We're what I consider to be casually hardcore (go go semantics). Basically, we raid almost identical hours to Gurg above (16-17 per week; optional crap on top for those who play more), but unlike Gurg, we don't have the history of excellence and the deep(er) community to draw on.
Shadowsong is a bit of a backwater, despite being one of the original 16 (odd?) servers. I've been playing on the server since it was formed, and the group that I'm with now includes a tremendous amount of old friends and contacts. Despite this, we've somehow managed to insist that people be competent, aside from a couple of individuals.
We are currently second in progression on our server. Does this make us hardcore? No. We're working on Kael. Does this make us hardcore? No. Not by the standards of many on these boards.
But given the environment on our server, and the total number of raiding guilds actually *accomplishing* anything, we're hardcore by Shadowsong standards. Yet we don't raid any more than some of the guilds that are struggling with Hydross right now. We just have a community of raiders who aren't retards.
In the end, what decides whether or not you are "hardcore" is your attitude to the raiding world. It's how seriously you take what some people consider "just a game". I've had people tell me that I take raiding way too seriously, that it's "like a job", and other random crap from people who usually end up not sticking around.
My answer? It's not a job. It's a competitive sports team. And what most people would consider normal in a bowling, or softball, or basketball, or rugby team ... they somehow consider not normal when it comes to a "game", just because it's virtual.
It's the expectations of performance, attitude, and attendance. It's letting your team know when you can't make it. It's showing up with the right frame of mind. It's showing up mentally and physically (consumables, ho!) prepared. It's treating your teammates with respect, not derision and mockery. It's knowing that you are part of a group that is *choosing* to spend 4 hours of your evening *together* doing something you all find interesting and fun. And if you screw with that, you're screwing with your entire team ... and if you do that too much, you don't have a team anymore.
That's the difference between someone who is "hardcore" and someone who is "casual". Is it "just a game" ... or is it something more? If the words "but it's just a game" ever come out of your mouth, you're casual. If you never even think that anymore ... you're hardcore.
IMO.
