Wow, is everybody becoming lapsed/non-gamers here? C'mon guys! Buck up!
Actually, I think I'm in a very unique position to provide perspective here. I happen to straddle multiple camps of gaming. I'm a non-gamer (I just discovered the MAGIC that is Picross, and am a proud owner of Cooking Mama) AND a hardcore gamer (Just ask Golden Phoenix, apparently I am a Halo/GTA/GearsOfWar/GodOfWar/TooHuman lover or something like that) AND a casual gamer (Did you see that new Harry Potter Trailer? OMG DROOLZ!!!).
And I've actually cut waaaay back on my gaming time even starting in High School. On hours per week playing... I have trouble thinking of any excuse to not check the "less than 4 hours a week" option. (Does the Everybody Votes channel count as playing?) And let's face it. I suck. I could put 100 hours into a game and STILL not beat it. I've given up trying to beat games on many occasions just because I've accepted reality.
And that's my secret, actually. Who says that you need to "beat" games in order to enjoy them, in order to play them, in order to get your money's worth? That's a lie, that's a psychological fallacy we have, a false dichotomy. I can have fun at games, be happy, consider myself a gamer and STILL not beat them! I mean, how many people beat GTA:SA? Not many I bet you, and they don't consider the game, or themselves, failures. They got what they wanted out of the game: they played it, enjoyed it, and treasured the time they had before they had to move on.
The measure of a gamer isn't how many games he beats, or if he beats any at all. It isn't how many hours a week she usually gets to play. Those are lies invented by Ub3R-pnw-N00|3-1337 heads who need to create an exclusive club for themselves in order to feel validated. SCREW beating Mario Sunshine (I never did, But I watched my younger brother do it), I enjoyed that game all the same. SCREW beating StarCraft (I always get stuck in RTS games), it doesn't mean I don't love the game and Blizzard to death.
A REAL gamer is measured by how much fun they have. Period.
~Carmine "Cai" M. Red
Kairon@aol.com