What does it mean to be "casual"?

Today I would like to clear up a number of rumours, misquotes and general ambiguity regarding "The Casual Gamer". Right now, most people wield it as a brand to stamp onto people/teams/guilds they feel are evenly marginally worse then themselves at whichever game they happen to be playing at the time.
An example:

DemonicDemonSlayerz : "Hey dude, my class isn't suited to run the flag. You go take on their defence, grab the flag then run it back here."
BetaBoy: "You want me to run into their heavily guarded base and grab their flag?"
DemonicDemonSlayerz : "Yup."
BetaBoy: "By myself."
DemonicDemonSlayerz : "Uh huh."
BetaBoy: "OK..."
  *BetaBoy was killed by xxxSouLAnglEXxx
DemonicDemonSlayerz : "Dude you died! wtf man, you casual"

The term has appeared to have nearly replaced the once rampant "baddie" or just "bad". Funnily enough, the flip side is 'no lifer'. If you are killed/beaten at a game, the other person is a no lifer who you couldn't possibly beat because they spend every second of their life playing this one game.

This use of casual is pretty stupid though. If someone is truly bad at a game, being 'casual' usually has nothing to do with it. It's usually more to do with them either being new to the game, too lazy to get better (yes, getting good at games works just like getting good at everything else sorry) or being ungifted at computer games in general (hey, it's not for everyone). If they are new, calling them casual is silly. If they are just bad at computer games at general, calling them casual is also dumb. Lazy people, well you may be casual.

A truly casual gamer is one who games in their spare time.Now This might sound like a stupidly simple definition but it works 99% of the time if you think about it.

•  Casual gamers might play 10+ hours a day (no job etc, plenty of spare time) or they might play 3 hours a night.
• Hardcore gamers might play 3 hours a night (raid night etc) or 10+ hours a day.

The difference is for the hardcore gamer those 3 hours are GAME TIME. Nothing will stop them from getting on and playing those hours. Aunties funeral? Sorry guys, doing a hardmode. Husband needs a lift home from work? He knows my schedule, he'll catch a cab. Missed a raid? Years of reputation ruined, kicked from the guild.
For a casual gamer their game time is different from GAME TIME. It's more fluid and relaxed. If they sign up for an event and can't make it, their casual friends will understand that sometimes things pop up in real life.



TL;DR version: Casual gamers are not 'baddies'. They are not people who play less than hardcore gamers. They are people who schedule their life around the game, not the other way around.