[casual_games] What is a Casual Game?

[Lennard Feddersen]

My definition is somewhat the same although I think of the casual market 
as a gentler, kinder kind of place.  This is partly because of 
demographics I have seen for Real and MSN that define the the casual 
gamer as over 30 and predominately female.  To me, Darwinia is more of 
an indie title than a casual title - maybe our own Battle Castles even 
totters on the edge between indie and casual although I'm personally 
aiming for the casual market.  The ideal casual game is also < 15MB.

My rules, and Brents are broken by a game like Fate which I think is 
supposed to be aimed squarely at the casual market but it's really big, 
I believe it has an ending and definitely has a story.  Mystery Case 
Files is squarely in the casual market but it has a story - and it's far 
from the only example of a casual title with a story.

And here's another thought to get people going.  I would say that the 
casual market is more commercial and there is less passion.  Lot's of 
indies never make a dime or even finish their title for that matter - 
but they aim for the moon, live and die for their art and, I think, are 
often actually shooting for art.  That's my 2 cents.

Happy game makin'

Lennard Feddersen
CEO, Rusty Axe Games, Inc.
www.RustyAxe.com

Lennard at RustyAxe.com
P. 250-635-7623 F. 1-309-422-2466
3521 Dogwood, Terrace, BC, Canada, V8G-4Y7



BRENT SILBY wrote:

> 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.
>
> /DEF-LOGIC VIDEOGAMES
> www.def-logic.com <http://www.def-logic.com>/
>
> /HOUSE MUSIC, DJ MIX
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>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Eric Fortier" <efortier at techlogic.ca 
> <mailto:efortier at techlogic.ca>>
> To: <casual_games at igda.org <mailto: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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