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Vanilla 1.1.5a is a product of Lussumo. More Information: Documentation, Community Support.

Other (non-game related): Why I love casual games

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      CommentAuthorreinspruch
    • CommentTimeOct 28th 2008 edited
     
    OK. For starters, I am going to admit that I am a newbie to casual games. But this is exactly why I am so excited about the potential of casual games.

    I grew up on Atari, Intellivision, Coleco and then Nintendo. But it stopped there. I was addicted to Super Mario Brothers, Blades of Steel and Legend of Zelda, but around 1991 I never touched a game again (with the exception of Sim City back in 1994).

    The reasons why I stopped playing are the same reasons that have been well-documented over the years: expensive consoles, difficult controllers, complicated game mechanics, violent themes, etc. The reasons why I am playing games again have been well-documented, too: low-price points, multiple distribution channels, nostalgia, easy to learn (or to remember the mechanics), fun themes, etc.

    And this brings me to why I am so excited about casual games. When it comes to casual games, people like me fall into the category of the "early majority" according to Geoffry Moore in "Crossing the Chasm". I am certainly not a visionary or early adopter of games. But I am part of the critical early majority that the massive mainstream market relies on for purchasing decisions. If people like me are playing casual games then it is only a matter of time before the industry explodes into the mainstream via platforms like Facebook, Kongregate, the iPhone, the Zune (just kidding), Apple TV, etc.

    So hats off to those of you who have been saying this for years. It looks like you were right!
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      CommentAuthorTrey
    • CommentTimeNov 27th 2008
     
    The problem is that once you move in to the 3rd dimension, it has to look realistic. The programmers get bogged down in linear algebra and physics to the detriment of gameplay, and most of your budget gets sucked in to 3-d modeling. The key to a really great game is to have something you can pick up for a half-hour, start having fun in the first couple of minutes, and put it back down again. If you have to block out 3 hours of your day to get a good round of playing in, most people simply won't make the investment. Have a simple theme that is never quite the same each time you play; this is why people are still playing Tetris two decades later.
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      CommentAuthorreinspruch
    • CommentTimeNov 27th 2008
     
    Amen. What gets me stoked is that (and now I am revealing my age) when Tetris came out we could only play it on the Nintendo Game Boy. With the proliferation of devices and distribution channels, one can purchase and play Tetris almost anywhere at any time. How awesome is that?!
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      CommentAuthormtaylor
    • CommentTimeNov 27th 2008
     

    Showing your youth not your age if you first played in on the Game Boy, now, if you had played it as Тетрис on the PC then that would be showing your age :)

     

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      CommentAuthorrmadsen
    • CommentTimeNov 29th 2008
     

    I'm with you all the way, Trey. I reject the idea that a game has to be "photo-realistic" to be great. Part of the fun of playing game sfor me is the "fantasy" element which is sometimes lost in the quest for photo-realism. I appreciate 3D and there are some applications for realism (e.g. a WWII re-enactiment, etc), but realism should not be the "holy grail" of all game development.

    R

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      CommentAuthorsabu
    • CommentTimeDec 12th 2008
     
    hey all,
    i agree with all that you say, if you want to see great games check out sigma-team.net there alienshooter/zombie shooter games there also coming out with zombie shooter 2 the sequel to the first one the new one uses as one of the weopens a CHAIN SAW lol.
    other great games\spheres of chaos the 3 jewel match
    games mutant storm juno nemesis zuma deluxe dynamite
    and so on and so forth. these are all great games oh btw i forgot one other which is highly addictive it's called:PUZZLE QUEST:CHALLANGE OF THE WARLORDS...
    highly addictive and very noisy, uses match 3 elemens plus questing some very difficult.
    happy gaming.
    sabu

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