"I don't like this divide we are building," Peter Molyneux tells me. "More and more we are saying these ones here are core games and these one here are casual games. Actually I think that is an incredibly divisive thing and if we're not careful the amount of attention we put into these core games will get less and less because they are so expensive to make. Less and less people will be able to afford to make them."

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Only a Game has an interesting musing up on who's winning — or potentially will win — the battle for the 'hardcore' market share. Nintendo is rather clearly running away with the so-called 'casual' market, but that still leaves room for Sony and Microsoft. Chris Bateman takes the opinion that Sony has managed to squander the biggest market lead in the history of gaming, but that doesn't mean it's easy sailing for Microsoft:

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Chris Bateman of Only A Game has spent a not insignificant chunk of time talking about the 'hardcore/casual' divide — especially in terms of discussing the accuracy of such a distinction. As he points out, more complex models of how people like to play their games are simply too unwieldy to be of use for general conversation; still, a lot of the ideas about what makes a 'hardcore' player versus a 'casual' player don't necessarily stand up when looking at certain (admittedly self-reported) studies, like the DGD1 & 2 questionnaires:

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Well, it reads like an essay, but this piece by David Hayward is actually a transcript of a talk given at the "Under The Mask, Perspectives on the Gamer" event a few days ago (slides included!). It's a brilliant and somewhat lengthy piece on culture-with-a-small-c, as it relates to gaming (as, in Hayward's appraisal, just about everyone is a gamer these days by some definition or another). Games, despite coming off as a niche subculture at times, are worming their way into all aspects of society:

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Over at GoNintendo, they're running a two-week long feature called "Casual v. Hardcore: Opinions of the Gaming Industry." The question put forth was: "Is casual gaming a threat to hardcore gaming or will it help it in the long run?" My response:

What does hardcore gaming mean? Do we have a similar term for books? Do people say, "He's a hardcore reader"? I guess they'd say so-and-so is a bookworm. But "hardcore"? It's such a severe term. If games are going to be a truly dominate form of entertainment, they need to be approachable. Approachable doesn't mean a lesser game experience in any way, but rather, a streamlined one. That should actually help gaming!

I think what people are worried about is dumbed down gaming. Like that casual players will need some pandering. If developers are smart, they'll make things more intuitive, rather than dumber. That way they can appease new and experienced players.

Casual Vs. Hardcore [Go Nintendo]

Poor Microsoft. They've really painted themselves into a corner. All these games featuring big men with big guns, it's gotten the platform a bit of a reputation as a "hardcore" (or, as the marketing types will have you call it, "core") system. Which is fine for the kind of people who already own one, but not fine for the more casual types, those who bought a PS2 for SingStar or a Wii for...whatever they bought it for. Those types don't own a 360, and there's a lot more of "them" than there are of "us". Which presents a sales dilemma for Microsoft. One they've tried to overcome, repeatedly, and one they've failed miserably at. Repeatedly. But bless them, they're still trying.

Microsoft's Alan Bowman has been out beating that well-worn drum, saying:

A key strategy for us is to give broad choice for people. You need to provide content which broadens your base of users from core gamers to different age groups.

Well...best of luck with that. On the bright side, things can only get better!

Microsoft to make more 'family focused' games [Develop]

Sure, Super Mario Galaxy is coming. But even so, gamers feel slighted. Casual players make up a big portion of Nintendo's market, so the company's interests have shifted. Right? Nintendo UK general manager David Yarnton says:

It's important to know that we're not ignoring the hardcore gamer. They're still very important to us... And Christmas alone we have already catered on the Wii with Metroid Prime 3 and Super Mario Galaxy, and on DS with the Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass.