Post by leunas on Aug 3, 2006 16:00:05 GMT -5
Just how far can casual games go? Top casual gaming bosses from Pogo, MumboJumbo and PlayFirst tell Next-Gen how their market will reach everyone's high expectations, and how someday, everything may be "casual."
"Casual gaming” is becoming more and more of a misnomer. It implies that gamers who 'casually' play possess some kind of lackadaisical, shallow attitude toward gaming; as if they’re easily pleased, or content with playing any block-based puzzle game that is shoveled their way.
While there are exceptions, as the casual games market grows, these fans are becoming more discerning about the products they choose to play and how they play them. At least one report (specifically from Macrovision) indicates that casual gamers are almost as hardcore as the 'hardcore' gamers, with nearly one-third of them playing two hours per session, nine times per week.
Currently, the casual gaming market is worth an estimated $350 million, but that could grow to $1 billion by 2008, according to Jupiter Research. By 2010, the number of casual players could grow from today’s 60 million to as many as 80 million players.
The execs we spoke with plan on reaching that potential in various ways. Pogo’s differentiator is its focus on community, MumboJumbo has a keen on the retail sector, and PlayFirst thinks that someday, all games will be “casual” (in a sense of the word).
for more: www.next-gen.biz/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3562&Itemid=2