I always understand hardcore gamers as people who simply play games a lot and understand how to completely appreciate what they're playing. But then people dumb the term down when they call people who play "competitively" hardcore gamers, and I really don't know what the hell a hardcore gamer is now. I like to call myself a hardcore gamer but I don't want everyone thinking I'm a competitive douche that only plays multiplayer. Playing a single-player game no longer qualifies as being "hardcore" anymore, apparently.