On the surface, casual and fighting games go together like..like humans in a mine field...maybe I just went a little to far with the metaphor, but these days I feel like the majority mind set when it comes to fighting games and "hardcore" games like it just fits. I feel like the word casual in reference to gaming has been getting a very bad rep on both sides of the coin and this rings especially true when it comes to fighting games. Unfortunately, the future may be a train wreck in the making if developers don't walk this line very carefully and really analyze what casual truly means to the world of fighting games.
Find your latest gaming killer app and you'll quickly understand why the word casual has been unfairly thrown out of context. In its minimalist form, when it comes to gaming at least, causal is the literal meaning of picking up a game and playing it. True, the word casual is often presented in the learning curve of the games you play but like games so love to do, they gradually become a little more rockier the more you tread upon the landscape.
The addiction that manifests itself the minute a game grabs a hold of you can singularly be lead to one culprit, difficulty. It is the hang up, that initial moment where it becomes an obsession that you have to complete but you may not have time to. Often times it can become a bit competitive "He has a high score, I must break it..and in breaking it I break him *maniacal stare*." Okay so its not that serious but this is what casual becomes when you enter the land of gaming...I know I'm not alone here..don't you judge me.
It's why today's gaming has become something that millions of people all over the world do when they get a little free time. I feel like the over aged high school kid that should have already graduated hanging out at the locker when classes are done. I've been there ; I know the feels, it's wonderful,it sucks monkey balls, yeah yeah. Being there allows you a point of view that some don't quite understand yet and I feel like my view of casual in the game world is pretty 20-20.
Casual and fighting games are very much old friends but in a time of online match making and streaming competitive bliss, they may look like mortal enemies...mortal enemies who friend hug each other and laugh at the ones who just don't get it. The line can't so easily be drawn because this line is based on the human interaction that the individual takes on when they first pick up the controller and start to play.
The path of the player is a very individualistic journey and should not be confined to just a set group's idealistic tendencies. Because you can't bend the game to your "I want to pick it up fast" attitude the idea of this being a casual experience eludes you. If you tell me there is no fun to be had in a challenge, I'm afraid I'm going to chuckle in your direction...maybe even lol because I've never known of any game that didn't have some kind of challenge.
I can often times share the sentiment of how difficult it can be to enjoy something that is so entrenched in a very competitive mindset but I assure you ; you're going to find this in any game that has high scores, time completion, and a myriad of other set goals that have made its way to gaming since the dawn of its inception.
Despite the mountain you may have to climb, you are well in your RIGHT to take as much time as you need to enjoy the challenge set before you. If you don't feel the need to know how much frame data Ryu's crouching MK has, then that is OK...just don't get too pissed off if the other person you're playing against knows how to punish you for using it.
*deep breath* So, with all that being said, please take a second and think about it before you say "This game isn't really considerate to the casual gamer." or "This game should be created to invite more casual players.". By thinking in this way, you are giving the word casual a bad name.(and putting more pressure on the developers at that) One that it does not deserve ESPECIALLY when it comes to games in general.
