ok... What does "Casual" mean again?

[JGOware]

Seems everyone is tagging the word "casual" onto the description of their game, I'm kind of lost what "casual" means anymore. Casual 3d shooters, casual platform games, casual rpgs, etc, etc. Can someone in the know properly define what a casual game is? Thanks.

[AlexWeldon]

My interpretation of the word, in a nutshell, is "easy." Easy to learn, easy to beat, familiar theme, pretty graphics, encouraging tone. For people who think of games more as a diversion - only slightly more engaging than television - as opposed to a hobby.

[electronicStar]

The oldschool definition is "would it be accepted by PopCap (or Bigfish) ?".

[Uhfgood]

Gianfranco Berardi (GB did I spell that right?) aka GBGames has a good article on what would make a game casual on his blog -
http://gbgames.com/blog/2008/09/what...a-game-casual/
and another about whether or not casual and hardcore are mutually exclusive -
http://gbgames.com/blog/2008/09/is-c...with-hardcore/

I think these two articles actually do a good job of defining what a casual game should be.

Keith

[Jason Chong]

But apparently some thinks you must have 100++ levels for whatever the game you're making.


Stretching the content/gameplay too thin in my humble opinion.


I think the most important aspect of casual game is they must at least support 100 percent mouse oriented gameplay besides the easy to play/learn factor.

[luggage]

I never understand this discussion. It just doesn't matter what 'casual' means.

[neonleif]

Originally Posted by Uhfgood

[...] GBGames has a good article on what would make a game casual on his blog -
http://gbgames.com/blog/2008/09/what...a-game-casual/
and another about whether or not casual and hardcore are mutually exclusive -
http://gbgames.com/blog/2008/09/is-c...with-hardcore/

Nice ones.

I've got a few links as well:
first a scientific paper defining the casual phenomenon in relation to games. It really rips it apart... i like it

here's my own comment on it:

Casual Games:The games that are casual or designed to belong to a subset of games, meant to be played casually. Mostly defined as having “generally appealing content, simple controls, easy-to-learn gameplay, fast rewards, or support short play sessions” [Kuitinen et al.].
Casual Game Player: A person that plays games labeled or designed to be Casual Games. The stay-at-home wife 35+.
Casual Gamer: A person who play ANY games casually (notice the difference from above).
Casual Gaming: The general attitude or approach towards gaming. (Hardcore gamers do not play for leisure).
Casual Playing: Describes the way a casual gamer would play a game. “… in small time bursts or in a low cognitive state” [Kuitinen et al.]. Playing without effort.

second and maybe more practically oriented than the academic chatter: IGDA's casual games white paper [2½ mb]

Advergame: A web or downloadable game where the primary objective of building it is to deliver advertising messages, drive traffic to web sites, and build brand awareness.

Casual Games: Games that generally involve less complicated game controls and overall complexity in terms of gameplay or investment required to get through game.

Downloadable game: A “small file” game, typically less than 25MB, that is downloaded from a web site or peer-to-peer network and installed on a user’s computer, where it runs as a standalone executable with or without Internet access. The current business model dictates that these games often have a trial mode, with the option to purchase the full version for unlimited play. Examples of downloadable games can be found on almost every online gaming site or games channel on the major portals. This category does not include demos of video games or PC traditional large-format game titles that are primarily sold through retailers. This category does include titles that are primarily available for download, even if the game is additionally distributed on CD-ROM.
Hardcore, Core (Traditional) Games: Games developed for and delivered on a dedicated game console (set-top or handheld) as well as CD-ROM or DVD that generally involve more complicated game controls and overall complexity in terms of gameplay or investment required to get through game.
Skill game: A web game played in a tournament format, in which an entry fee is paid to compete and money or prizes are awarded to the most skilled player or players. Elements of luck have either been eliminated or greatly reduced in the game.
Web game: A game launched via a web page with no prior installation of software required. This category does not include games that are downloaded to the user’s hard-drive and run outside of the web-browser, but it does include games launched from a web page that might require/installation of a general or custom ActiveX control. Common examples of this are the Flash™, Shockwave™ and Java™ games found on thousands of websites, as well as C++ games delivered via a custom ActiveX control.
[C/P'ed directly from the white paper.]

last one is on gamasutra... "Persuasive Games: Casual As In Sex, Not Casual As In Friday"

Casual as Indifferent:We sometimes casual to refer to a lack of concern, or even a feeling of indifference. In this sense, casual conjures notions of apathy, insouciance, and nonchalance.
Casual as Spontaneous: We also use casual to refer to spontaneity or offhandedness. In this sense, casual raises notions of unpremeditated action, doing something off-the-cuff.
Casual as Fleeting: We also sometimes use casual to refer to something short-lived and momentary, something superficial, like a temporary or part-time commitment, or an irregular activity.

[joshuadallman]

Casual games are games for everyone.

Hardcore games are games for a niche market of hobbyist game players who upgrade their computers, read gaming magazines, buy video game accessories, self-identify as "gamers" etc.

There's also more than these two markets and terms; within casual there's the Nancy Drews (hidden object / adventure games), the Tycoons (Virtual Villagers), the Clickers (marble poppers), the Wii casuals, the teen market Flash game casuals, the cell phone casuals, and on and on. Ditto for hardcore: the strategists, the RPG'ers, the MMO'ers, the FPS'ers, etc.

There's more of an art than a science to understanding the differences between hardcore and casual; it takes more intuition than knowledge to understand the markets and terms.

For what it's worth it took me years to understand what "casual" meant. I thought my 3D online adrenaline-pumping shooter was "casual" because it had cartoon graphics and easy to pick up and play controls. Imagine my surprise when it had no viability on the newly defined "casual" portals such as Reflexive, BigFish, etc.

[joshuadallman]

My interpretation of the word, in a nutshell, is "easy." Easy to learn, easy to beat, familiar theme, pretty graphics, encouraging tone.

I challenge that idea whole-heartedly.

There is a difference between games for kids and casual games.

Games for kids should be easy, familiar, pretty graphics, encouraging.

Casual games -- for educated sophisticated adults -- should be accessible but not easy. In other words, welcoming to newcomers but not dumbed down.

Most intelligent casual game players will reject a game that is too dumbed down with too many googly-eyed cartoon graphics and helpers etc. That would work fine for a coffee-break Flash casual game, but not for a downloadable casual game that respects its audience's intelligence. There are a ton of smart, tough, casual games with edgey graphics and unfamiliar themes that are still casual. As one example, Large File Adventure games readily fit into this category -- they're far from Bejewelled, yet it's the same market as hidden object games.

[Xathia Vastar]

Casual games are short, straight-to-the point games that you can play on coffee breaks, or games that you can generally put down for a bit then pick back up later.

[svero]

One reason it may be a little hard to define precisely is because the definition is probably varying over time. The market does a bit of recycling and the players in that market grow in sophistication, and with regards to what they'll expect and accept from the games being put out. What works today might have been too complex for the market a few years back.

[Nexic]

Think "The kind of game your mum would play"

[Bmc]

"casual" is just a sexier word used in place of "mass-market' or "broad-appeal"

Consider the following elements of a game.

Interface - The easier the interface is to use, the more people there are that will be able to play your game.

Theme - The broader the theme/story/narrative/(whatever you call it), the more people it will resonate with.

Mechanics - Many factors here can increase "casualness", have fewer actions that can be used in more ways (think of in Mario, where jumping and running are the core actions of the player), goals are clear, progress is clearly shown etc... Basically make the game very user-friendly.... don't make one single thing a chore to do.

[James C. Smith]

To me casual means

• accessible: easy to learn and understand with no prior knowledge of video games
• masses appeal: themes that are not gender specific or appealing to only small groups

[AlexWeldon]

Originally Posted by James C. Smith

themes that are not gender specific or appealing to only small groups

You mean themes that are not male-specific. A lot of casual titles are very girly indeed, and even the supposedly "neutral" ones employ a lot of tricks that target female psychology.

[sindisil]

Originally Posted by AlexWeldon

... and even the supposedly "neutral" ones employ a lot of tricks that target female psychology.

I'm curious what sorts of "tricks" you mean; could you give a few specific examples?

[AlexWeldon]

Originally Posted by sindisil

I'm curious what sorts of "tricks" you mean; could you give a few specific examples?

Well, hidden object games and time management games both require skills that women test better at, on average, than men.

The protagonists are usually female, and fit what a stereotypical female sees as the ideal woman (and definitely not a typical male's ideal woman). Compare female protagonists in casual games to the women in ads directed at a female clientele and you'll see what I mean (not beauty product ads though... more stuff targeted at women with families, like cold remedies, instant foods and cleaning products, for instance). Beautiful without being cheap, self-confident, and kind of smug about being supremely competent at juggling family, work and personal life.

The presentation of the games is also geared towards feelings of personal accomplishment than competition. In general, women lean more towards individual sports than team or one-on-one sports, and casual games feel more like the former than the latter. Games aimed at men often feel like you are competing against the game (or its designer), whereas casual games come off more like a coach or a personal trainer.

[sindisil]

Thanks Alex. Very interesting (and useful) analysis. I appreciate you taking the time.

[CousinGilgamesh]

To me, the 'casual' genre isn't about who it will appeal to so much as how it is to be played. 'causal' games are played casually. It's not the kind of game that you sit in your office all day waiting for work to end so that you can go home and beat the final boss and watch the cinematic climax for. Playing it isn't a commitment to spend 50 hours leveling up your dudes. It can be picked up and put down casually. It fills free time in a reasonably enjoyable and casual way, the same way that a game of solitaire or the crossword puzzle in the paper does. You can make a casual game with mass appeal or directed toward women or men or whatever audience you want, but when it comes down to it, the thing that makes it a casual game is the casual manner in which it is played by its audience.

[James C. Smith]

Originally Posted by AlexWeldon

A lot of casual titles are very girly indeed, and even the supposedly "neutral" ones employ a lot of tricks that target female psychology.

They are not all perfect. Some of them get away with not having mas appeal and catering to one gender but I still think those are the exceptions rather than the rule.

[PoV]

"Casual games" - Games that we sometimes make.

... wait... what?

[papillon]

In general, women lean more towards individual sports than team or one-on-one sports

Wait, I thought women were supposed to be all about sharing and teamwork? At least, that's what my last memo on 'how to be a proper woman' read. Darn it! People keep updating these things when I'm not looking!

[AlexWeldon]

Originally Posted by papillon

Wait, I thought women were supposed to be all about sharing and teamwork? At least, that's what my last memo on 'how to be a proper woman' read. Darn it! People keep updating these things when I'm not looking!

I said individual sports as opposed to team OR one-on-one sports. I think the psychological difference isn't about being part of a team or not, it's about whether the goal of the sport is just to do something as well as you can (skiing, running, rowing, gymnastics, etc.), or trying to beat the other person or team. The former goal is more in line with most women's personalities, whereas the latter is quite aggressive and macho.

[PoV]

Originally Posted by papillon

Wait, I thought women were supposed to be all about sharing and teamwork? At least, that's what my last memo on 'how to be a proper woman' read. Darn it! People keep updating these things when I'm not looking!

You should try harder.