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- Jun 18, 2002
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<a href="http://www.gameplayer.com.au/gp_documents/090116CasualHardcore.aspx">GamePlayer ask the question: "Are 'Casuals' Killing Gaming?"</a>:
<blockquote>Before we even get onto the subject of what is or is not a casual or hardcore gamer – and whether such labels are useful – it’s indisputable that the popularity of casual gaming is changing the way games are designed. When Gears Of War 2 director Cliff Bleszinski informed the press that Epic was gunning for the casual game market it wasn’t met with universal praise; he would have caused less of a fuss by announcing Mickey Mouse as a central character.
[...]
But it’s not just Bleszinski who sees casual gamers as a new target audience. In an attempt to bridge the gap between the two extremes, Lionhead’s Peter Molyneux wanted Fable II to be accessible to gamers of all persuasions: “Maybe part of Fable is about this look; can’t we create a game that both of these people can play and enjoy?” he said at the recent Games Convention Asia. “You’ve got to give the core gamers all the carrots they love and casual gamers the accessibility that they want. And that’s what we tried to do with Fable.”
[...]
But it’s here where the lines between what is and isn’t a casual game become blurred. By dumbing down the easiest difficulty setting in Gears Of War 2 to the point where anyone’s mum can play it, did Epic really make its opus a ‘casual’ game? Is a casual game defined by how simple and accessible it is? Or is a casual gamer someone who plays for a few minutes at a time? Perhaps a casual gamer is someone who only plays ‘social’ games?</blockquote>
It's five pages long and worth a read.
Spotted @ <a href="http://www.gamebanshee.com">GameBanshee</a>
<blockquote>Before we even get onto the subject of what is or is not a casual or hardcore gamer – and whether such labels are useful – it’s indisputable that the popularity of casual gaming is changing the way games are designed. When Gears Of War 2 director Cliff Bleszinski informed the press that Epic was gunning for the casual game market it wasn’t met with universal praise; he would have caused less of a fuss by announcing Mickey Mouse as a central character.
[...]
But it’s not just Bleszinski who sees casual gamers as a new target audience. In an attempt to bridge the gap between the two extremes, Lionhead’s Peter Molyneux wanted Fable II to be accessible to gamers of all persuasions: “Maybe part of Fable is about this look; can’t we create a game that both of these people can play and enjoy?” he said at the recent Games Convention Asia. “You’ve got to give the core gamers all the carrots they love and casual gamers the accessibility that they want. And that’s what we tried to do with Fable.”
[...]
But it’s here where the lines between what is and isn’t a casual game become blurred. By dumbing down the easiest difficulty setting in Gears Of War 2 to the point where anyone’s mum can play it, did Epic really make its opus a ‘casual’ game? Is a casual game defined by how simple and accessible it is? Or is a casual gamer someone who plays for a few minutes at a time? Perhaps a casual gamer is someone who only plays ‘social’ games?</blockquote>
It's five pages long and worth a read.
Spotted @ <a href="http://www.gamebanshee.com">GameBanshee</a>
