[casual_games] What is a Casual Game?

[BRENT SILBY]

I'd define a casual game as one that you don't have to devote your life to. I know that you can play doom for short periods of time, but it does have a storyline and it will take many short sessions to complete the game. Completion is often not the goal of a casual game. They are just time wasters.

I would define arcade games (the classic retro style from the 1980s) as casual games. This is because you play them for a few minutes and then walk away--perhaps never to play again. You wouldn't spend 2 days playing an arcade game trying to complete it because most don't have endings. They just keep going.

Puzzle games also fall into the "casual" category for much the same reason. They don't really have storylines, and the intention is not to spend 2 days trying to get to the end. They are diversions, that entertain you when you have a spare few minutes.

That's my take on the definition.

Cheers,
Brent.
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----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Eric Fortier" <efortier at techlogic.ca>
To: <casual_games at igda.org>
Sent: Wednesday, January 04, 2006 2:36 PM
Subject: [casual_games] What is a Casual Game?


> Hi all,
> 
> I've been reading the Wiki pages, the Casual game white paper and other
> resources, and they all seem to be pretty vague on what exactly makes a game
> casual versus core or hardcore.
> 
> For example, on one site I read that a casual game is a game people can play
> for short period of time. Okay, I can do that with Doom 3 or Neverwinter
> Night, but these are hardly casual games.
> 
> Simplistic gameplay also comes up when talking about casual games. I find
> that playing an adventure game like Fahrenheit is a lot less involved in
> term of gameplay mechanics than Darwinia (for me at least), but Fahrenheit
> is hardly a casual game.
> 
> As for the file size, I think we can all agree that a casual game shouldn't
> require two days of download on a high speed connection.
> 
> So, what do you guys consider a casual game and why?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> --Eric
> 
> 
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> 
>
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