Casual is less out of context than Normal, "Standardly" or Traditionally. There is no normal, "traditional" or "standard" way to play games. Yes, there is:

What one defines as 'Normal' is also totally subjective, so its funny you criticize people for apparent misuse of a term, when it seems you think speedrunning a game isn't "normal"? I agree that's true in general, but if you look at gaming in aggregate - undoubtedly, most gamers play most games most of the time with no particular non-standard goal or restriction in mind. This is the most common, default type of run; this is the norm. And this is what you guys refer to as 'casual', is it not?

By the opposite side of the same coin, by the way, speedrunning may indeed be viewed as abnormal. And that's not in any way a negative thing, obviously. I think of speedrunning as a type of 'specialist' or 'enthusiast' run, personally - along with all other types of non-standard, abnormal runs.

Another way of looking at it is this: anything that exists inside a game was obviously put there by developers, for a reason; any goal that is attainable - collecting Stars in Mario 64, for example - must necessarily have some (at least one) specific way that developers intended players to achieve it; completing short, medium and long-term (beating the game) goals in a game in more or less the same way as developers intended, also constitutes normal - and what speedrunners define as casual.

You start a game and play until the end. That's the normal way of playing a game, that's the only way of playing a game. What if you start and don't finish, ever? Who knows how many times in history human beings have walked away from video games without completing them; it's impossible to say how common or uncommon - normal or abnormal - that is. There's also nothing self-evidently true about this notion of the importance of completion to the classification of types of playing; playing and completing are two different things. You're essentially saying, "you can't play without completing", which is clearly false. I think it's truer that "you can't complete without playing".

And if you're gonna sit here and tell me being knowledgeable of a game and skillful at a game isn't normal, then you're just a dumbass. Well, of course it is, but only to a certain extent. It's a blurry line, I don't know where it is exactly, but eventually there comes a point where knowledge and skill of players who're only interested in playing normally ends, and where the extra-curricular knowledge and skills I spoke of earlier - the kind known only to true enthusiasts, like speedrunners - begins.

Also, language is ever changing and ever evolving Yes, so speedrunners, please politely change and evolve your language accordingly. Just because a word can be used in unorthodox ways doesn't necessarily mean it should, especially when it's such a poor fit and there are so many better alternatives as is the case with 'casual'. The only reason you know 'fly' means 'cool' is because it attained mainstream acceptance some time in the past; that's okay, that's a natural evolution of language. However, speedrunning is not the mainstream, it is a niche community nested inside gaming, which is relatively mainstream by comparison; therefore, for all intents and purposes, 'casual' is just a meme that anyone outside your little clique likely won't understand. I'm not saying it didn't evolve organically within speedrunning - I'm not even saying it's wrong that it did - but it is wrong to recklessly throw it around during marathons where the mainstream is watching, and expect them to somehow decipher such jargon, and to refuse to adapt the definition the community's become accustomed to for emerging new phenomena like massive speedrunning marathons.

The recent replies have been pretty good, so thanks for taking this a bit more seriously, guys. Here's my response to those. Please excuse me for not replying to each of you by name, this is just the most efficient way I know.

Speedrunners shouldn't use the word "casual" for describing normal playthroughs since it's not kewl and people might get offended/discouraged This strawman version of my argument is wrong because it ignores the most important aspect: 'casual' is simply not the right word; it is invalid, linguistically.

EVERY FUCKING IDIOT get's offended or cries over some little shit ALL THE TIME If you're simply butthurt because someone is referring to you/viewers as casuals than simply don't watch. Why would anyone be able to refute your points? It's a subjective discussion. Your views VS someone else's views. No one is correct. Again, this isn't about that; I'm not just some triggered SJW. I can see the similarities, of course, hence my self-deprecating user name, but just because what I'm doing resembles that doesn't mean it's the same thing. For example, maybe it's true that my position could be boiled down to, "the speedrunning community's conception of 'casual' is a social construct of that community," but my objection isn't on behalf of some allegedly oppressed minority group, nor is it rooted in feelings or a desire to virtue signal; my position is based on objectivity, facts and empirical evidence (the dictionary), my objection is purely for the sake of linguistic - not political - correctness. I have no ideological agenda, no horse in this race.

Speedrun Marathons like GDQ may even concern that, but then this is simply the wrong Forum/Site. Call me casual but I Startpaged 'speedrunning' and clicked the first link, speedrun.com. Not that I didn't look around at other sites, but as far as I can tell this site seems to be the main hub for speedrunners on the internet.

Saying that ALL marathons should focus on donations/butthurt viewers is just plain wrong and that's the end for me. I never said, am not saying and don't even think that.

You're getting a negative reaction because the main body of your argument is, funnily enough, pointlessly semantic and practically meaningless. Is that really, really why the response has been the way it has? I'm sure there are other factors at play and it's not that simple. Anyway, I fully admit this is all a minor quip, but that's not an argument against it; that doesn't mean it is invalid.

The reason you say anything or develop any kind of terminology, is to communicate clearly. Yeah and that's precisely what speedrunners aren't doing when they say 'casual'. Again, they are describing an activity by one of many possible approaches to doing it. How does this make any sense? How is this consistent with the way they - and perhaps everyone, in general - describe other activities - after the defining characteristic of the activities themselves (speed run, score run, etc)? How is what they define as casual consistent with the actual meaning of the word (which BTW is pasted below, for convenience, in case anyone's wondering)?

It's pretty well-understood in the community what "casual" means in the context of speedruns and speedrun viewers, there's absolutely no reason to change this because the word itself upsets you or something. It doesn't upset me - except slightly, and only in the sense that it's literally wrong - and I do understand - as well as possible considering its inherent ambiguity as a title - what the community thinks it means. I'm just saying - well, just that: it's wrong, and ambiguous, and flawed and you may want to consider using a more precise term instead.

Language does what it will do, because people understand it, you aren't changing shit by being annoying in a forum. By using the wrong term, you're actively impeding language from functioning properly, particularly when you do so in front of a large audience. I have made clear my respect and appreciation for speedrunners, and my good-faith good intentions. If I really didn't like or didn't care about speedrunning, I wouldn't waste my time doing this. I'm truly sorry if that annoys some of you, and I can understand why it might, but I hope you can likewise understand it's not really my fault if it does. Granted, I started the discussion, but honestly, so what? Open discussion is how people in civilized societies solve problems and advance their ideals, right?

Why would you think that other types of self-imposed challenges are part of the definition "casual"? Because, like I said, 'casual' is such a poor word choice, for so many different reasons which I already articulated in great detail multiple times.

When I use the word "casual" when talking about gaming, I'm referring to "playing a game purely for fun without any type of challenge in mind". And no, I don't think that "casual" is the wrong term for that. 'Casual', from Merriam-Webster:

1. subject to, resulting from, or occurring by chance <a casual meeting>
2. a: occurring without regularity: occasional <casual employment> b: employed for irregular periods <a casual worker> c: met with on occasion and known only superficially <a casual friend>
3. a(1): feeling or showing little concern: nonchalant <a casual approach to cooking> a(2): lacking a high degree of interest or devotion <casual sports fans> <casual readers> a(3): done without serious intent or commitment <casual sex> b(1): informal, natural <a casual conversation> b(2): designed for informal use <casual clothing> I can see how what you're referring to may meet some of those criteria, in certain ways, some of the time. Still, why not say 'leisurely', 'normally,' 'traditionally', or 'standardly' instead? For they are all much more fitting, overall.

You're taking the word out of context, giving it a meaning that you yourself think is negative, and then trying to shove that out of context interpretation down everyone's throat. Also your constant condescending tone is becoming insufferable. No, you speedrunners are taking the word out of the context of its actual definition, twisting its meaning and assigning it a gerrymandered one which you shove down a hundred thousand viewers' throats bi-annually. I don't think the meaning you assign to it is negative per se, I just think it is incorrect. I'm sorry, but I'm tired of getting nothing back but memes and mockery for bringing this up. You don't have to like it, or me, but I'm urging you to at least think about it. I've specifically stated I'm not here to force this on you guys. Believe me, I'm not going to push the issue beyond the extent to which people are willing to seriously discuss it; while I may not agree that you should, if no one wants to do that then I am prepared to leave it at that. As I said, I have no horse in this race; you guys are the ones who will have to live with the outcome.

And obviously, if anyone can prove me wrong I'll be perfectly happy to shut the hell up and go away.

What wall of text? There were three paragraphs. And actually, they were very concise. Their length, incidentally, is due to the complexity of the subject matter. If you think you could strip it down any further, without omitting key details, I'd like to see you try. Why don't you explain your allegations, instead of just complaining and insulting me? Frankly, your entire response is worthless and unnecessary.

Look, you guys can hate on me all you want, but please don't condemn what I have to say without investigating it. One day and hundreds of views later, all attempts at debunking my main points have failed. If no one can refute my arguments, maybe it's time to admit they're true. For it would be pretty immature of an entire community to stubbornly insist on clinging to a demonstrably inappropriate term for no good reason.

If you guys don't care or don't want to change, that's your prerogative. I'm not here to force my view on any of you, however correct it may be.

That's because you were reading casually.

You should try speedreading sometime, it's right up your alley.

wait what concerns to we have that you need to address Well, a number of people still seem to be misinterpreting what I'm saying, and why. So I think it's worthwhile to summarize my position, in my own words:

Speedrunners make themselves and their community look bad when they call normal play 'casual' during marathon events. The problem with 'casual' is that it is a poor word choice, for the following reasons: casualness is not a defining factor of the type of run speedrunners define as 'casual', which makes it a flawed descriptor of the run, and which is also inconsistent with the naming of other types of runs; casualness is a condition which is neither necessarily related, nor exclusive, to so-called 'casual' runs (or any other run, for that matter), so it doesn't make sense why speedrunners select it in the first place, and it's also unclear why they choose that word as opposed to any other equally unrelated word; 'casual' also happens to be a known insult within the broader gaming community, so it's possible some might mistake or misconstrue speedrunners as using it in that manner. I'm not pointing all of this out to insult anyone - I like speedrunners and I wish the best for them - I'm merely bringing this information to your attention, that you may do with it as you please.

What one defines as 'Normal' is also totally subjective, so its funny you criticize people for apparent misuse of a term, when it seems you think speedrunning a game isn't "normal"? I agree that's true in general, but if you look at gaming in aggregate - undoubtedly, most gamers play most games most of the time with no particular non-standard goal or restriction in mind. This is the most common, default type of run; this is the norm. And this is what you guys refer to as 'casual', is it not?

By the opposite side of the same coin, by the way, speedrunning may indeed be viewed as abnormal. And that's not in any way a negative thing, obviously. I think of speedrunning as a type of 'specialist' or 'enthusiast' run, personally - along with all other types of non-standard, abnormal runs.

authorblues: sorry m8. And I don't think of it like the meme because I already know better, but maybe there are people out there who don't know better - who knows? Anywho, Timmiluvs is actually right: I have to go now. I'm sorry the response has been so hostile - I didn't wish to make any of you feel like your hobby is being attacked or overly criticized. I mean, I expected some flak going into this, which is understandable, so that's okay. But that was never my intent, eventually I hope we can talk more seriously. I know how annoying it must be that I've interjected myself into your midst like this, uninvited. There's nothing I can really do about that except remind you that I mean well, and that there's no harm in having a discussion about this. Also, don't forget as an ex-TASer I'm kind of like a very, very nerdy brother here, so I'm not a complete stranger. I will be back in the morning and continue addressing your concerns. Thanks for having me.

Authorblues: Well, I guess if you want to get really technical the opposite of 'professional' would be 'unprofessional'. Fair enough... (please don't tell the Chief of Linguistics about this). Also, I see you guys do recognize other ways of playing. I hope I didn't come across too condescending, assuming I needed to explain that concept in detail, in my OP. I wasn't sure my explanation was required but I included it just in case. And no, 'casual' doesn't trigger me. I'm quite comfortable with my gaming identity; no insecurity here. I almost made my user name 'Triggered_Casual' as a joke, but I settled on this instead. My objection to the term isn't about protecting anyone, there's nothing offensive about it except in so far as it may or may not constitute a bastardization of language. But it seems clear to me that it is a flawed title for the activity you guys use it to describe. For example:

Everyone has a goal when they play a video game. For speedruns, it's to go fast. For score runs, it's high score. For casual play, it is to have a fun time. What in that description feels offensive? You'll notice that where the goal is getting a high score, it's called a score run; where the goal is going fast, it's called a speedrun; where the goal is having fun, however, it's called a casual run for some reason. Why? This is inconsistent with the naming pattern used for other types of runs. Furthermore, the word 'casual' has no express relationship with 'having fun', technically, so it also doesn't make sense. And for what it's worth I would point out that 'having fun' is a poor criteria by which to categorize any run, as 'having fun' is applicable to all types of runs - you can have fun while speedrunning, I'm sure - one of the same reasons why 'casual' is likewise a poor choice, really. Does that mean the prime motivation for speedrunning is having fun? No, but run-types aren't named based on what drives people to run them, either; they are named according to the main element of the run itself. So what is the main element of a normal, so-called 'casual' playthrough? I think it is the complete and total absence of all other uniquely defining elements; it is normality itself. Hence it should be called 'normal' instead of 'casual.'

Timmiluvs: That's really interesting, but I'm not sure jogging is analogous to gaming. I wonder: Is jogging a hobby? Are there different ways of jogging? Isn't jogging just a certain type of running? Is running a hobby, or is it just a certain type of physical fitness - and is that a hobby? In any case, I kinda feel like 'casual jog' is redundant because jogging is self-evidently slower and steadier, more casual, than full-on running and sprinting. That's what 'jogging' describes in the first place, right? And I think 'traditional jog' sounds strange because it's not obvious if there are a variety of alternate ways of jogging. But there are indeed numerous different ways of gaming; that's why 'traditional playthrough' sounds fine (at least to me). Lastly, you seem to suggest that casualness, in the way you guys mean it, is linked to pacing? I'm sorry, but again this has no express relationship to the actual meaning of the word. Still, I get that you mean just playing normally, basically - without any particular focus on anything - but in that case why not just call it what you really mean: a normal playthrough?

I understand what you mean by 'casual', I just disagree (as politely as possible) with your choice of words, for a number of reasons. Not the least of which being that, by definition, 'casual' is not even the right word for what you're describing.

Hey guys, as an outsider here I feel it's important to preface this post by clarifying a few things about myself. First of all, I respect the speedrunning community. I appreciate the skill and knowledge involved in speedrunning, and the passion and dedication it takes to become good at it. I enjoy viewing runs of games I like during the occasional marathon, so I suppose I might rightly be described as a casual viewer of speedruns. My lifelong interest in gaming in general, however, is far from casual. I consider myself a gaming enthusiast, and while I personally never got into real-time speedruns I did spend a couple of years TASing on a regular basis.

That said, what brings me here today is this: during the recent GDQ event, as per usual many runners talked about the differences between speedruns and so-called 'casual' playthroughs; I thought about it, and it seems to me this tendency you guys have of labeling everything that isn't speedrunning as 'casual' is like a bad habit; for it is an incomplete descriptor of other types of play, that both presumes and implies a false dichotomy, and whose actual definition is in questionable alignment with the ambiguous meaning speedrunners seem to assign it; therefore it is an inappropriate term and so it deserves to be replaced by a better one, of which there are plenty, unless there is some good reason not to do so, which I can't imagine that there is.

Now I know some of you are probably thinking, "So what? Who cares what word we use?" Well, you guys should. Especially during marathons like GDQ when there are a hundred thousand people watching, your collective choice of words reflects something of the attitude of your community, and affects the public image of your hobby - negatively, in this instance, in my opinion. So without further ado, I respectfully, humbly and sincerely present for your consideration what I believe to be a pretty sound argument against the presently prevailing use of the word 'casual' among speedrunners.

There are lots of different ways to play video games. Just playing normally, or 'casually' as you guys would say, is one way; speedrunning is another, but it is not the only other. For example, I can play a game normally, enthusiastically - as opposed to casually - by doing things like completionist or minimalist runs. Alternatively, maybe I have in mind a specific class-build I wish to pursue that entails acquiring key pieces of gear and efficiently allocating stat points. Or maybe I simply want to become very good at playing the game normally, just for kicks - maybe my only aim is to master one or more particular aspects of it, such as the combat or physics mechanics.

Like speedruns, all of the above scenarios demand an above-average level of interest in the game. They all require extracurricular knowledge which is often only obtainable by going out of the way to research it in-depth on the internet. They all enable those who do this to experience first-hand the nonessential, esoteric parts of the game that would be lost on a casual-normal playthrough. They are all specialized kinds of playthroughs - enthusiast runs, let's say - methods of playing and enjoying games on a sub-surface level, just like speedrunning. And so, in an abstract sense, I see no fundamental difference between any of them - including speedrunning.

Yet for some reason speedrunners like to separate their preferred playthrough from all others - distinguishing themselves from their own peers, their own enthusiasm from that of their fellow enthusiasts. When you categorically refer to not-speedrunning as 'playing casually', you inadvertently reveal that about yourselves; you effectively deny the validity of other specializations, along with the existence of other specialist players, by simultaneously failing to recognize and attempting to consolidate everything that isn't what you like doing, and by extension everyone who doesn't like doing what you do, into a single group.

Moreover, you erroneously use the word 'casual' when what you really mean to say is 'normal', 'standard', or 'traditional'. Of course it's possible to do things casually, in general, but casualness is fundamentally a state of mind; it's more an attitude than an action. It manifests as an approach to doing something, a manner in which some activity is performed, characterized by a level of enthusiasm that is unremarkable and not outstanding.

Considering the huge amounts of time and repetition it takes to get good at speedrunning a particular game - and given that the speedrunner's excitement diminishes over time as everything becomes more and more routine, except during WR- or PB-pace runs, which are uncommon - the odds are that, most of the time, most speedrunners play from a relatively casual mindset themselves. It is possible to speedrun casually. And yet, that's not an indication that there is or isn't anything intrinsically 'casual' about speedrunning as a hobby, or about the act itself of practicing it.

So 'casualness' is neither separate from, nor part of, either speedrunning or not-speedrunning; in principle, it is equally irrelevant to both. Defining any style of play as 'casual' is flawed in the first place since the title isn't based on any central characteristic of the activity but merely a potential condition of it, with no intrinsic relation to it. In a way, that's a bit like calling non-professional athletes 'angry athletes', because that emotion theoretically can affect people - and the manner in which they approach playing sports - who are athletic but don't make millions of dollars off of their athleticism.

Speaking of the word 'professional': if you guys think of not-speedrunning as 'casual', doesn't that mean you must think of speedrunning as 'professional'? Because I can see how someone might think speedrunners think that about themselves, and I'm not sure if you guys do think that or not but I hope you don't. Although it may be true that some of the world's top-tier speedrunners of various games just so happen to be able to make decent money, they are the exception to the rule. In the same way that not-speedrunning is not necessarily casual (and speedrunning is not necessarily not-casual), there is nothing inherently professional about speedrunning.

And I know 'casual' isn't technically the opposite of 'professional', 'amateur' is. But 'casual' is pretty close, especially since some gamers use it as slang. When used in that context, its meaning is virtually synonymous with 'amateur'. I don't know if you guys know this - though I do know you don't mean it like this - but in certain circles, gamers have been known to use 'casual' in a pejorative sense. Calling someone a casual, or an amateur, is an insult. Or at least it can be, depending. So, your use of the term carries with it the risk that someone out there could misinterpret it as such, which would make it seem to them like the speedrunning community is full of condescending, elitist jerks, when it's not.

TL;DR: I would really prefer if you would stop saying everything other than your preferred enthusiast playthrough is 'casual'. Please consider using the words 'normal', 'standard', or 'traditional' instead. This is important because it's for the best interest of your own community's public image. There is no reason not to do this, and there are several good reasons why you should.

And for the record, I understand the use (or not) of a single word is ultimately not that big of a deal. So if you just don't care, you are of course welcome to ignore me and carry on as usual. I really don't care what happens in the end, because it is your guys' community, not mine - I'm just an outsider looking in, sharing my perspective as such.

And while I do believe I raise some good points, I absolutely do not mean to suggest that I definitely am right about this overall; I realize there may be something I'm missing that I just can't see. So if you disagree, please feel free to use this thread to open up a conversation, and maybe together we can work out what the truth really is.

If, however, you find yourself in agreement with me or anything I had to say, I would encourage you to take that to heart and (as corny as it sounds) be the change you want to see in the world of speedrunning. I know there's no 'International Bureau of Speedrunning' that mandates what vocabulary terms runners must use - and there doesn't need to be - but if each individual who reads this and finds my arguments persuasive starts saying 'normal' or whatever else instead of 'casual', that will be more than good enough.

Again, I may be right, I may be wrong, I don't know. I am posting this here with respect, in good faith, and out of compassion. And I'm only doing so for your kind consideration, if you please. I hope some of you have found this helpful. Thank you all.