casual games
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65% of women, 35% of men aged 25-34 play games
According to the New York Times' interpretation of this study, 65% of women between the ages of 25 and 34 play video games while only 35% of men in that same age bracket play video games. The big difference is that women choose to play so-called "casual games" that are commonly found on portals such as Pogo.com, MSN.com, and Yahoo.com (and Xbox Live Arcade, too) while men favor games that are sold at places like GameStop. There's no hard data on why the sexes have such different gaming preferences, but many believe it's because women favor less competitive games that lack the violence and complicated control schemes so prevalent in "hardcore" games enjoyed by men. While there are plenty of companies serving either the "hardcore" segment or the "casual" segment, only a few companies are serving both well. EA's one such company. Through their Pogo.com subsidiary, EA snagged one million gamers willing to pay a monthly rate of $2.49 to $4.99 per month. Three fourths of these customers are female. Microsoft also chases both hardcore and casual gamers via software that runs on the Xbox, PC, MSN and mobile phone platforms. Nintendo's recent strategic shifts towards simpler control schemes and mass-appeal subject matter (Nintendogs, for instance) indicate that there's more than one company in Redmond chasing after the casual gamer.
Channel 4 offer prize for casual games
Aspiring game developers may want to check out this "Game Guru" competition run by UK's Channel 4. With a gaming rig and £1000 available for the winner, now's as good a time as any to dust off those Flash skills.If you're not based in the UK, you can still enter, but unfortunately you'll be ineligible for the prize. Having your talent showcased like this is a great way to get your skills noticed by people who will pay you money, however.[Thanks, Ham]
Joystiq geeks out with MS Casual Games manager
Joystiq had a chance to interview Chris Early, studio manager for Microsoft Casual Games Group, shortly after the 360's November launch. They just got around to putting the interview up now because... well, because it's really in depth. They talk about the excitement of Geometry Wars, MSN's badges and the 360's achievements, Gauntlet's unlimited quarters, Vista integration, and Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs as it relates to player's need states. No, seriously. Maslow. If the Arcade and casual games space interests you in the least, this is a must read interview. Mr. Early is well-spoken, thoughtful, and seriously engaged in this endeavor.
