So please, answer the question. Is Animal Crossing a core series which means Nintendo did service both groups for Christmas 2008 or Animal Crossing isn't core which means Old Nintendo under Yamauchi made games that weren't 100% aimed at core either?
I'm rather interested in how your going to explain your way out of this.
I hate how people think this casual gaming fad is somehow new. It didn't start with Nintendo, it didn't start with smartphones, it didn't start with the rise of web gaming.
Casual games have been around since the beginning of the gaming industry. In fact, the entire arcade industry was built on the success of casual games like Pac-Man, Galaga, Space Invaders, Dig-Dug, Joust, Donkey Kong, Centipede, etc.
In those early days (before the 1990's), casual games thrived in arcades, while "core" games were more prevalent on PC's ("core" games in those days were mainly RPG's). And Nintendo has been making casual games since Donkey Kong (Arcade).
The entirety of the video game industry was built on the success of casual gaming. Games used to be all about "pick up and play" experiences. It had mass appeal, and everyone was able to enjoy gaming, regardless of their skill level.
All of these things caused gamers to form a somewhat elitist attitude. They wanted more enriching experiences that arcades couldn't provide. Gaming began to evolve towards more complex play styles. The mass market appeal of gaming was losing it's effect on the mainstream public, and soon after the gaming industry began to appeal solely to gamers.
In the mid 1990's, the push for 3D graphics further accentuated this rapid change in demographics. 2D gaming was out, 3D gaming was in, and with that came the need for more powerful consoles and more complex controllers. The more complex something is, the less appeal it has for the mainstream public.
And now, this whole push for more "cinematic gaming" is leading us even further away from the industry's roots.This situation is precisely the reason why Nintendo wanted to bring gaming back to it's roots with the Wii. They wanted gaming to be accessible for everyone, not just "hardcore" players. And the huge boom of smartphone and web gaming has also helped this.
Here's the point: Casual gaming has always been around, it's just that core games have overshadowed it these past 2 decades.