I definitely think there is a spectrum and it's not even a linear one. There are types of games you expect are only for the hardcore. But even among those there will be people who feel more hardcore than others because of how much time they spend in multiplayer or working on achievements while you might even have the types that would be considered casuals playing the game.

On the flip side, there are definitely more hardcore gamers that still play some flash games here and there or maybe even play Farmville type stuff on Facebook. Recall that there was a time long before FB and before a time when flash games were for housewives when only true "gamers" even bothered with such online games.



However, I'm a bit of a hypocrite too. My wife was talking about another teacher at school who was like "Oh yeah! I'm a gamer!" before talking about some version of pocket Sudoku she played occasionally. She'd even considered getting a Wii (she owned no consoles or portables... I suggested the DS over the Wii).

Of course, my wife and I both scoffed at the idea that this lady who played a tiny bit of Sudoku on some monochrome device she picked up at the Wal-Mart checkout line for $3 bucks was a "gamer."

Is that too harsh? Should gamer also include grandmas who do bingo or middle-aged men who sit around and play poker on Saturday nights. I just feel like the term gamer doesn't connote to include such things.