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• Is there a “best” platform for casual games?

  July 12, 2010No comments

  No. There is no “best” or even “better” platform when it comes to casual games. Why? Because, unlike hardcore gamers, those who play casual games do so on whatever is available to them as dictated by their lifestyle. As the name suggests, casual games are designed for people who have some time to burn or perhaps want to relax for a few minutes in between some tasks or activities.

  For this reason, casual games are designed to appeal to a broader audience and generally cut across age, sex, ethnicity, and socio-economic status.  It comes as no surprise, therefore, that casual games are available on all types of gaming platforms: PC, web browsers, game consoles, mobile devices, and social network sites.

  The most popular casual games today are usually played on PC or Mac. But they are also available on Wii, iPhone, iTouch, PlayStation, PSP, and the newly-released iPad.

  The busiest people (who are also at the topmost of the corporate ladder) use their mobile devices to play casual games while waiting for that all-important meeting or call. Some, especially those incapable of being separated from their techie gadgets, play when they get home. Around 34% Americans who own mobile phones also use them to play games, says a report from the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project.  About 51% of iPhone owners have five or more games (with the puzzle genre as the top choice) installed on their devices.  In contrast, 46% of BlackBerry owners have no games on their devices at all.

  However, the PC is the most widely-used platform for online gaming, especially in America (87%). Students, from the college-age ones to schoolchildren, typically have desktop PCs or laptops to play casual games on. Of course, it goes without saying their parents shout at them once in a while: “STOP PLAYING THOSE VIDEO GAMES AND STUDY ALREADY!” It’s quite a battle, what with the thousands of games available in the Internet. I mean why read up on Wikipedia when you can play Starcraft with your friends online? Or load up the latest Facebook application?

  The Internet is the major distribution channel for casual games. It attracts up to 200 million gamers every year.  This is mostly due to the easy access in online portals to free and downloadable games.  The types of online games played most often are puzzle/board/game-show/trivia/card games (47%) and action/sports/strategy/role-play games (16%).

  Meanwhile, among the game consoles, the most popular are Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Nintendo’s Wii, the Sony’s PlayStation and PlayStationPortable (or PSP). There is some opinion that the current popularity of casual games has been initiated by the Wii’s release a few years ago, its controller’s simplicity appealing to a new breed of gamers.

  When everything’s said about popular platforms, it still boils down to the individual preferences of casual gamers as to which platform to use.  Which platform would give them a satisfying experience, according to their available time and the lifestyle they lead?  Which platform is affordable and at the same time applicable to their work requirements? As to the makers of casual games, the overall message is clear: opportunity. So says Playfish CEO Kristian Segestrale: “There are genuine new opportunities for new games and gameplay using different platforms – we haven’t touched the surface of what’s possible.”

  

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