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Women make majority of casual gamers
eMarketer covers two recent studies, saying that casual games make up the most popular genre, and women are the majority of casual gamers. According to a May, 2006 study by AOL, 29% of respondents said that casual games were their favorite genre, with strategy games rating a distant second place at 17%. A survey just released by PopCap says that 76% of casual gamers are female, and 47% are 50-and-older.But marketers can make numbers mean anything; another way to look at the initial survey is to say that 70% of respondents had a favorite other than casual games. (1% said they weren't sure of a favorite.)However you interpret these surveys, we like the idea of games reaching a more diverse audience. Only after that happens can games be as culturally significant as books and movies.[Via: Adrants]
Casual players act hardcore, win loot
Something's perverse about the idea of a casual games tournament, but that's exactly what happened when 71 gamers who don't speak a word of l337 gathered to compete in Bejeweled 2, Solitaire and Zuma. We're having trouble imagining a LAN party without overwhelming BO, shouts of "pwnt!" and at least one Y chromosome for every X, but that's what Fun Technologies claims happened this past weekend in Hollywood, CA. To be serious for just a second: casual games tournaments are nothing new. Scrabble, Chess, Poker and Bridge tournies have been around for many years (in some cases, hundreds of 'em). This may well be the biggest prize awarded in a software-based casual game tournament, though. Professional FPS players the world over can now rest easy. When ya'll are too old and slow for FPS competitions, you won't need to start endorsing Mueslix and Viagra. Instead, prolong your glory days on the casual gaming circuit. [In the image: champion Kavitha Yalavarthi, with her winnings and her fiance.]
4 new XBLA games coming soon?
During his CES speech, Peter Moore announced there were more games coming to the XBLA by March, dropping a couple names like Street Fighter II, Texas Hold 'Em, and Marble Blast Ultra. Well, don't look now, but the official Xbox Live Arcade website has now added 4 new titles, including the aforementioned marbley one. Newcomers include: Crystal Quest: The 1987 classic is back. This updated and enhanced version allows you to pilot your ship through 60 waves, collect crystals, and evade baddies. Marble Blast Ultra: ...navigate your marbles through moving platforms and dangerous hazards, or go head-to-head in ultra blast multiplayer mode, racing to collect gems to see who ultimately wins all the marbles. Feeding Frenzy: Eat anything that's smaller than you and swim clear of everything else. The more you eat, the bigger you get, and the bigger you get, the closer you come to taking on the fearsome Shark King. Astropop: Match four bricks, use combos and powerups to score big points! Two different gameplay modes, coupled with 33 challenging bonus rounds, offers hours of extraordinary replay value for players of all ages. I don't see any of them showing up in the Marketplace yet, but how far off could they be if the websites are up already?[Via Pixel Gamers]
