Best Casual Games - Why Popcap's Online Games Dominate

The online casual games industry has certainly been growing exponentially these past six years into its own video game genre. By definition, the casual game market targets mainstream consumers, who are not necessarily video game fans or hardcore PC gamers. To target mainstream users, the gameplay and instructions are extremely simple and easy to learn, which allows new users to play instantly.

Although some of the first casual games were very basic games Windows Solitaire and Minesweeper, as computer hardware has advanced, so has the graphics and features of the various casual puzzle games, word games, board games, hidden object games, card games, pinball, and action games. These games can be downloaded for free or played via web browser on a trial basis. Most are written in Flash, Shockwave, or Active X. The key for casual game publishers is to create a trial that is so enjoyable that the consumer would be willing to pay for the full or deluxe version.

In addition to web-based PC distribution, games can also be downloaded and played on portable devices, such as iPods or cell-phones. Some casual game companies have had major success at major retail stores as well. Other casual games are being ported over to console video game systems like XBox 360 and Wii.

The components of any casual game are simple gameplay (usually by mouse click only), quick rounds, easy saving, and replay value. However, just having these components does not necessarily make a fun game. One of the reasons why PopCap Games is a leader in the casual game industry is because of the charm and cleverness their games bring to the table.

For example, in Bookworm Adventures and Bookworm Adventures Vol 2, the main character is Lex, a talking worm. Although the actual word puzzles are reminiscent of Scrabble, the game was programmed as a role-playing game (RPG) for all ages. Longer words damage Lex's monster enemies more severely. Lex's dialog with his allies are laced with mocking humor to create an engrossing storytelling adventure. Additionally, mini-games can become unlocked as the player progresses for future replays.

Plants vs Zombies is another PopCap game that really pushes the envelope for the technical limits of a casual game. Although at first it seems like a typical column defense game, it is loaded with various plant species, weird zombies, weapons, bonus games, a Zen garden simulation, secrets to unlock, and an engaging soundtrack.

Peggle and Peggle Nights are two great examples of of taking a simple premise (a pinball variant) and building a fresher and more addictive experience by adding colorful characters, quick games, power-ups, and special abilities.

In addition to the hours of fun a user can blow away playing these game due to their addictive nature, PopCap Games is also known for not letting bugs or crashes get in the way of gameplay. This is very important for mainstream marketing, because casual consumer don't have patience for crashes. Meanwhile, hardcore PC gamers pay $40 for a new PC game only to have to wait months for a patch to play it smoothly. The huge video game publishers should look to PopCap games for inspiration.

More info at casual games