2006 Casual Games White Paper

Dubane writes "The 2006 Casual Games White Paper (pdf) has just been released by the IGDA Casual Games SIG. The 116-page report was contributed to by nearly 40 professionals in the casual gaming space, spanning all aspects of the industry, including developers, publishers, portals, tool providers and more. Notable updates from last year are the Business Models section with up to date information on how casual game companies are making money today, and the Publishing section which contains results from a publishing survey of over 50 players in space. These results provide information how companies earn their revenue, what genres of games perform the best, and typical royalty rates seen for the various players in the space (among other things). This year's paper is also available on the IGDA wiki where it can be continuously updated by the community."

Comments

Re:Meaning of Casual Games

[Saurian_Overlord]

The thing that bugs me is the different ways to take "casual." They're defining a "casual game" as one with "simple controls" that doesn't require a long-term commitment. But there are so many different ways to interpret that. And what's simple to one gamer might not be so easy for another. I think what they're really getting at is "entry-level gaming," meaning a game that a non-gamer can pick up and play with minimal instruction and/or a knowledge of whatever pre-existing game or skill it might be based on (i.e. solitaire, sudoku, etc.). When someone says "casual," i think of something you might be able to play at the office. But that could be taken different ways as well. Some people may only be able to get away with card games or perhaps Tetris. I have a friend who works in a call center where they regularly play whatever they want on the third shift (including WoW and numerous RPGs). And i'm sure we can recall when the original Quake was at its height and took up residence in cubicles as often as solitaire.

Anyway, basically, i agree with you: it's just a buzzword used in the industry, not a clearly defined market.