In gaming, casual is a mode, a player, or a mindset. A casual game is easy to pick up. Candy Crush is casual. Dark Souls is not. A casual player does not care about ranks or meta. They play for fun. They might play once a week. They might not know the patch notes. They are not inferior. They are just different.

The word can be an insult. "You're so casual." It means you are not serious. You do not try hard. You do not know the strategies. In competitive games, casuals are sometimes blamed for losses. That is unfair. Most players are casual. The hardcore are a minority. The industry depends on casuals. They buy the most games.

Types of casual

• Casual game: designed for short, low-stress sessions.
• Casual mode: unranked, no penalties for losing.
• Casual player: plays infrequently, low investment.
• Casual-friendly: a game that welcomes beginners.

Casual is not a dirty word. It is a description. Some of the best games are casual. Tetris is casual. Minecraft is casual. The label says nothing about quality. It says something about time and intention. If you play to relax, you are casual. That is fine. The game does not care. The community might. Ignore them.