Somebody had to say this at some point. From news.com, breaking news that casual games games are not just for women.
Those were some of the findings in the first yearly market report by the Casual Games Association, an industry group aimed at promoting a fast-growing segment that accounts for about 10 percent of the $30 billion global video game market.
“Everyone always thought that casual games were something that only appeal to women,” Jessica Tams, managing director of the association, said in an interview. “We have always been obsessed about making games for women.”
Surveys of players showed that while nearly three-fourths of people who bought casual games were women, the players of such games were split 50-50 between the sexes.
The article speculates that part of the issue is that many men do not want to admit to playing casual games. Perhaps.
Do you consider yourself a gamer? Is it embarrassing to be playing Mystery Case Files or Cake Mania?
Sure I’m a gamer, but I’m also a modder and an aspiring game designer, so that affords me a great excuse for playing anything I want. The latest casual game I’ve been playing is Luxor 2.
I think part of it is that more women have less experience paying for hardcore content, so to them a casual game with 30-50 levels that I could burn through in three hours is worth $20 bucks, while to me I’d rather get the gist of it and move on. Of course, I’m hoping lots of people buy CuttleCandy – but I think I’ve added something to that game’s post-trial content that makes it with it for all players.