Microsoft wants casual gamers too - bit-tech.net Forums

Bindibadgi · 11th Jun 2007, 14:00

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2007/06...l_gamers_too/1

Casual games are, for better or worse, all the rage these days and Microsoft is anxious to get into that market, lest the 360 be a flop.

sinizterguy · 11th Jun 2007, 14:05

What exactly does the term "casual gaming" mean in this context?

I have both the X360 and the PS3 and I play maybe about 20mins to 1 hour maximum during a day - this would make me a casual gamer. But I just buy the normal games and play them till I finish the game and then move onto another game. So how does marketing or game development really change ?

Im not really into the whole gaming this, so pardon me if I am asking a stupid question.

Veles · 11th Jun 2007, 14:07

Theres a big problem with MS's plan, casual games don't like to fork out £300 for a console they'll use to play geometry wars when they can get plenty of casual games on the PC for free. Casual gamers don't buy new generation consoles unless they have a lot of money floating around.

Nexxo · 11th Jun 2007, 14:08

Nothing wrong with that. Some of the best games are simple arcade games.

You whippersnappers are just to young to remember the good old days of 80's retro arcade classics...

Grumble... mumble... youth of today... grumble... no appreciation of decent gameplay... call that polygon rubbish games?...

Veles · 11th Jun 2007, 14:17

Thats true, and a lot of the XBLA game have shown that. Geometry Wars was probably the most played game of the launch lineup. But why bother forking out £300 for simple games that would play on a cheap PC?

CardJoe · 11th Jun 2007, 14:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by sinizterguy

What exactly does the term "casual gaming" mean in this context?

I have both the X360 and the PS3 and I play maybe about 20mins to 1 hour maximum during a day - this would make me a casual gamer. But I just buy the normal games and play them till I finish the game and then move onto another game. So how does marketing or game development really change ?

Im not really into the whole gaming this, so pardon me if I am asking a stupid question.

Not a stupid question at all. Casual gaming means different things to different people.

My take on it atm is thus: A casual gamer is somebody who plays games like you do, for an hour or two a week. They don't own massive amounts of games, but they do enjoy them

A hardcore gamer is someone more like me. They have boxes fulls of games, to the extent they have to leave some behind when they move house, and they play a lot more than an hour or two a week. They often play the same games more than twice quickly.

A casual GAME is a game which is oddly enough not targetted at this definition of a casual gamer though. It's targetted at those that are either non-gamers or gamers who enjoy games but don't often buy them. Think your little sister or your mum. They often have moderate-fast gameplay which is based around a single theme or game mechanic (such as sorting anagrams or a simple schm-up) but generally don't use more than one like conventional games do. Mastery of the single mechanic is paramount and rewards are lavished upon them quickly - something Ubisoft were open about at Ubidays.

Examples of casual games are things like Geometry wars, Sudoku, Puzzle Quest etc, as compared to conventional games like Half-life, Monkey Island and Baldur's Gate.

devdevil85 · 11th Jun 2007, 16:48

Would the Guitar Hero series be considered "casual"? If so, then I am totally a casual gamer because that's all that I've been playing lately, besides Oblivion.....

pendragon · 11th Jun 2007, 17:22

nothing wrong with some casual games now and then.

DXR_13KE · 12th Jun 2007, 01:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nexxo

Nothing wrong with that. Some of the best games are simple arcade games.

You whippersnappers are just to young to remember the good old days of 80's retro arcade classics...

Grumble... mumble... youth of today... grumble... no appreciation of decent gameplay... call that polygon rubbish games?...

DougEdey · 12th Jun 2007, 07:30

Nexxo blatantly play(ed/s) Leisure Suit Larry

EDIT:

I'm going to link to N'gais blog: http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/level...overlords.aspx

And say this: the response from Blezinksi (sp) is proof that gamers are elitist and crave to their own distinct sector. They don't want casual gamers to divert funds away from their games, even though Casual games probably are the cheapest to make and can provide the best returns.

riggs · 12th Jun 2007, 13:09

I used to be a fairly hardcore gamer, but I've found that I don't tend to play as often as I used to (the DS currently gets the most playtime).

My housemate bought both a Wii and a 360...but even then, I don't play them that much - the 'Wii effect' has worn off, and Geometry Wars is the most played 360 game (despite the fact he's got GoW, PES, Perfect Dark, Dead Rising, Oblivion & CoD3) - I just can't be bothered to play the 'proper' games! Plus, I'm one of those people that find dual-analog control pads extremely difficult to use...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nexxo

You whippersnappers are just to young to remember the good old days of 80's retro arcade classics...

So true. But simple, casual games tend to 'borrow' design elements from the classics, ditch over-the-top GFX, and add a modern twist. Geometry Wars is a fine example - it's almost a cross between Asteroids (shooty-shooty), Sinistar (analog-esque control/firing) and PacMan (enemy characteristics/AI) all mixed together with repetitive music, and nice vector style graphics.

The downside to this is that kids these days will probably start viewing the classics as 'casual' games. Show them Double Dragon and they'll probably play for a few minutes before getting bored...I spent many hours trying to beat that game!

Anywho, casual games get a big thumbs up from me. In todays age of big-budget, movie-style games, we still need quick fire gaming hits. A lot of people who enjoy playing don't necessarily have the time to invest 30 hours plus.

11th Jun 2007, 14:00	#1
Bindibadgi Richard Swinburne bit-tech Staff Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Omnipwntent Posts: 28,270	Microsoft wants casual gamers too http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2007/06...l_gamers_too/1 Casual games are, for better or worse, all the rage these days and Microsoft is anxious to get into that market, lest the 360 be a flop. __________________ Made you look, made you stare, made you clicked this in your underwear! Den of Geek! Last edited by Bindibadgi; 11th Jun 2007 at 14:10.

11th Jun 2007, 14:05	#2
sinizterguy Dark & Sinizter Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: London, UK Posts: 5,462	What exactly does the term "casual gaming" mean in this context? I have both the X360 and the PS3 and I play maybe about 20mins to 1 hour maximum during a day - this would make me a casual gamer. But I just buy the normal games and play them till I finish the game and then move onto another game. So how does marketing or game development really change ? Im not really into the whole gaming this, so pardon me if I am asking a stupid question. __________________ Nothing here. Go away and dont bother me.

11th Jun 2007, 14:08	#4
Nexxo ...like a geek! Moderator Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Birmingham, UK Posts: 15,108	Nothing wrong with that. Some of the best games are simple arcade games. You whippersnappers are just to young to remember the good old days of 80's retro arcade classics... Grumble... mumble... youth of today... grumble... no appreciation of decent gameplay... call that polygon rubbish games?... __________________ "You actually hope to achieve your ideals, I just use mine as an excuse to hate everything" --specofdust "There is no Real Life, only Away From Keyboard" --gpw111 "...my wife says I can't have any trolls, cause they argue with the dog and eat the fish" --KayinBlack

11th Jun 2007, 17:22	#8
pendragon I pickle they Join Date: May 2004 Location: Massachusetts,usa Posts: 631	nothing wrong with some casual games now and then. __________________ -----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK----- GCS d-@ s-:>: a- C++$ UL---@ P++>+++++$ L+ E----@ W+++ N o? K? w++>+++++ O---@ M-- V? PS--() PE+@ Y? PGP-@ t+(+++) 5(+)@ X@ R+(++) tv@ b++ DI@ D++ G e++>+++++ h! r(%) y? ------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------

12th Jun 2007, 07:30	#10
DougEdey I pwn all your storage Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Southampton Posts: 13,933	Nexxo blatantly play(ed/s) Leisure Suit Larry EDIT: I'm going to link to N'gais blog: http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/level...overlords.aspx And say this: the response from Blezinksi (sp) is proof that gamers are elitist and crave to their own distinct sector. They don't want casual gamers to divert funds away from their games, even though Casual games probably are the cheapest to make and can provide the best returns. __________________ Burnout: Paradise Stats!XBL: DougEdey Bindi PSN ID: DougEdey Twitter Last edited by DougEdey; 12th Jun 2007 at 08:53.

11th Jun 2007, 16:48	#7
devdevil85 Hypermodder Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: US of A Posts: 884	Would the Guitar Hero series be considered "casual"? If so, then I am totally a casual gamer because that's all that I've been playing lately, besides Oblivion.....