Casual Games

Games

• Subservient Chicken (web viral thing) – Looks like it is live. Has easter eggs (pun intended)
• Connect Four
• Fives (drinking game) – Out-psyching opponents, social manipulation
• Big Pub Jenga – 2nd week in a row, because it is so good
• Sardines (playground game) – The game style transitions as the sides switch
• Spoons (drinking game) – easy to add or remove players
• Paranoia (RPG) – everyone is out to get one another and everyone deserves it

This weeks discussion – Casual Games

We tried having a go at defining what a casual game is, with the disclaimer that we can’t do it, and that we kept finding edge cases. These are a form of family resemblences, things they often are, but not always.

• Non-violent (mostly)
• Simple mechanics
• Universal games that people ‘get’
• Easy to learn, hard to master – leasds to addictiveness
• Continual, small acheivements
• Easy to pass the time with
• Do not have an end

These are notes, in no particular order, taken from the discussions.

• Universal and simple
• Solitaire is the most played computer game
• Bejeweled – 25 million downloads (created c2000) popcap.com
• Console games are picking up on casual games – esp the Wii
• Social networking sites are important, links with friends, virality
• Orsinal – beautiful little flash games (ferryhalim.com)
• Score mechanics important – for replayability and sharing
• Jayisgames.com web site, lots of casual game news and reviews – highly influential
• Most causal games are made by hobbyists (looking at throughput of jayisgames, though obviously not all the successful games)
• Adver-games – games themed around brands or advertising conference
• Addictive
• Have to be quick to pick up
• Recognizable mechanics or style of play, consistency
• Global publishing/distribution
• Suit mobile as a platform
• The future – easier distribution to mobile is a must, ie Apple iPhone apps.
• Puzzlepirates - not casual. Full of casual style games, but the overall meta-experience is more MMORPG