The History of Casual Games
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VERY FIRST CASUAL GAMES
The title most often cited as the first successful casual game is Microsoft Solitaire, a simple Klondike solitaire PC game developed in 1989 that was bundled with Microsoft Windows. But if casual games are defined as easy to learn with simple controls and addictive game play, PC casual games existed well before Microsoft Solitaire, with the most ubiquitous casual title being the puzzle game Tetris. Tetris was developed in 1984 by a Russian computer programmer and released for IBM (MS DOS) computers in 1986. It was adapted for Windows computers in 1989 (releasing around the same time as Microsoft Solitaire) [1] and as the free pack-in game for Nintendo’s Game Boy. Since then, Tetris has been developed for numerous personal computer, gaming and mobile platforms.
Casual-style games also helped fuel the popularity of arcades and video game consoles in the 1970s and 1980s with titles like:
- Pong (Atari, 1972)
- Breakout (Atari, 1976)
- Othello (Nintendo, 1978)
- Pac-Man (Namco/Midway, 1979)
- Centipede (Atari, 1981)
- Donkey Kong (Nintendo, 1981)
- Frogger (Konami/Sega, 1981)
- Ms. Pac-Man (Namco/Midway, 1981)
CASUAL GAME INDUSTRY PIONEERS
Although simple electronic games that appeal to a mass market audience had existed for decades, it was a critical mass of Internet access and broadband adoption that laid the foundation for a large and growing casual game industry in the late 1990s. Now a new market of consumers were going on the Internet to find ‘entertainment’ as opposed to visiting computer retailers in search of ’software.’ This tipping point shifted access to fun, simple PC games from limited shelf space in retail outlets with limited traffic from mass-market consumers to the unlimited world of an Internet-enabled personal computer in the home or office.
As the Internet developed and browsers became more sophisticated, games emerged that used a web browser as the client. Simple single player games were made using HTML until web-based technologies like Flash and Java allowed browser games to become more sophisticated. Many casual-style video games originally released in the 1970s and 1980s, along with classic board (checkers, chess) and card games (solitaire, hearts, black jack, poker) were recreated as Flash or Java games.
In the late 1990s, companies began to see an opportunity to aggregate games and cater to online gamers. Early players include:
Mplayer – Mplayer was a free online PC gaming service and community that operated from late 1996 until early 2001. Some of the more popular titles included casual card and board games along with more “hard core” games like Quake. At its peak, MPlayer had more than 20 million unique visitors each month and offered more than 100 games. [2] Initially the service was subscription-based, but by early 1997 they became the first major multiplayer community to offer free games subsidized with advertising revenue.- Slingo, Inc. - Founded in 1995, Slingo, Inc. developed the hugely popular Slingo game that launched on AOL in 1996 and went on to become one of the most popular casual game franchises.
- ClassicGames.com - ClassicGames.com was a java-based game site that allowed people to play hearts, spades, bridge, checkers, chess and other games in a multiplayer format. In 1997 ClassicGames.com was acquired by Yahoo [3] and re-launched in March 1998 as Yahoo! Games.
Pogo.com - After a series of mergers and re-branding, the Total Entertainment Network, Inc. launched Pogo.com on September 2, 1999, and the company renamed itself to Pogo.com with a business strategy focused on easy-to-access and simple browser games that would appeal to a broad audience and attract enough unique users to drive advertising revenue. Pogo was acquired by Electronic Arts in 2001. [4]
CASUAL GAME INDUSTRY BEGINS
Soon casual game “portals” and developers began to multiply. Many were new divisions within established Internet/technology companies like MSN Games (Microsoft), AOL Games (American Online), and RealArcade (RealNetworks, Inc.). Others were start-up companies typically founded by former game industry professionals who recognized the opportunity to create independent games and/or expand the industry, including:
- Reflexive - Founded in 1997 as one of the first casual game developers, Reflexive’s early hits include Ricochet Xtreme. In 2003 they launched the Reflexive Arcade gaming system.
- GameHouse - Founded in 1998 as a game development studio, GameHouse is best known for creating the popular Collapse! series of games. The company was later acquired by RealNetworks, Inc. and integrated into the RealArcade service.
- PopCap - Founded in 2000, PopCap’s flagship game Bejeweled is one of the most recognized and emulated titles in the casual game industry.
- Trymedia - Founded in 1999, Trymedia was one of the first companies to focus on technology that powers the “try before you buy” model.
- Funkitron - Founded in 2001, Funkitron is one of the earliest casual game developers started purely to make games for this new casual market. They were also the first developer to create games from known brands (Scrabble Deluxe and Boggle Supreme) specifically for the downloadable market.
PREMIUM CASUAL GAMES ON THE INTERNET
By 2000, more than half of all Americans had Internet access. According to a study conducted as part of the Pew Internet & American Life Project, the most enthusiastic new adopters were women who made up more than half of all Internet users, with older women coming online at a slightly higher rate than other user groups. For women on the Internet, playing online casual games was a popular activity [5] and by the latter part of 2000 more than half of all Internet users were making online purchases and the majority of shoppers were women. [6] The time was right for developers and publishers to monetize their popular games in a new way.
In 2001, a number of companies began developing and distributing downloadable games. A “try before you buy” model that allowed players to try the game for a limited duration (or with a limited feature set) resonated with the predominantly female players, and many of them paid (typically USD $20) to unlock the full game. Early titles that helped prove the viability of premium downloadable games include:
Bejeweled Deluxe (2001) - After strong success with the free browser version of Bejeweled, PopCap created a deluxe downloadable version with enhanced features and higher quality graphics/audio.- Super Collapse! (2001) - A deluxe downloadable version of the popular Collapse!, a free browser game developed in 1998 by GameHouse.
CASUAL GAMES EXPLODE
The casual games industry had grown from almost nothing in 2002 to well over $600 million in 2004 [7] and was attracting big investment. A new crop of companies including PlayFirst, Big Fish Games, Oberon, and iWin were founded and grew rapidly while independent casual game developers popped up all over the world. A succession of smash hit titles including Zuma, Diner Dash, Mystery Case Files, and Virtual Villagers defined new genres and expanded the market. Established portals like Pogo launched subscription services that offered play without advertising, enhanced community and personalization features, and access to a large library of premium downloadable games.
At the same time, online casual games were being licensed across platforms including mobile phones, PDAs and video game consoles. Today, most of the large video game companies have a stake in the casual game market, which is estimated to grow to $1 billion worldwide by 2008. [8] With the explosion of the industry, trade associations and publications emerged including:
- Casual Games Association (CGA) - An international organization founded in 2005 by members of the casual games industry.
- Gamezebo - An online publication and community founded in 2005 by Joel Brodie with previews, reviews, editorials and more for casual gamers and the industry.
- International Game Developers Association (IGDA) - In July 2005, a casual games special interest group (SIG) was formed within the IGDA to support the growing number of casual game developers.
SEE ALSO
EXTERNAL LINKS & SOURCES
- Casual Games White Paper at Independent Game Developers Association
- Casual Game article at Wikipedia
- Tetris article at Wikipedia
- MPlayer article at Wikipedia
- Pogo article at Wikipedia
- PopCap article at Wikipedia
- Slingo article at Wikipedia
- Videotopia history of arcade games
- Pew Internet & American Life Project
- Gamezebo
- Casual Games Association
- IGDA Casual Games SIG
Ah, Spring. That time of year when the sun is shining, birds are chirping, flowers are blooming, and people are itchy to get outside and PLAY. I never give up hope that Mother Nature will bring new life after a dormant time, but is there new life in PC casual gaming or is it deeply buried under all the clones? What better way to answer that question than to spend an hour in virtual nature, hanging out with birds and birding geeks.
At each location you receive photography assignments from one of your grandfather’s quirky colleagues. As the game progresses, items are earned that assist your ability to photograph birds. There’s a limit to how much gear you can schlep, so choices are made depending on time of day and objectives for the assignment. Once the required shots are taken, photographing additional birds will earn bonus points. The assignment is repeated if you fail to take the required photos before time or film runs out.
In addition to completing your assignments, you must fill your field journal with photos of 111 species in stationary and flying shots. Photos are scored based on a set of criteria cleverly called PEEP (Process for Equitable Evaluation of Photos). From within the field journal you can also share your bird photos via email.
Early in game play, an additional module is unlocked that allows you to create fantasy birds, download new birds from the wilds of the Internet, and photograph them in locations across the fantasy map. I was too immersed in the story mode to spend much time in this module, but was impressed with the added dimension and the ability to feel connected to other players through their creations.
While many casual game companies are pumping out sequels and clones faster than a book-loving insect can gnaw through chapter one, PopCap has inched along slowly to capitalize on the success of 
Dear Lex,
In my hour of trial, I found the fundamental appeal of Bookworm is still intact. It’s mostly about creating words from a selection of 16 letters on a 4×4 grid. Letters don’t have to be adjacent, although you must click them in sequence to spell the word because the interface doesn’t allow you to rearrange letters as you form the word. The better the word, the better you fare in achieving your goals.
Dear Lex,
No Bull! I did not know about 
Inside the Bucket
