October 31, 2007
According to the first annual market report from the Casual Games Association, 75% of such game purchases are made by women. However players of casual games are divided evenly between the sexes. Said CGA’s managing director Jessica Tams:It was really shocking for everybody. We knew these guys were playing these games. But the hard-core gamer who is playing Halo with his buddies isn't going to brag that he just beat the next level of Zuma.
Apparently men can’t resist the siren call of pick-up-and-play titles like Bejeweled or Bookworm. But while women seem to have no issue buying such titles, men are more likely to find a free version or go the piracy route.
The reported popularity of casual games with both sexes is no doubt music to the ears of developers who are already expending resources on casual games for cell phones and the Nintendo Wii. Tams remarks that social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook would do well to take advantage of the burgeoning causal games market too.
You have these two big draws, Facebook and MySpace, but the big problem they've been having is that they haven't been able to monetize their consumers yet and video games are a way for them to monetize...
Well, at least the female consumers.
Via: Reuters
-Reporting from San Diego, GP Correspondent Andrew Eisen
Comments
Wow this is a rather pointless survey.
And of course I wont buy something I can get for free (legally) on the internet. Unless of course, they make it worth your while.
Why should I have to pay full price for something I use to kill 20 minutes every once in a while.
There. I did it. For the good of all men around the world.
Oh, missed that part. Yeah, of course guys are. Because we're smart enough to say "...its Bejeweled...and you paid $19.99 for it? Wow...I'm just going to download it for free now..." No disrespect meant for women, its just that it seems the male populous understands the whole warez thing alot better than females.
I'd played Bejeweled 2 for a while, but eventually became bored with it. I was glad to see Puzzle Quest which blended RPG with Bejeweled.
And I've been known to sit back and play a variety of games on Pogo.com, of which I am actually a Club Pogo member. It's good to play casual games and listen to some audiobooks at the same time.
But I also have my non-casual game interests like Saints Row and several street racing games.
Nightwng2000
NW2K Software
I'd say it counts. I'd bet many of us have wiled away the hours playing smack the penguin, or similar games found on the net.
Of course, last time we rented video games, I picked up Lego Star Wars II for the 360, and she got Heavenly Sword for the PS3. Go figure.
Or why I should bother buying any of those games when I can just play Kitty Cannon all day. Apparently it's my dark side that really enjoys the casual gaming ^_^
Harvest Moon is casual? I mean, I know it's not a hardcore blood n' guts FPS action killfest. But I'd think theres a lot more to Harvest Moon than say.. Bejeweled or Cubix.
Tycho FREQUENTLY talks about playing such casual games (he loves Bookworm) and Gabe is a Pokemon freak. and these are two of the biggest named gamers in the world.
anyway, Harvest Moon is awesome. i need to pick up the new Fantasy Harvest Moon (fight monsters, save the farm!). and casual games are fun, that's not something you should be embarassed about.
The PSP is underrated as a puzzle game system.
Don't really understand the stigma that seems to be attached to them.
- Warren Lewis
----
Papa Midnight
Is Geometry Wars casual? It fits the mould (cheap, quick, no story, pick-up-and-play) but it's adrenaline-fuelled and very "hardcore." For that matter, are *arcades* casual? A pound for five minutes that you can happily forget about when you're done. Surely men admit to liking arcades. Half of us grew up in one.
Does technology matter, then? Is Portal not casual because it has a story and takes more power than SETI? If Portal was a series of isolated challenges, would it become casual then?
Oh, and it kind of goes without saying, but if you hate Peggle then you hate life.
What is the true definition of a "casual game?" Is it determined by the designer or the player? And has that definition changed over the past 3-5 years?
Just wondering.
Good question. Everyone seems to have there own idea as to what constitutes a casual game. The Casual Games Association defines them thusly:
"Developed for the general public and families, casual games are video games that are fun and easy to learn and play. The games are platform agnostic, meaning they can be played via the Internet, PC and Macintosh computers, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo DS, Wii and even mobile phones and PDA. They’re nonviolent, arcade-style games that involve puzzles, words, board and card games, game show and trivia. Popular games are Mahjong, Tetris, Solitaire, Bejeweled, Cake Mania, Mystery Case Files, and Luxor."
Andrew Eisen
Perhaps people aren't bragging about their Zuma scores because it's not the greatest of games?
- Warren Lewis
Yes, I know, I'm weird.
*Goes off to download Mutant Storm Empire*
As for the play it for free feature, most of the time it is a time trial that last about 60 minutes. You only get to enjoy the full game after a purchase.
P.S I play Neopets, Pokemon, and many more. apparently Most of these games are embarrassing to most adults anywere. Now I am 17, but it is 1 year from 18, so that should still have some credibility to it. Oh BTW, I agree. Why should every thing be based on gender now a days. At least put some age groups in there, that can give you more surprises then this.
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