Do "Hardcore Gamers" Still Matter?

Con esto de que ahora las compañias estan dedicadas a atraer al "casual gamer" (si te compras una consola creo que dejas de serlo,en la mayoría de los casos, pero en fin) que pasa con el otro extremo, el freak (en la mejor de la intenciones) apasionado que se sabe todos los finales posibles de esos juegos que tienen como único reclamo ese hecho, que odia a los piratas (también en la mayoría de los casos, el gamer tercermundista es de moral un poco menos estricta) y que no se ha lavado la mano desde que Miyamoto se la estrechó.

¿Qué hay de ellos?

¿Ya no importan?, ¿Estan en peligro de extinción?

Este articulo en Gamespy intenta vertir un poco de luz sobre la opinion de los creativos al respecto.

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If you're not a hardcore gamer yourself, chances are that you know one. He (or she) is the one who knows the exact day the next Miyamoto game is due out. He proudly wears t-shirts that say "Pwnd" or "Mushroom power." He may eagerly pay a small fortune importing obscure games from Japan and enjoy quoting Will Wright the way one would Confucius.

But how does the industry itself define this fiercely dedicated audience? How do game developers, marketing executives, and the media view them? How much of an effect does this group have over the game industry as a whole, and how much attention does the industry actually give them?

To get our answers, we turned to a diverse collection of game industry insiders for an in-depth Q-and-A session. Here's what they had to say.

The High-Level Executive

Let's start off at the very top. For the upper-level hardware and software executive point of view, we have Tina Kowalewski, Vice President of Development at 7 Studios, the company behind the recent Fantastic Four game. She helped launch both the PlayStation and the PlayStation 2 at Sony and has more than fifteen years of industry experience working for companies such as Interplay and Sammy.

GameSpy: First off, what is your definition of a hardcore gamer?

Tina Kowalewski: Hardcore, in terms of a gamer, is typically male between the ages of 14-34 who spends most of his leisure time playing video games over any other form of entertainment or activity. Much of their expendable income is dedicated to buying the latest, greatest games and gaming technology; whether it's the newest gaming console or upgrading their PC.

GameSpy: How important is this hardcore gamer group to developers?

Kowalewski: Hardcore gamers are very important to developers and publishers because they are the "influencers" when it comes to driving buzz and sales for a game. Hardcore gamers may play up to 100 games per year, but they only make up about 1/5 to 1/4 of game purchasers, but their influence over the rest of the game sales is enormous, potentially turning a moderate hit into a monster.

GameSpy: How much attention do you think developers give or should give to hardcore gamers?

Kowalewski: Developers must consider the influence of the hardcore gamers when making any game unless it's targeted at a different audience such as young kids. Hardcore gamers are the hardest to please, and they are very opinionated, passionate and vocal -- this is a good thing if your game is great, but they will definitely let everyone know if your game is not.

GameSpy:How much influence do hardcore gamers have over the direction of the game industry?

Kowalewski: Since these are a very vocal number, quite a bit. They often help shape trends early that later trickle down to the "casual" gamers market -- music games, for example, started gaining speed as specialized and difficult arcade titles (Beatmania) before hitting the mainstream (Dance Dance Revolution, Guitar Hero). First-Person Shooters could have been seen as hardcore games before titles such as Halo made them everyday fare, and Role-Playing Games were a niche market in America before vocal "hardcore" gamers helped make Final Fantasy a household name.

GameSpy: Can hardcore gamers ever be harmful to development?

Kowalewski: Sometimes, yes. It's a fine line to develop games that "anyone" could enjoy, and if you pay too much attention to pleasing the most vocal of your audience (the "hardcore" gamers), you run the risk of making the game unappealing to the market you're really going after (the "casual" gamers) by making it too difficult or specialized.

GameSpy: In the future, what do you think will happen to the hardcore demographic?

Kowalewski: In my opinion, it'll definitely continue to grow. And so will the casual gamer demo... Having more casual games will not negatively affect the number of hardcore gamers.

It's easy to assume that the upper-level executive is only concerned with the bottom line, but we should remember that these guys aren't born in a vacuum. Most of them have paid their dues and climbed up from the bottom, just like everyone else. The good ones remember their roots and believe in the value of what a dedicated hardcore audience has to offer, and it shows in this interview.