In Buzzfeed-esque fashion, which type of gamer are you?
Bumpity-bump!
Milestone giveaway is 🎵LIVE🎵!
If you're not a group member, here's an open GA :P
https://www.steamgifts.com/giveaway/7Mvi6/tick-tock-isle
And head on over to the group page and pop me a request! Will approve your membership once the milestone GA is done!
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Bumping for a special giveaway :)
Join here: https://www.steamgifts.com/giveaway/GbC0w/lovely-planet-2-april-skies
If you're not a group member, here's an open GA:
https://www.steamgifts.com/giveaway/Zh0qG/bot-vice
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Heya, I'm sorry to say that the giveaway is over, but to join any future group-only giveaways, you just need to be a member of the group first (please refer to the original post for the link).
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Bumping again for the 600-Member Milestone Giveaway!
Join here:
https://www.steamgifts.com/giveaway/ANwSD/vikings-wolves-of-midgard (Region/country restricted - sorry!)
https://www.steamgifts.com/giveaway/xzr7B/unexplored (NOT region restricted :) )
If you're not a group member, here's an open GA:
https://www.steamgifts.com/giveaway/sZB0X/girlfriend-rescue
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I too totally read your group name as The Mediocre Gamer. :)
I've never heard the "midcore" term used before. I figured there were casual gamers, and hardcore gamers, and everyone in the middle were just gamers.
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To be honest, that wouldn't be too far off from the mark if you want to describe me as a gamer haha 😜
I'm guessing the term is more common among people within the gaming industry? They do like to classify their consumers into generalized categories that they can then analyze/do some number-crunching for. The term was pretty huge a few years ago - the sort of buzzword that people would throw around just to show that they were "in the know". I also know for a fact that a lot of companies, especially mobile devs, try to design games targeting what they call the "biggest chunk of the gaming market" :)
If you're interested, I think this article sums up the meaning for each category nicely: https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/183697/What_the_hell_does_midcore_mean_anyway.php
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I'm sure that's not true. I'm sure you're an average gamer. :)
I feel like there's a vocal minority of hardcore gamers that loves to insult and belittle average gamers - all the git gud comments and the "don't ruin our game by adding an easy mode and thereby making it accessible to mere mortals!" posts - that average gamers start to feel that they're below average just because they're struggling to get through Cuphead or Thumper or finding a particular boss or game difficult. The reality is that this minority of hardcore gamers are so skilled and hardcore that they have lost all touch with what average gamers are like and what they're capable of. And at the same time, they are so frail and insecure in their self-esteem and self-worth that any incursion by average gamers upon their territory - by being able to play and finish the same games - is seen as a huge threat. Because this vocal minority are good, but they're not that good - they're not the ones doing armor-less Dark Souls runs or getting S ranking in Thumper - and their sole self-worth comes from being able to finish a game that average players can't, and thus being able to feel superior to average gamers. And if average games can finish the same game on Easy, well... then they would lose their bragging rights to being better just because they beat a game.
Sorry, I kind of went off on a tangent there.
Anyway, that's an interesting link, but reading through it makes me think that "mid-core" is indeed a totally empty buzzword. For example, the schedule definition:
(1) Hardcore arranges their schedules around their gaming.
(2) Mid-core arranges their gaming around their daily schedule.
(3) Casual entertains self with games when time presents itself.
I entertain myself with games when time presents itself, which would put me in the casual category, but I don't think anyone who knows me or watched me play would describe me as a casual gamer.
Looking at what other developers say about "mid-core" makes it sound more like "casual plus", and the games they describe as "mid-core" I'd be more likely to put in the casual bucket, while everything I play by their definitions would characterize as hardcore. But I don't think of myself as a hardcore gamer, and seeing the "difficult" tag on a game is usually a warning sign for me.
And reading through the collected comments in the link, it seems like no one has a solid idea of what "mid-core" is, and there's some conflicting opinions.
So my takeaway is that labels are only useful if there's a set definition or collective understanding of what a label means, and trying to lump games and gamers into labels may be a pointless and fruitless exercise. :)
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I entertain myself with games when time presents itself, which would put me in the casual category, but I don't think anyone who knows me or watched me play would describe me as a casual gamer.
Well, not everyone can fit nicely into these generalized groups. Some players may just oscillate between groups rather than staying in one category. So, in other words, you're one of the more unique ones :P
Oh, I forgot to include another link in my previous reply: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamer#Dedication_spectrum (it's in the OP :P)
There are actually several ways you can describe a gamer and gaming habits is just one of them (I think it's a factor that's more fickle than most though). Dedication to gaming is another but this factor seems a bit more permanent I think because it deals with the "core" of being a gamer, which is generally driven by "behaviour". Unfortunately, the wiki page didn't really elaborate much on this.
So my takeaway is that labels are only useful if there's a set definition or collective understanding of what a label means, and trying to lump games and gamers into labels may be a pointless and fruitless exercise. :)
Heh, it won't stop them from trying though :) Personally, I just like how the term sounds (primarily); most of the definition I've found about this category seems to fit me down to a T so I guess I'm as "midcore" as it gets :P (secondarily) and like you said, the word looks so much like "mediocre"/"average" and that fits me as well as a gamer (tertiarily).
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See, that's the thing, though, there seems to be no consensus.
"Core gamer" or "mid-core" (I really, really hate "mid-core") as defined by Wikipedia fits me pretty well. I have a wide range of gaming interests and play enthusiastically, but without the time spent or competition of a hardcore gamer. I don't have the time or patience for long MMO quests anymore (my WoW guild leading days are well behind me), or any similar style quest that seems to be just wasting my time (like most of the side-quests in Nier, unfortunately). The Wii U may not necessarily cater well to me (though the 3DS sure did), but I rarely play casual games as they don't tend to interest me, and I don't have the time or interest in the difficulty and competition of hardcore gaming, so core fits me pretty well. I'm not a casual gamer, I'm not a hardcore gamer, thus I'm a core gamer.
But the previous article you linked (from Gamasutra, iirc) seemed to define mid-core as an off-shoot of casual. All the definitions were focused on simple, accessible games, short play sessions, simpler mechanics than standard games, shorter stories, casual games with more depth, etc. For gamers they described people who were just starting to branch out from casual games. So their collective definitions didn't describe me or the games I play at all.
So it's not just that people don't fit nicely into predefined categories - where one is mostly hardcore but also slightly casual, for example - but that the people making the categories can't seem to agree on what those categories actually are. Without a set and agreed upon definition for the term, the term is kind of useless. You might as well call them septerra-core gamers. :)
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From what I know, "midcore" is basically the same as "core". I just opted for the former because I don't like using "TCG" as my tag - Trading card game? I think not :P So TMCG it is!
Glad you liked the wiki link. I did quite a bit of reading way back when the term was pretty popular because like you, I was intrigued by the word. Not sure if I can find all the stuff I've read though.
But the previous article you linked (from Gamasutra, iirc) seemed to define mid-core as an off-shoot of casual. All the definitions were focused on simple, accessible games, short play sessions, simpler mechanics than standard games, shorter stories, casual games with more depth, etc. For gamers they described people who were just starting to branch out from casual games. So their collective definitions didn't describe me or the games I play at all.
Well, I don't really agree that midcore is defined by the article as an "off-shoot of casual". I'd say they describe "midcore/core" more like a more accessible version of hardcore games or a tougher, in-depth and more complicated casual games - basically, the mid point, or sweet spot if you will, between casual and hardcore games.
And all of the features they have listed can be mostly true and apply to midcore gamers in general, but like I said before, (I'm quoting you here "So their collective definitions didn't describe me or the games I play at all.") you don't have to fit perfectly into the mold to consider yourself a midcore/core gamer because not a lot of people do.
Think of it like one of those personality types. You take a quiz and get a result which you may resonate with on a 50:50 basis or even a 70:30 but there isn't a type that will make you go "That's 100% me for sure! They've got me figured out down to a T!" (mainly because we're still figuring out ourselves; our likes and dislikes for instance, as we go through life. Imagine a quiz result knowing you more than you know yourself, right? :P).
Personally, I resonate with almost all of their description of a midcore gamer. Though I do tend to fluctuate between the extreme ends of the category - I enjoy a fun match-3 or idle clicker game as much as I enjoy battling it out with the big boys in highly competitive MMOFPSes (not so much of that these days though :P).
So it's not just that people don't fit nicely into predefined categories - where one is mostly hardcore but also slightly casual, for example - but that the people making the categories can't seem to agree on what those categories actually are. Without a set and agreed upon definition for the term, the term is kind of useless. You might as well call them septerra-core gamers. :)
Well, I'm not really sure who coined the term in the first place and what they actually wanted the term to mean, but these categories deal with human behaviour and perhaps that's why it's more fluid than say groups like "what are fruits and vegetables" (though, I'm sure if you find the right people, they will argue your ears off about whether tomato is a fruit or a vege).
As an example, just take a look at the groups that we use for generations of people. If you ask different people, you'll get different answers as to when the "millennial generation", or "gen Z" for that matter, actually begins. There are just a few points that many people would probably agree on but not everyone born within the said generational bracket can relate to the agreed upon points (a.k.a. the consensus).
The same goes for game genres (basically "game categories") I'd say. This is a question that I've been mulling over for quite some time now so let me just ask you this - what constitute a strategy game? The first thing that comes to mind is probably the classic RTSes (of course this vary from player to player), but it also includes TDs, turn-based, 4x, etc. However, what about tycoons? Time management games? City builders? Heck, even match-3 games can be strategic if they are designed to be that way.
I hope I made some sense here - running on (almost) empty is wrecking havoc on my brain :P
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You've made a lot of sense, well done.
And your tastes are clearly quite broad. I have no interest in either idle clickers (boo, hiss!) or highly competitive online FPS (once they were my jam, but no more). I do have a soft spot for a match-3 game with RPG elements, though. :)
And you're quite right, it's not the only label that's rather vague and fluid. Millennial is a good example as that label seems to grow each time I check, going from just people born in the '90s and on to also people born in the '80s, to even going as far back as those born in '77. At a certain point you have to stop and ask, "How can a 15-year-old and a 40-year-old both be Millennials?" And then they tried to introduce a new subgroup, for those born '77-85', and I forget what they called it, but basically trying to describe those between Z and Millannial. It's all confusing.
And when I think strategy, I initially think turn-based, 4X, wargames. RTS is definitely a sub-genre, but not what I immediately think of - if you just said "strategy game", I'd think of something like Civilization or Total War before I thought of Company of Heroes. But genres are blending and fusing all the time. FTL is a rogue-like and also a strategy game. Mass Effect is an RPG but also a third-person shooter. You compare Dark Souls to Pillars of Eternity and wonder how they can both be in the same genre. You could accurately call Dark Souls an action RPG, but that might confuse it with ARPGs like Diablo - which no one really refers to as action RPGs anymore, only ARPGs, and with good reason as Diablo is as different from Dark Souls as Dark Souls is from Pillars of Eternity.
And then you've got Valkyria Chronices - a turn-based, real-time, top-down, first-person, visual novel, strategy RPG. :)
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RTS is definitely a sub-genre, but not what I immediately think of - if you just said "strategy game", I'd think of something like Civilization or Total War before I thought of Company of Heroes
Ah, I see - I grew up playing classic RTS games, like Red Alert, Command and Conquer, Starcraft, Warcraft, Cossacks, Stronghold, Rise of Nations, Age of Empires, Age of Mythlogy etc. Played quite a bit of Total War Shogun in my teens as well so these games come to my mind really easily. :)
But genres are blending and fusing all the time.
True that. Many games today, especially the more innovative indies, tend to be an amalgam of genres, mechanics and features. This helps them to stand out but it can also make describing their games to prospective customers/investors a bit more difficult. Not to mention, there are some devs that just like to chuck as many popular "keywords" as they can and hope something sticks/ attracts the masses :P
Haven't had the chance to play Valkyria Chronicles but it sounds like a swell game to try. I'll keep an eye out for it :)
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Oh, I grew up playing RTS games too. Command & Conquer, Red Alert, Starcraft, Warcraft, Dune 2000. But I always think of them as real-time strategy, while just strategy brings to mind Civilization (another game I grew up with) or Castles or playing Romance of the Three Kingdoms on an NES.
Valkyria Chronicles is great! It's frequently on sale for $5 or so, and is a terrific game. It's definitely an amalgamation, as it is an RPG that fuses a top-down, turn-based strategy map with third-person turn-based combat that's a mix of turn-based and real-time, along with first-person sort-of real-time shooting, and visual novel elements between combat. And all of it is done in a gorgeous water color art style. And there are all these lovely details such as that reading through your roster of soldiers you discover that one is a clean freak, one likes the outdoors, one is anti-social, one is a lesbian, many of them are friends, while some secretly lust after others but their feelings aren't returned, and all of these effect their combat performance in subtle or significant ways. It's also a war story presented in a rather charming and lighthearted way, but it isn't afraid to get appropriately dark sometimes, and definitely resonated emotionally with me. I highly recommend it.
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And there are all these lovely details such as that reading through your roster of soldiers you discover that one is a clean freak, one likes the outdoors, one is anti-social, one is a lesbian, many of them are friends, while some secretly lust after others but their feelings aren't returned, and all of these effect their combat performance in subtle or significant ways.
Wow, I love this part a lot :D Most RPGs don't tend to go that much in-depth unless the characters happen to be important to the storyline or something.
By the way, was the game a console-exclusive? I can find Valkyria Chronicles 1 and 4 on Steam, but it's missing 2 and 3.
Edit: Yup should have just googled it :P Any idea whether Sega is going to bring VC 2 and 3 to PC?
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I don't know, we can hope. I'm guess it largely depends on how well VC 4 and the PC versions sell. I know lots of fans, myself included, were disappointed that VC 2 and 3 were PSP exclusives. But those sound like games that they could port to the PS5, and thus also to the PC.
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Alright, fingers crossed then! :) It'd be nice to be able to play the series from 1 to 4 just to see how much the game has changed from one version to another.
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I wanted to join a few days ago but my join request is still pending :P
P.S. I have Vikings - Wolves of Midgard so I won't be entering 600 milstone GA. Just wanted to be a part of the group :)
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Gotcha, I'll add you first! :)
P/S: I made a little mistake with the GA - Unfortunately, the duration is a bit too long :P
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Congrats on your 600 group-members milestone! 👾
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Sure, it has always been an open group :) It was just closed temporarily for the milestone giveaway.
If you haven't already, you can join now.
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Single player only gamer. sometimes i play online games
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Bumping again because we've reached another milestone + another special giveaway :)
Join here:
- For reaching 100 followers: https://www.steamgifts.com/giveaway/nHSQk/forgotton-anne
- Special contribution: https://www.steamgifts.com/giveaway/vVlog/nyanco
If you're not a group member, here's an open GA:
https://www.steamgifts.com/giveaway/YBduN/25-cadre-of-death
Stay tuned for another special GA (Hint: It's a game I've recently gushed about in a review 😉) - coming real soon!
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You need to be a group member to join group-only giveaways. The group is temporarily closed for the milestone giveaway though, so if you're interested leave a request at the Steam group page and I'll add you once the giveaway is done.
If you're not a group member, there's the open giveaway where anyone above level 1 can join :)
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I didn't see any rules or requirements for joining? Ami I missing them or is there none?
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Nope, no group requirements. Contribution is entirely optional and there's no ratio system or anything like that.
Feel free to join, especially if you like indie games :)
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Thanks for the accept, ill try to do some giveaways when I get a chance myself.
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What day is your event gonna be over?
I also followed your profiles on those sites and I actually stream on Twitch myself!
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If you're already part of the group, feel free to join the giveaways. If not, I'm afraid you'll need to wait a bit - at least until the current milestone giveaway is done.
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Hi, I made my request to enter your group on steam. What must be done to join the giveaways? ^^
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There's still 2 more days on the clock for the current milestone giveaway, so once that's done, I'll approve all group requests :)
Once you're in, you just need to Sync your Steam account with your SG account (here: https://www.steamgifts.com/account/settings/profile) and you should start seeing the group giveaways here: https://www.steamgifts.com/giveaways/search?type=group
Hope you'll enjoy your stay with us! ^^
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Followed curator,YT and twitch, looking forward for some quality streams!
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Heya! If you've sent a group request, you should already be in the group. If so, simply re-sync your SG account with your Steam account to access all relevant group giveaways :)
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Bumping because we've reached another milestone + another special giveaway :)
Join here:
- For reaching 700 group members: https://www.steamgifts.com/giveaway/VWoBU/tacoma
- Special group giveaway: https://www.steamgifts.com/giveaway/jeD13/streets-of-rogue
If you're not a group member, here's an open GA:
https://www.steamgifts.com/giveaway/EwuI1/splatter-zombie-apocalypse
Group is closed again because of the milestone GA, but if you want to join, be sure to pop me a request via the Steam group (link is in the OP and in the open giveaway's description).
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I try to play everything I can get my hands on so I guess you could say I'm Bubbles from the Powerpuff Girls.
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Good for you for playing any game you can get your hands on! :) I'm sure you've gotten some pleasant surprises from some hidden gem games
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Ooooooh boy, you would not be wrong both genuinely and ironically. I've had the pleasure of discovering some actual gems like Hyper Light Drifter and was even indoctrinated into speedrunning thanks to Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed as well as had a "blast" with the Digital Homicide games and other shovelware/asset flips. Gotta make the most of what you've got. ;T
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Gotta make the most of what you've got. ;T
True dat :)
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I am in your steam group but i cant join giveaways i sync but still not working
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Can you try syncing again? If it's still not working, you might need to send a message to SG support.
It's a weird bug though, first I've heard of it :P
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I am mostly a co-op gamer, because I get bored easily playing alone (when I play alone, mostly some horror game or shooter... or both). Anyway, I play a lot, and I get very passionate while gaming (also on sports, but that is another thing), but the main purpose for me is just have fun (sometimes being competitive, sometimes doing nonsenses). Does that make me an almost hardcore? Midcore? No idea xD.
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I'm not much of a gamer, though lately I've been gaming more on my Oculus Go. On other platforms I game rarely, except when playing co-op with my son (currently playing Halo 2 remastered).
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Bumping for a special giveaway
Join here: https://www.steamgifts.com/giveaway/PDPRk/hidden-fears-moonlight-edition
If you're not a group member, here's an open GA: https://www.steamgifts.com/giveaway/l8hkG/we-are-the-dwarves
Another milestone giveaway is coming right up as well :)
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Bumping again for the 200 review milestone giveaway :)
Join here: https://www.steamgifts.com/giveaway/SDqPd/lords-of-the-fallen-game-of-the-year-edition
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Heya!
Been promoting my Steam group on SG via giveaways for quite some time now and I think it's high time for me to create a proper SG page for the group :)
P/S: If this thread looks familiar... well, you're not crazy and it's not deja vu! I actually had to remake the thread - sorry! :P
Why should you join? ... because of the giveaways of course!
Granted that I'm earning nowhere near a six-figure income so I can only give whatever I can, there's still a couple of great GAs from time to time, especially when the group reached a milestone that I think is worth celebrating :)
✅ Join: https://steamcommunity.com/groups/themidcoregamer/
Follow and subscribe if you'd like to check out or have a first sneak peek of upcoming or recently released indie games!
✅ Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheMidcoreGamer?sub_confirmation=1
✅ Follow: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/33780629-The-Midcore-Gamer/
Other stuff :)
✅ Follow x2: https://www.twitch.tv/themidcoregamer/ (mostly triple A stuff here)
☑️ Like: https://www.facebook.com/themidcoregamer/
☑️ Tweet? https://twitter.com/TheMidcoreGamer
Whether you subscribed/followed or you simply drop by and check out my content, I appreciate the support!
If you want to contribute to the group, feel free to go ahead as well.. I won't mind at all :) Thanks for the contribution!
FYI: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamer#Dedication_spectrum
Plus a study: https://quanticfoundry.com/2018/08/01/casual-hardcore/
Enjoy this old meme :P
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