[casual_games] The Making of Casual Games

[machaira at comcast.net]

How many retail games these days don't have demos? Every PC game I buy I usually play a demo for unless it's a trusted developer. Even then I read reviews before I buy. For Xbox, I've usually played a demo from Xbox Magazine before I buy it.

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> 
> Hi Dora- 
> 
> There are a lot of questions wrapped up in this one, but I'll bite off a 
> little piece of it to start the discussion going. 
> 
> One fundamental difference in making a casual, downloadable game (such 
> as those my company produces) is that players can try the game before 
> they decide whether or not to purchase it. So, unlike the typical retail 
> experience, players are not financially invested in the game when they 
> are playing it. They haven't shelled out their hard-earned cash. I 
> believe that that financial investment (in a retail game) makes players 
> give that game more of a chance; they *want* to like the thing they just 
> paid money for. They don't want to be disappointed or to have to go 
> through the rigamarole of returning the game. They'll slog their way up 
> a steep learning curve, or attempt a badly tuned early level dozens of 
> times, or put up with a frustrating control scheme for MUCH longer than 
> someone with no financial investment. 
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