[casual_games] The Definition of Casual Games

[Frederic Forest]

I hope this wasn't mentioned before (I just arrived on the mailing
list), but my take on this would be a 'casual' game is defined by the
amount of amount of gaming conventions the gamer needs to understand and
recognize before being functional in the game.

HL2 is a simple game for anyone who played a certain number FPS before,
hence can be played casually. It doesn't mean the game is casual for
that reason.

Ralph Koster describes this mechanics through the brain's ability to
analyse, recognize and reuse patterns. Read 'Theory of fun for Game
Designers' for more on the subject. :)

Cheers,
Fred Forest
Game Designer
Ubisoft Montreal

-----Original Message-----
From: casual_games-bounces at igda.org
[mailto:casual_games-bounces at igda.org] On Behalf Of Coray Seifert
Sent: 14 juillet 2005 10:21
To: IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List
Subject: RE: [casual_games] The Definition of Casual Games

A point this conversation might illustrate is that casual games exist
upon a continuum. For example, a hardcore Ultima fan might consider a
game like World of Warcraft to be a "casual" MMO game, by virtue of the
fact that it is easier to learn and features an aesthetic that appeals
to a broader audience than many other MMOs. That said, your standard
Bejeweled player would certainly not consider WoW a casual game.

Then again, "casual games" like Insaniquarium and Diner Dash are in
essence streamlined RTS games, without the heavy resource management. 

Perhaps we should start calling games like Bejeweled "Hardcore Casual
Games," as they are in fact the most "casual" games on the market? ;)

Cheers,

Coray Seifert
Associate Producer
Large Animal Games


-----Original Message-----
From: casual_games-bounces at igda.org
[mailto:casual_games-bounces at igda.org]On Behalf Of Charles Parcell
Sent: Thursday, July 14, 2005 10:05 AM
To: IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List
Subject: Re: [casual_games] The Definition of Casual Games

I understand your points but I think there is something you need to
consider when you lay it out like this. while you can play Doom3 for 5
minutes at a time, you still end up having to log a bunch of hours to
get your reward from the game. I don't mean that the reward is the joy
of blowing up baddies, but rather some in game mark that rewards you for
completing something.

In the case of Doom3 you are rewarded when you get to the end of the
game. There are no end of level bonuses or score multipliers that get
calculated to reward you. But in the case of 'casual' games (in my mind)
the player is rewarded frequently (ex. levels in zuma). The points in
the game where the player is rewarded are also points where the player
can 'walk away' from the game. This is a casual game.

so, while Doom3, Bejeweled, and Scrabble could all be played over 40
each, they have there differences in reward. Doom3 is a huge single
experience; Bejeweled is leveled experience that could go on forever
(?); Scrabble is a group of multiple short game experiences.

I hope that was articulated well...

Charles P.


Jeff Murray wrote:

>Ello!
>
>I'm really not sure you can nail down a genre or type of game as
'casual'. I play a lot of big titles as though they were casual games,
in fact thats the way I play all games. I switch on, race around a bit,
then turn off and forget it. I don't want to have to learn anything, I
just want the burst of energy/excitement/whatever which makes me a
casual gamer. I played Half Life 2 all the way through, but didn't think
about it... it was just a week or so of casual game bursts then the game
ended! The only difference between the way I played that and the way I
play a webgame is the play length ... although thats not concrete
either. I've played word games online for hours at a time ... my wife
once even left the computer switched on overnight so she could continue
the next day! I really don't think time is an issue at all when defining
a casual game.
>
>Yes, you're trying to apply to a broad audience but thats about the
business model and nothing to do with the game. You're not telling me
that Bejeweled isn't designed to be played and replayed for as long as
possible??
>
>So, if we're talking about advergames ... maybe they're all casual
purely in the depth of gameplay and replayability they provide? As for
anything else, I really don't think anyone will nail a
requirement/definition other than the budget OR the depth of play. If
you base it on depth of play, the casual gamer like me will see Half
Life 2, Quake3, Doom3 or even Battlefield 1942 as a casual game.
>
>Does anyone think I'm way off with this? I feel like I'm missing
something here!
>
>Jeff.
>
>http://www.fuelindustries.com
> 
>

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