There is a storm brewing in the world of video games. Once thought to be the playground of nerds and geeks, video games are now a place for everyone and their grandma. No longer featuring just the likes of Master Chief and Mario, the latest stars on the video gaming scene are companies like Pop Cap and Bigfish.
Lately, the 'casual gaming' market has grown to massive proportions. What is now a 281 million dollar a year industry is expected to grow to 1.15 billion dollars a year. This gaming market is fueled by simple games aimed at audiences not usually associated with gamine, i.e Mothers, older people, and anyone who plays less then 10 hours of video games a week.
Gaming companies usually associated with hardcore gaming are looking to cash in on this latest craze. EA, a company known for its big titles like Battlefield 2142 and the successful Madden sports series are now funding sites like Pogo. com, which serve up many casual games. Nintendo, one of the three major video game console makers, is catering toward the casual gaming crowd with the new Nintendo Wii. The Wii features motion sensing controls, and many casual games with cartooney graphics and easy to learn controls.
But, there is some overlap. Guitar Hero, a video game series where one simulates playing a guitar to popular rock songs, has found a large audience both casual and hardcore alike. Personally, I consider myself a hardcore gamer, and I enjoy a game of Bejeweled every once and a while. Also, I intend to pick up a Nintendo Wii this Christmas.
Some hardcore gamers scoff at the idea of casual gaming. They feel that video games are meant to be played for hours upon end. They feel that cutesy graphics are for children, and that the Nintendo Wii is for kids. For these gamers, I feel sorry. They will never enjoy these simple games that are both fun and don't have a steep learning curve.
It would seem that casual gaming is here to say, for better or for worse. This massively lucrative gaming market is steadily on the rise. As long as there are grandmas who don't own a PlayStation 2, and mothers who don't have the time to play Halo 3, casual gaming will be a major force in the world of gaming.
