[casual_games] The Making of Casual Games

[Coray Seifert]

Interesting point. Do you think the majority of game buyers make such
educated purchases though? I don't know of any data supporting or rejecting
that idea, but I would guess that all of those games bought by parents for
their kids don't go through the same rigors, for example.

- Coray

-----Original Message-----
From: casual_games-bounces at igda.org [mailto:casual_games-bounces at igda.org]On
Behalf Of machaira at comcast.net
Sent: Friday, July 22, 2005 2:53 PM
To: IGDA Casual Games SIG Mailing List
Subject: RE: [casual_games] The Making of Casual Games

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.

-------------- Original message --------------

>
> 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 rigamar ole 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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