Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Designing for a specific audience
Instead of focusing solely on gameplay style, designers can choose to cater to a
broader audience—casual, core, or hardcore gamers. Players may choose casual
games to play, whether they're maze games or word puzzles or hidden-object
games. By the same token, players can gravitate toward hardcore games that
require substantial amounts of time to play through or have a darker or more
violent game style, such as action or adventure games.
There are casual action games, and there are hardcore action games. They're
differentiated by the level of intensity and immersion. You can use the same
approach to categorize games in any of the gameplay styles we have looked at as
either casual, core or hardcore. As a game designer, you may choose a certain
type of gameplay to focus on, or you may determine what groups of different
types of people tend to favor. By looking at a broader cluster of people, you may
find ways to overlap or merge play styles to create unique and successful hybrids.
Casual Games
A casual game appeals to gamers who like an easy-to-learn, light game that doesn't
require a large amount of time to play. Casual games can fit any genre. The only
distinction that sets them apart is that these games tend to be played for a short
amount of time and are meant to be a fun diversion in the player's day. Although
most games that are considered casual games tend to be light and fun, any game
that players like to delve into for brief durations could be considered a casual game.
The majority of games that people tend to jump into for short periods of
time are card games, maze games, puzzles, and so on.
Angry Birds
(shown in
Figure 2.7)
,
which was designed as a mobile game by Rovio but can also be
played on a home computer using Google Chrome, is a popular casual game.
According to the
Casual Games
Association,
www.
casualgamesasso-
ciation.org
, the
majority of casual
gamers are female,
are over 30, and play
via the internet.
FiGuRe 2.7
In Rovio's casual game
Angry Birds
, the graphics are
brightly colored and simple but highly engaging.
