Help! My boss is a casual gamer!

[Super Orbus]

How is your boss being a "casual gamer" (whatever it is you think that means) even your concern? Why is this even a problem?

If you must, just tell him to go play Black Ops or whatever and leave you alone.

[Jave]

Jul 16, 2011 14:54:16 GMT -5 susanismyalias said:

Jul 16, 2011 14:40:08 GMT -5 Jave said:

It's too late, Chucat, you've probably already caught his casual and it's just a matter of time before you're one too. It's probably for the best if you lock yourself in the basement now, and we'll send someone over with a big bag of differently coloured rocks for you to line up in little rows of 3.

It's not that I don't want use to hang out anymore, it's just that we need to contain this thing before it becomes an epidemic.

someone just sent me a farmville request WHAT DO I DO

First things first, you should cut off all contact with this person immediately. remember, friends don't send friends farmville requests. This person is dirty and not to be trusted.

Sercond, make sure to wash thoroughly with an abrasive sponge and antimicrobial soap. This may hurt a little, but you don't want any leftover casual hiding somewhere in your pores where it can multiply and possibly even spread.

Third, wipe down your computer with 70% isopropyl alcohol, and do not touch it until the alcohol has fully dried.

Lastly, burn whatever clothes you were wearing when you received the request.

If you still have concerns, consult a physician, and have yourself checked. Remember: early detection is half the battle.

[personman]

You could mention Wow. Blizzard pretty much butchered the game for the sake of people who didn't want to really play it and now only requires a combination of running, pressing one button, and minor cognition to succeed.

[chucat]

Jul 16, 2011 13:32:17 GMT -5 Ike said:

Suggest a Wii. Ask him how much he'd be willing to pay for one. If the answer is greater than "nothing" he may be beyond help.

Alt: Wave a plastic baseball bat wiimote accessory in front of him. If he expresses interest, hit him with it.

I asked him if he'd be interested in a Wii and he laughed dismissively and called it a bad console.

But then he said he wanted an Xbox 360 for Gears of War and Call of Duty...

[kitten]

I would call people who exclusively play things like Farmville "non-gamers," in the same way I would not call someone who only watches one movie or reads one book even a casual "movie-goer" or "book-reader." At that point, it's not even worth "casually" identifying yourself as. Before even classifying someone as a casual gamer, it should be expected that they at least somewhat regularly play a few different video games.

[chucat]

Jul 16, 2011 15:59:19 GMT -5 kitten said:

I would call people who exclusively play things like Farmville "non-gamers," in the same way I would not call someone who only watches one movie or reads one book even a casual "movie-goer" or "book-reader." At that point, it's not even worth "casually" identifying yourself as. Before even classifying someone as a casual gamer, it should be expected that they at least somewhat regularly play a few different video games.

What the hell, he's Eastern European. All because he couldn't play any games before and or after the Wall fell until he came to the Western World doesn't mean you have to get on his case.

[ldorado]

I hope the definition of "gamer" hasn't been tainted with the Scott Pilgrim movie. I'd like to consider myself a gamer, though I don't like or play EVERY game, mostly due to lack of money. Maybe I'm a Bohemian or snob of sorts depending on all of your views.

Kitty makes a good point about video games. Just because you like to play a specific one doesn't mean you can call yourself a gamer. Still, if you introduce this guy to some of your interests, he might get more into it. It's like for someone who's never read a book in English before. You typically DO NOT introduce something like I Am Number Four, Twilight, or some generic fantasy to him or her. Maybe a classic or something you can guarantee is good, though it's all a bit of a risk.

[Ike]

This thread is amazing.

[caoslayer]

Do the next test until he says yes:

Want to play mostly with his family and friends?
pick a wii.

Wants to pirate the console at the cost of no online?
Pick a xbox.

Wants a blu ray player?
pick a ps3

Wants to play online and don't mind paying?
Pick a xbox.

Only wants to play FPS?
Pick a xbox.

In case of tie, throw a coin, IMO xbox and ps3 are the same unless noted before.

[ldorado]

Better yet, if he prefers the Japanese games, go for the PS2 or 3. Learned that the hard way.

[PooshhMao]

The Wii is totally casual though. I once helped fix my female colleague's laptop, a married woman with about eighty dogs to compensate for her lack of fertility.

She had a Wii with a few fitness games and a puppy sim.

[Mr. Beam]

Give him/her a Playstation with a copy of Konami Arcade Classics, and tell him/her to play some Gyruss.

[kitten]

^ Gyruss is on 360's XBLA, too <

[robertagilmour]

I just realised that I guess I could call myself a casual gamer. Even though I play King of Fighters, Godhand, Castlevania, Muramasa and Pacman World, I only play them weeks or months apart.

I think for some people defining what is casual is all about how seriously they take games rather than how often they play or how their taste is percieved. I've always felt Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto and early Tomb Raider games could be called casual games because their sales owed more to the non-obsessed. But some would argue casual games are titles that lack qualities that would attract serious gamers or any type of devotion.

I dont like obsessive attempts to categorise people, especially judging their taste and commitment. What would you call someone who only played one arcade game but was a world champion at it? I knew a Janitor whose grandmother was obsessed with TombRaider and was supposed to be really great at it but seemingly didnt play anything else.

[Sac (a.k.a Icaras)]

playing games is...playing games?