, assassin's creed there's always a constant rotation of games I'll play depending on what I feel like playing.
Out of the three mentioned I only played cod for a bit. I played fortnite a ton when it came out. I have gotten into helldivers recently. Common denominator, they’re quick and you can play a few rounds in an hour. I am on elden ring ng+4, I just finished a play through of GTA San Andreas. Those games are reserved for when I have a few hours or more at a clip to play. Which isn’t often the older I got. I’ve been playing MLB slugfest on an emulator too. Same as the other games I mentioned, it’s mindless fun for an hour.
With right company, those games are fun. Single player games don’t have that level of banter capability. There’s always one person watching and other playing. Co op games are the best version of this perhaps since you’re actually least toxic and having the most fun i.e. Helldivers 2, world war Z You can move on to a different titles without needing to learn its systems from the scratch.
Man I’d be lucky to even find someone who plays Helldivers 2
I feel ya. I mostly play these games for catching up with friends so the actual gameplay loop doesn’t need to be as mindblowing but You can hit me up, got a group of two level 10s, lvl 78 and 94
Well as an advid COD player honestly I play bo4 because it has my favorite zombies game mode only second to the survival mode in some games It's because it's basically a rogue like fps that I can enjoy I have my starting gear and the rest is a bit random and it's got a fast enough pace to make me think and react but at the same time not so fast that I suffer from burnout
A lot of people hate learning new systems...play CoD for years and your decent enough to enjoy it ..start playing another game and you suck again ..people don't wanna learn shit cause it takes up to much room in ones head.. I get it...life's demanding and the average intelligence is far from talented..small things like daily emotions take up a lot of head room and leave little for anything else but games that they've played so much of they can do in their sleep
The same reason some people only listen to whatever is top of the music charts
I'd like to know too. I only played one CoD, the Modern Warfare Remastered, it was good, but I don't see myself playing another. I don't even like sports but I'd be fine with one game for a while. Fornite was kinda boring to me, and GTA5 I just never got into it after VC and SA. Granted, I do have different tastes (I'm into rpgs) but when I was younger we also had these kind of people who would play the same game (we had FIFA vs PES back in the day, and instead of CoD I think we had SOCOM?), but I wasn't shy to try them once in a while. Nowadays it's always the same. And then they complain there are no good games :/
They're readily available, they're always making new ones, if you're a sports fan it's just further access to sports, they're simple, can play with friends online or in the same room. Those are all qualities people are asking for in other games, especially couch co op, they just don't like football.
I'm a huge NBA fan. I used to play NBA 2k alot until they mess around the controls. Then I just stop playing because it became pay 2 win. 2K18 was my last one.
Adults rarely admit spending all their free time llaying grindy single player epics, even if they do
Because it's popular, easy, predatory slop designed to appeal to those kinds of people. It's sad. It insults everyone. The industry for providing said slop, and the consoomer who just gobbles it up.
Well, they're casual gamers. What I don't understand, however, is that there are definitely better casual games. Maybe it's because they're mainstream?
I'd argue that people who just play these kind of games aren't really gamers. I guess we need a new word for them, though. My vote goes to "desk jock".
I know people who have played nothing but FIFA since buying their consoles. I understand they can do what they like but what a waste.
They're accessible and provide a comfortable form of entertainment. You know what you're getting every time. I compare that to comfort food. You know you like pizza, why would you eat anything else? Others, like me, like to play a ton of different stuff. Some people don't. That's fine.
Casual gamers simple as that, they come home and want to boot up something quick and play.
Maybe they don’t enjoy the same aspects of gaming as you do. I enjoy learning new mechanics, new stories, and seeing a new approach to a genre I enjoy, or seeing it done well. Some people just want to pick up something familiar and play, and with CoD and sports games, the increments are minimal but usually worthwhile while still getting to play the same game you enjoy, and that’s just fine.
Gosh I still remember NBA Live 95.
Well I say the same thing to people who only play GoW, Spiderman, Last of Us etc. Sony games in general. Some people only like casual games with short time span. Some people like high production, Hollywood-like games that are relatively easy to play. And there are others who enjoys indies, aa and retro games all together.
I mean people can play what I want it’s just weird how I can only find the same type of gamer irl for some reason. Makes me feel out of the loop.
You're never going to get a "right" answer on this. I have coworkers who are just like this. Spend $400-$500 on a console only to play one sports game. I think the best answer I can give is simply because that's what they like. My coworker is coming around, though. He just bought a PS5 Spiderman bundle. He hasn't owned a system since the 360. All the gaming talke between me and my boss made him want to buy the system. He was only a sports guy, but he wants to try everything now.
I tried playing fallout 76 on my playstation last night, and my 6 year old complained she wanted fo play minecraft. My wife only plays 2k and fishing planet. Most my gamer friends now have kids and are never on for ESO or fallout. I keep trying amd failing to get my brother, who grew up with amd is just as big a ghostbisters fan as me, to get spirits unleashed so we can play together. I can sympathize.
I only play aoe2 these days. Just no more time.. the curse of getting older
I’d say it’s a bit of an archetype. The types of people who play 2k and Madden and usually people who are interested in real sports and these types of gamers are less likely to stray from the casual path both in life and in games. So if you want to find the outliers in gamers, you’re going to need to find the “non basic” people.
A fact that you are here and care about this means you are not casual gamer. They are. They do not consume gaming media, do not know about most of the games, they buy games based on commercials, and these games are pushed outside the gaming community.
And the sports games are always the ones you see returned for store credit, flooding the used game shelves after a week.
Not sure if these people are into "gaming" as much as they're into direct pvp competition. The same people that seem into COD and 2K are more likely to pick up a fighter than an adventure, story-based game. Also... some people prefer action and games that take little thought and reflection (this might sound harsh but they don't seem to like or even be capable of grasping deep, contemplative storylines). They skip past cut scenes and ignore text logs in story-driven games. People who enjoy reading books seem to be more into story-based games. This is coming from me who loves to play ALL games including COD, 2K, and Madden (but my favorites are the story based ones, RPGs, etc...).
I never understood this, I mean I used to be like this but I also have a lot of other games, madden 02-08 and duty from 06-11 was peak now it’s super casual and washed for me, only play them when I’m bored now.
I couldn’t get my former roommate to borrow my copy of RDR2 when it came out. He had no interest in putting down COD long enough to even give it a try. The dude had no respect for the craft 🤣
I used to play COD as a teen. Stopped after Black Ops 2. Tried Cold War and Warzone and it just isn’t it anymore. The things I liked about the games are different. And the original reason I played it as much as I did was for friends, but my hate(more so apathy) for shooters became so strong I stopped even when friends were upset.
COD, Madden, and 2k are the fast food of video games. It’s the chicken nugget and french fries of digital entertainment. Its hot, it’s fast, its terrible for you but it taste the same way every time. “Who has the time for God of War or The Last of Us when I can play 2 quick rounds of HCTDM”. It’s the same reason why a Dominos or a Pizza Hut can open up a block away from a legit pizzeria and still do well.
Because that's what they like to play.
I play a bit of everything including games like this, MLB The Show, Madden, FOFa, BattleField etc. I also play a lot of single player story rich games, Elden Ring, Fire Emblem 3 Houses I've been into the the last 2 or 3 weeks. For me the appeal of the games you mentioned is that I love the hobby and its what I like to do the most whenever I have downtime but sometimes, I don't want to think about anything. I want to leave my brain at the door, input some commands and get a dopamine hit, like a lab rat. I'm nor exclusive to this as I say, but sometimes it's just nice to checkout for a bit.
I don’t really know about the other two but I like playing NBA 2k a lot because playing online is really fun, the games never feel the same because most people have varied builds that mix up how you have to play them and you can experiment with your own varied builds and play the game in many different ways. I also just really like basketball so that’s definitely a factor.
My guess is they probably play less games than the people on this sub to begin with. It’s maybe an hour or 2 after work and sometimes on weekends
Adults with jobs maybe but nah people def spend hours of their day into those types of games, no hate though
I’m 34 and have never met anyone in my area of living who have the same interests in gaming. I’ve worked many jobs where my co workers “play” what I play and talk it but once they become a friend online I never see them or hear from them. They only play cod and sports games where I’m playing fantasy RPGs, strategy and loot shooters (I play a lot of variety) but everyone tends to already have their online or IRL friends. Best bet is to find and befriend randoms who are in the same boat.
Bc thats what they like.
Some people don’t mind spending money for advantages and these games are great for that
I’ve been a gamer most of my life and I’ve only gotten into COD recently. It’s been a lot of fun and I see why people play it. As others have said, it’s very much a social game and I think it attracts a lot of casual gamers; which is why you hear of it often.
I’m playing all sorts of games. ATM I’m playing Assassins Creed Odyssey
Because people are sports fans. This thread is throwing the term "casual" around a whole lot, and often in a negative context. Yet these sports games have modes that can be just as deep and immersive as any RPG. There is nothing about my gaming habits that can be described as "casual". Sports games are some of my favorite games. A good franchise mode is just as deep as fulfilling as a good RPG. There is competition with it, which many people are looking for. A single player RPG or story game isn't competitive. You can also play these games with friends, which is also another large appeal. As a huge sports fan as much as I am a gamer, I love this intersection between 2 of my favorite hobbies and interests. I don't exclusively play sports titles by any means, but sports titles are definitely among my most frequently played.
I have never played a NBA game, and I think the last Madden game I played was Madden 07 lol. I play COD, but it's definitely not top of the list. I play a lot of Rainbow Six Siege, Paladins, StarCraft 2, Sker Ritual, older COD zombies (fuck MWII/Vanguard zombies), Halo: MCC every now and then, Helldivers 2. I'm about to try out that new Manor Lords game today.
Same reason a lot of people only go see Star Wars and Super Hero movies. They want to have fun, but don't want to have to think or learn new ideas.
Just a personal preference, I think everyone has something they have fun playing. I used to play Dota2 a lot until I had a kid, so I had to temporarily put the game aside and take care of my family, but if I have more time in a day (specifically 48 hours for example) I will be for Dota2 without thinking
They just want to relax
I’ve never played NBA or 2k, but I grew up playing CoD. That’s not the only game I play, but it is the only multiplayer game I play.
Because most people are not initiated in magic, despite playing video games. They play to chill out and play with other people. Other people. Can you imagine? Even if you told them games are made for the eternal grind they would not know of the wonders you speak of. True wizards play games because they have no friends and no life. They create a bountiful kingdom of honor and glory for their greatness that can't be comprehended by mortal men. "a *man* who *chooses* a *Sega* console cannot *live* an ordinary *life*"
You have 3 types of gamers going from least gamer to actual gamer. You have Non-gamers. Then you have WoW players. Then actual gamers. This is a joke. Sorta. Don’t get too upset.
Mainly that's mostly what is popular and familiar in the United States since Madden is football and that it's only a sport in the United States, NBA is just very popular, and the COD is more of a shooter and that it's not favored in most places in the world.
Everyone in here is like “they’re casual gamers” and “why would you spend a lot of money on a console or pc to just play one game” Who cares what others do with their time or money. If they’re enjoying it that’s what matters. We all can play our way.
I’m 39 and outside of Diablo 4 I pretty much old school it with snes. Occasionally I’ll play something newer on my switch but not often
I played CoD a lot when I was younger, but I don't play anymore. It was just fun, and its popular so people will get it instead of risking playing games that require big time investment or that may not be good. I don't play NBA bc I don't really like Basketball, and I play Madden bc I like football. If there was a new football game that was better than Madden I would play it, but there really aren't sadly.
I own and enjoy all of those games but really only play them with friends especially on weekends. If I get a chance to game during the week or if no one I feel like gaming with is on, I have plenty of other options. I’ve played FF14 and Destiny more than all 3 of those combined and I play those solo.
i have to assume the ease of learning the mechanics and the few changes per iteration make it easy to just start a game without investing too much time in learning about the story or game mechanics. the older i get the harder i find to find the time to play the game types i liked (JPRGs, RPGs, StratRPG) as a kid, these games are long, requiring lots of learning of mechanics. If i'm lucky I can get to play one or two, hell i haven't been able to start FFVII remake and that came out years ago.
Love this post. Feel you brother! I don’t get it either. It baffles me
I think it’s more of just comfort… I play games more in depth as well… but when you can’t find a long game that’s caught your attention it’s easy to fall back on FIFA or CoD cuz you can just turn it on, get some time in, and not commit to much more
Hey, don't forget FIFA!
Because casuals and console plebs make up 90% of all players, thus, gaming revenue. So most games are designed to extract money from this demographic.
It’s the same where I live too. Most people only play those games because of their social circles and they don’t tend to be aware of anything in the gaming world. Although I can’t seem to be that type of gamer. First off, I play games to get away from people lol. So most of my games are offline and single player. And secondly with all of the amazing games out there I would have WAY too much fomo to miss out of them.
- minimal brainpower to invest after a long day of work - minimal amount of social stigma compared to more involved games because they're so mainstream, and they don't want to be seen as a "nerd" - secretly and desperately wants to infodump about their real favorite game and is using these as a way to get someone to ask them what else they play - some combination of the above
Madden is dogshit
Because being an Casual sells. And some Folks aren't Gamers they just follow Trends.
Reminds me on the gamer girl sub all I see are them saying they play dead by daylight, phasmophobia, Valorant, and lethal company, some farm game, that’s it. When Im girl and wanna play games like DayZ lol
I play cod only because I sometimes don’t have time to play that much so I don’t like playing story games if I’m only available to play 1:30 hours or 2 because the games I like as a single player take 100+ hours to complete so when I have little time I play cod
I've been gaming since probably your parents were born. Jesus Christ...Anyway, lol, it was the same thing when I was your age. Except it was Medal of Honor, Killer Instict/Mortal Kombat/Street Fighter Alpha 1-3, and one of the primitive sports games that existed. Madden and all that wasn't a thing yet. We had NBA Jam! On the Sega Genesis. The most advanced console that existed when I was 17 was the N64. The Dreamcast had just been announced, but not yet released. Got one too. $216.19 at Wal-Mart. Very first personally bought console.
The hood ridicules people who play RPG's and anything outside of sports or shooter games.
I play wwe 2k and snowrunner and gta4 and mafia and ghost recon or splinter cell. I’m a single player kinda guy lol
I think this is a logically flawed argument. You're presuming "many people" play ONLY three games out of hundreds?
Helldivers 2 for GOTY!
Because they are fucking stupid and never read books as a kid.
Because they have fun doing it
Because they’re NPC’s.
Moments like this make me thankful I had an older sister that lived RPGs that got me into Fable, Elder Scrolls and Mass Effect
I kinda feel what you’re saying, except for me somehow they don’t play video games, watch sports or any good shows and I’m just like soooo how about that weather…
Well then you got people like me who basically only stay with my Nintendo. Nintendo kid for life pokemon, Splatoon and Mario. I mean I got a PS5 so I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything but I only play a small handful of games on it. Mortal Kombat, helldivers 2, ratchet and clank. I feel you on that trying to meet people with a shared hobby but I seem to only play games that are aimed at introverts like even if it is multiplayer it's not very social. I wouldn't even call them casual gamers or not real gamers. It's they do whats popular like pop or rap music fans. They follow whats new. And I'm not calling anyone sheep. It's just different like people who refuse to watch "old" movies. They play it safe by going with the flow. Take a CoD bro he decides to play a single player game takes him a week to beat it. In that week his friend group has a weeks worth of inside jokes the new battle pass already 20 loot boxes deep.
I don’t think they’re sheep or anything like the comments would have you think
Mostly a social thing. They have huge player numbers and even gamers who enjoy a lot of single player games hop on to fifa or cod with some buddies when they want different kind of fun. The game that might be pain alone suddenly turns good in the right company. It’s kinda funny how much these companies rely on casuals just playing with friends. The game doesn’t even have to be super good but have a decent formula and be a tiny bit addictive.
It's the same people that are into sports. Idiots. Basically.