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Casual Gaming the Real Next Gen?
The Guardian Gamesblog wonders aloud about the ramifications of casual gaming; could it be that the wave of casual and mobile games is the real next generation of gaming? Author Keith Stuart interviews Matt Spall, of UK studio Morpheme, for an insider's perspective. From the article: "People buying the DS to play Brain Training, and Nintendogs are probably not even aware of Metroid or Advance Wars which kind of suggests this might be a one-way street — the hardcore aren't likely to buy these 'ultra casual' titles in great numbers, because they're fairly simplistic, and don't offer a great deal of depth for a hardcore player. Hopefully though, some people who would never normally play games now own DSs, and may 'graduate' to more advanced titles over time. Having said that, the fact that the DS market can support things like Electroplankton, which can keep anyone charmed for ages, is already encouraging."
No no no no no no no. This is just wishful thinking on the developers' part.
Look at the greater casual game industry in general, which is far older and more mature than what we've seen on the DS thus far. Even after years upon years of casual gaming, the vast majority of users are *still* playing their Bejeweled clone #5758, and *still* doing the Solitaire thing. I have seen *very* few casual gamers get into even slightly more complex games.
IMHO there's a real ache in the industry for casual-hardcore games. Games that reach beyond the mindnumbing luck/repetition of card games and match-3 gameplay, but appeal to real gamers, but at the same time are less time-consuming and can be produced at the budget level. I for one (as both developer and player) am sick of $50 games that are more shiny bumpmaps than gameplay. Where are the games like Darwinia and Gish? Why isn't there a larger market for these guys?