gatekeeping casuals
/ˈɡeɪt.kiː.pɪŋ ˈkæʒ.ju.əlz/
CommonTelling newer or less dedicated players they don't belong in a game or community because they aren't serious enough.
Almost always used negatively, directed at the person doing the gatekeeping. Can apply to skill level, hours played, game knowledge, or even what platform someone plays on.
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | dude is literally gatekeeping casuals like they ruined his life by playing the game | Someone is being irrationally hostile to players who play less seriously. | reddit, 2024 |
| 02 | if you have under 500 hours you don't deserve ranked, people really be gatekeeping casuals in 2024 | Criticizing the attitude that experience should determine game access. | x, 2024 |
| 03 | the whole subreddit is just gatekeeping casuals, never reading it again | The community is unwelcoming to players who don't play at a high level. | reddit, 2023 |
| 04 | games die when the core playerbase starts gatekeeping casuals out of everything | Elitism shrinks player populations and hurts long-term health. | youtube, 2023 |
Use it when
- Calling out a player who tells others they don't deserve to play ranked.
- Criticizing a community that is hostile to new or less skilled players.
- Describing someone setting arbitrary experience requirements for a casual group activity.
Do not use it when
- You mean genuine skill-based matchmaking complaints.
- You are describing content that is designed to be locked behind progression.
Gatekeeping casuals vs sweat lobby
gatekeeping casuals
Gatekeeping casuals is about attitude and exclusion from the community.
sweat-lobby
Sweat lobby is about being placed against tryhard opponents in matchmaking.
Origin and context
A gaming-specific use of the broader 'gatekeeping' internet term, which describes excluding people from a space or identity based on arbitrary standards. Gaming communities began applying it explicitly to casual-vs-hardcore tensions around 2018 to 2020.
- First seen
- 2018
- Confidence
- medium
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/gatekeeping-casual