The New Casual

Casual games, whether it’s a single-player, match-three, or a lite social game, are introducing a new type of gamer to our world. Our moms play casual games, any one who’s popped a Bejeweled bubble or watered their animated corn while on the phone is a casual gamer. You don’t have to look hard to find stats on the number of casual gamers, or editorials full of shock and awe that women -- even women over thirty -- are playing games. Social giants like Zynga and Playdom introduced many new players to online games, and helped change the image of the typical gamer from a teenage boy playing a first-person shooter, to anyone with a Facebook account.

Editorials and industry news often set up two distinct factions of game players. The hardcore gamer, who waits for midnight releases, and has a custom-built gaming rig, and the casual player, playing for ten-minute bursts on her smartphone or on her PC with Excel open in another window. But between casual virtual farmers and hardcore PvP guild-leaders are the casual-plus players, or power casuals; an increasing demographic and a trend that can’t be ignored.

Like basic casuals, these casual-plus players probably wouldn’t self-identify as gamers. But they do enjoy games as recreation, and the amount of playing time and money invested in casual games is steadily increasing. These casual-plus players may have found games through Facebook feedspam, but they’re not content with sending virtual cows to their friends or clicking the mouse to water their crops. These players are computer-savvy social gamers, looking for the online social interaction of Facebook games, with skill-based challenges, perhaps based on puzzles or word games.

While I hate to embrace the girls-like-stories cliche, power casuals lean towards avatar customization (think Gaia Online or a Mii) for a connectedness with their virtual character.

Casual-plus types are much more interested in adding a game to their existing system, either a computer or a smartphone, than in buying a console to play games. They might not browse the shelves at GameStop, but they’re interested in trying downloadable games for their PC, tablet or mobile. A casual-plus type is interested in the competitive aspect of games, but they’re motivated by the name on the leaderboard, or friendly competition, not an epic kill. Loot still matters, but it's got to be more than just weapons and gear. And a simple UI is a requirement.

I see the casual-plus demographic as increasing, and I’m really interested in what new games will fill this space. Imported free-to-play MMOs offer character customization, story and interaction, but are often poorly localized, with a restrictive learning curve. I have such hopes for real social games on Facebook -- not just social gifting in an appointment-style game -- but haven’t seen anything specific yet.  That being said, Insomniac has gallantly dedicated an entire division of their company towards casual games.  If anyone can deliver a beautiful, humorous, and ultimately fun gaming experience, it's sure to be Insomniac.  We still have some time before any actual games are available, but the promise is certainly there, and the future looks bright.