Define "light gaming"

I see the term "light gaming" or "casual gaming" thrown around a lot. I just wanted to know what people really think what this term means. When buying a laptop people say they want one for light gaming.

The problem I see with this is that light gaming could mean playing one or two games but have fairly steep system requirements. Or does it mean someone that plays flash based for yahoo type games? Or older games or lesser requirements in general? Or something else altogether?

 

It's too subjective.
One person might play games from 2004 or before and another person might be playing one hour of Crysis....and then complain his low end graphics card can't put the game on the highest settings to satisfy his 'light gaming' needs.

 

I agree that's it's a subjective term.

For me - light gaming is relative to what's out there. I'm a light gamer because the games I play are in some cases; several years old (TF2, Day of Defeat:Source, etc) And it also means that some of the newer games aren't quite as demanding: L4D 1/2. And lastly, I have one hour gaming sessions because gaming is a brief escape from reality and does not consume much of my time. Therefore, I am a "light gamer"

 

Yep, too subjective. I dislike it when people recommend a lower end GPU such as a 9400GT or something for "light gaming". Light gaming could mean that person wants to play a couple hours of Crysis every week and the 9400GT is not going to cut it.

 

To me a "light-gaming" computer is one that is not used primarily for gaming but is capable of gaming in a pinch like on the road and is not going to be used for brand new demanding games. I'm sure the term means kinda of the same thing to most people but there is no "one" or "right" definition for it, its a niche and depends on the person using it.

 

I think that people should state what games they plan on playing rather than just using such a general term as "light gaming". That way we can better help them choose a system that will better fit their needs.

 

I would define "light gaming" as either playing few hours a week, or playing games that does not need a lot off gpu power to run decent at lower resolutions and graphic settings at lowish medium something.

Either way i would never recommend a Nvidia Geforce 9400m, ATI Mobility HD 4330 or similar gpus for gaming anyways.

 

I will echo what everyone said that this is a subjective matter, having that said, what I define as a light gamer is someone who doesn't devote or commit a lot of his or her resources towards gaming as it is a means to pass time for them. So someone who might just jump into a game and play it without devoting time outside of said game (either reading about its reviews or sharing thoughts with others on some forums or reading about certain secrets, builds, etc).

When I think of a light gamer I picture an action game/FPS player instead of a RTS/RPG player; someone who wants to just jump into a game real quickly and slash/shoot up some bad guys without having to know much at all about the story or the characters. Whereas a "light" gamer might get turned off by competitive RTS play of having to micromanage or a character/story-driven RPG game where the emphasis isn't on combat or even some competitive online RPG games where more time spent = more level + better gear = more powerful in PvP.

 

This is why the FAQ has a specific question which asks for a list of games: terms like "light gaming" or "casual gaming" don't mean anything to most people.

 

I've always considered light or casual gaming as anything that can run on an IGP. Flash, Sims, etc.

If you need discrete graphics, it's not considered "light."

 

For me it would be being able to play current games and low or medium settings.

 

It's completely subjective - some people mean flash games online / some mean playing Sims 2/3. My Casual gaming is playing DX9 games smoothly without eye-candy at max (so my studio 13z playing TF2 / CoD4 / L4D at 720p at ok details but not in Crysis glory is what I'd count as casual gaming).

So Macbooks could be used for casual gaming / studio 15's could be used, most AMD laptops (3200/4200 or better gpu) could be counted...

 

Light gaming is the very smallest of the spectrum. Any lower than light gaming is what? No gaming. So that means light gaming is anything that will basically run on the lowest platforms, which are IGPs.

Until discreet become standard material, light gaming will always mean the lowest common denominator.

 

You read my mind perfectly.

 

Light gaming refers to the amount and vigour of playing a game, and not necessarily the style of play or game type. It is playing any game lightly; whether it be Crysis or Starcraft, you play for maybe a couple hours here and there and don't become too entrenched.

Casual gaming on the other hand is your mainstream gaming, comprising of your typical dumb-as-nails FPS's, most console games, flash-based 2D platformers, "pop-cap" games, etc, - pretty much anything you could picture your mom or little sister playing.

For anyone aware of the terms, being called a light gamer is merely a designation, whereas being called a casual gamer can be taken as a down-right insult.

 

No such thing as Light Gaming!

You're either a gamer, or not! Muahahahahahaha!




Haha

 

Light gaming is a pretty convoluted term, it varies user to user. It could mean the occasional game, or using a currently low end GPU part to play older games or new games at reduced settings.

 

I would say I'm a light gamer. I play a couple of hours of Crysis a week, and I certainly don't feel the need to have an uber good gaming laptop. I really have no yearning to play everything at max. I would consider a heavy gamer someone with a good gaming laptop, with a high end GPU, that feels the need to play every game at the maximum possible settings.

And yes, I do agree that it is a very subjective term.

 

For all intensive purposes, when people say "light gaming" they are generally asking about a laptop's power when they buy. The choice of their graphics card does not matter if they play for 1 hour a week, or 72 hours a week...it will still perform at it's level. So it's simply a question of requirements of the games they play, regardless of the statement "light gaming".

 

sorry, but this is gonna kill me...

 

haha, true that. I remember someone correcting me a few years ago...and i thought i kicked the habit, but it crept back in there, lol.

 

Not playing in the dark. Or, playing during the day only. Ok. Maybe not.
Light gaming(v.)-playing older less graphic intensive games. Light gamer(n.)-a person that does not play extended sessions of games. I don't play for long periods of time, but I consider my games pretty high end on the graphics utilization. Therefore I am not a light gamer. But I also love playing Plants vs. Zombies which to me is light.
I think 'light' means little(256Mb) or lower graphics usage.

 

:laugh:

This is great.

 

Light gamer = flash based internet games/windows games. It's the bottom rung, you don't get any less gamer than light gaming. Casual gamer is one up from that and its sorta the sports/racing slightly more demanding. Then the general gamer who plays the usual lineup of FPSs & RTSs. Then hardcore gamers who play often and play hard lol.

Well, that's my idea and always thought it was the common guidelines to gaming!

 

^Exactly! 10

 

I honestly don't think you can classify gaming with actual genres of games. Just because a game is of a casual nature(ex: sports or puzzle) doesn't mean you can't get "hardcore" into it.

Arguably, I wouldn't call someone who plays Solitaire 24/7 a hardcore gamer, but I also wouldn't exactly call it "light" either lol (idk what I'd call it except an obsession for Solitaire)