Definitive Definition: Casual and Hardcore

Darraxus got me thinking about the age-old debate of Hardcore vs. Casual. I think most of us have probably bent the meaning of those terms in one way or another so that it fits our current needs. Heck! Look at the name of my blog. I didn't consider Primogeniture "Hardcore", but for a long time I don't think I could really call us "Casual" either. So, we were really just a shade of gray, but probably on the Hardcore side. (We may want to consider a scale of 1 to 10 here, and at one point, I was probably about an 8.)

So here it is. I've spent countless years hours minutes researching, contemplating and calculating so that I can give the true definition of a Casual and Hardcore Wow player.

Hardcore

• If you consistently clear the highest level content, you may be hardcore.
• If you have an arena rating above 2000, you may be hardcore.
• If you have the Title of Seeker or Loremaster, you may be hardcore.

Casual

• If you've never sold a single thing on the AH, you may be casual.
• If you've never obtained a mount, you may be casual.
• If you have an active account, but log in only once a week... maybe... then you may be casual.
  

Basically, it comes down to this: there are certain actions that will you put you in the Casual or Hardcore camps. Heck, having a level 80 toon would be considered a "hardcore" activity for somebody that's just starting. But just because you have one hardcore or casual activity, it doesn't mean that you are always that way.

I think everybody goes through phases. Even the guys from [insert World First Guild Name here] usually take a break once everybody has all the loot they want out a dungeon. My wife, who I would consider pretty casual atm, has a level 80 toon and has even killed 3 bosses in Ulduar.

The point is, that you're almost always going to find somebody with more (or less) /played time than you. You're almost always going to find somebody with better (or worse) gear. The Casual / Hardcore debate isn't black and white. It's gray. Gray as the ocean is wide. The important thing is that you have fun while wading through this grayness. If you get black every once and awhile, good for you. Just make sure that you balance it out with some white. Maybe throw some leftover snowballs at the rogue that's about to sap a target. Trust me... it's great fun.