Looking and reading over mcovingt‘s post on Defining Hardcore and Casual Games, I could not agree more with the emphasis put on interruptibility in examining and considering how to define hardcore vs. casual games. Interruptibility is indeed a key factor. Where I diverge is if anything, often times interruptibility itself becomes so hard to define, and thus makes the casual vs. hardcore definition difficult to attain and blurred with each other. For example, though many of the more “hardcore” type games do demand a lot more time at once in terms of interruptibility, I think the pattern over the years is to blend and make things easier to do whatever they want with the game. For example, the use of the pause and save feature in campaign and single-player modes makes things a lot easier to interrupt with. I can find myself playing Assassin’s Creed and being extremely involved and focused in on the game, but having to pause, save, and come back the next day or so if necessary comes as easy for me and I assume would for most gamers as well. Does this aspect make it a more casual game? I don’t think so. The further development of the Auto-Save feature also helps with that. Knowing that I can leave at any time, regardless of how intense or engrossing the game is during gameplay, and still start right where I left off, adds a layer of complication to interruptibility. Even in online play, many games considered “hardcore” have menus in between matches that can take as much time to load up as the match itself. In a sense, adding more non-diegetic elements to the game make it easier to interrupt, but not necessarily any more casual.

In the same way, on the other side of the spectrum there are many games considered “casual” (Scramble with Friends, for example) that demand at least 2 or 3 minutes of your time and undivided attention in order to do well at or beat the game. In the way of interruptibility then, the game is harder to interrupt, so is it still considered casual? If anything, though certainly an important aspect indeed, interruptibility makes defining hardcore and casual games more difficult and harder to separate.