Game Time: Casual Games

February 27, 2008 · Filed Under Technology

Casual games are computer games designed for the vast majority of people of all ages and interests. Unlike Massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORG), casual games do not involve complicated rules, high-end computer graphics, and heavy game set-up. The primary goal of MMORPG is to develop your character and interact with players. With casual games, goals are simpler and the graphics are mostly two-dimensional. Casual games do not require a lot of keys and functions to remember and majority of these games may be played with only the left button of your mouse.

You an see that casual computer games are computer simulations of games that we are already playing in the physical world: chess, Mahjong, Chinese checkers, sudoku, solitaire, pool, billiards, etc.

Casual games are divided in several genres: board games, puzzle games, action games, arcade games, strategy, word games, card games, and many more.

Common games that people know are snakes and ladders, chess, backgammon, scrabble, checkers, dominoes, solitaire, etc. One of the most familiar casual games portals is yahoo games. Many are familiar with iwin.com and bigfish which are other large casual game portal sites.

Goals for each type of game differ: solve a puzzle for puzzle games; form words for word games; complete a required action for action games like Dance, Dance Revolution.

It is widely accepted that the grandfather of all casual games is Solitaire released by Microsoft and this came free with their software Microsoft Windows in 1999. In the years that followed, Microsoft added new casual games like Spider Solitaire, Free Cell, and Minesweeper.

To date, there are thousands of casual games which you can download online. Many of these casual games are free for several minutes of trial and consumers are given the option to purchase the complete package if the game appealed to them. Many companies do not require any obligation for consumers to purchase the game for downloading the free trial version.

Pop Cap Games, a leading computer game developer, has made several casual games readily downloadable. The games are simple and are available in many different platforms and console. Casual games are usually played on a PC with a web browser. But with the advent of different consoles, it is now available for Mac, Xbox, Xbox 360, cell-phones, and even PDAs.

GDC (the Game developers conference) is an annual affair that involves top game industry professionals. It serves as the Mecca of game developers worldwide. Several sessions were held for this week-long activity in San Francisco last week and keynote speakers of leading game developers were present to share their ideas on the future of computer games.

Round table discussions were also part of GDC. There were expos, awards, lecture, and tutorials focused heavily on business management, computer programming, computer game design, and others.

Among the keynote speakers were: John Schappert, Microsoft Corporate Vice President. His session’s topic was A Future Wide Open: Unleashing the Creative Community another was Ray Kurzweil, inventor & futurist with The Next 20 Years of Gaming. His session was held last February 21st, 10:30AM - 11:30AM in the same hall with John Schappert. Both speakers focused on the growth and importanct of Casual Games.

Most experts predict that casual game will eclipse the popularity of today’s MMO’s within a few years. The games are easier to play, cheaper and are geared towards those with less time to play per session.

Although it is hard to believe by the prices (often 2-3 bucks a game) when you look at the volumes of users big money is riding on the casual game market – and it is definitely a trend to keep an eye on in the coming years.

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