This is a silly thread.

Please, all this talk of casual games and there significance is really foolish. Who fricking cares.....

Most consumers could care less if a game is considered casual or a AAA game. They really do'nt notice, so why should we as game developers....

It's really stupid to go around and classify games as casual and non casual. What metric are you using to measure with, and again why bother, it makes little difference to 80 percent of the consumers.

Stop being concerned wether game corp's are making casual games or not, for Pete's sake they are game companies and thats what they do, they create games, for target audiences.

Go make the game that gives you the most pleasure. That's the core purpose of an artist. Make something special, and if you do a good job expressing that specialness in your game you will find an audience.

We have the tools to make fulling games, do you have the passion to follow through. I think all games left unfinished are "Casual Games".

A one or two person team can still create great gaming experiences, the tools are there, all that is left is some passion and sweat....

Quit whining, get off your ass, and build the next great game...

Ken

some of us need money to build our artistic game. please, read, think about it, let it sink and then write. not read a few sentences and argue back...

I actually agree with Nardulus. I might not have put it quite as harshly however, but in a sense he is right.

Spike let me say it louder.....

QUIT WHINNING

I read the thread it's mainly drivel....

If you need money to build your artistic game, so be it.

Many games can be built with lousy art. "Crayon Physic's" comes to mind, even "Line Rider" has what what I would call programmer art. They both have been picked up and are being turned into retail games, before that they had great success online.

Use this forum to find some art help. Spend a $1000 on some art or barter with an artist....

If you do'nt have the resources to make a graphic's heavy game, try something else...

Go outside of you narrow game style box, and think differently...

All game creation is art, it's not locked away from those that do not have money for art or code. Use the tools that are available, work within your art constraints, and make something amazing... That's what truly creative artists do in all mediums........ Posers whine and quit....

Ken

I agree 110%.

Of course he is right, what is this? Sesame street game development? Just like Larry The Cable Guy says: Quit whining and Git R Done!

so, you are bringing casual games as argument that we should not make casual games? wow...

he's not saying "don't make casual games". he's saying "don't limit yourselves to your definition of 'casual' games".

don't think to yourself "i'm going to make a casual game as opposed to a AAA game". make a game designed around your skills and desires, and built around your resources and attention span.

is it the typical lastability, price, development time, or what that makes a game casual? if you make a game that'll last longer than your typical casual game but is much cheaper than a AAA game and sells somewhere in between, what type of game did you just make? or do you even care?

julz

I wouldn't care, but it would be most likely still categorized as casual game.

Yes, there is some innovation. Portals felt a bit innovative but only because they extended a very old game concept. Some portals already existed in the first old Doom. But some new elements like the physics, the second portal, the jumping techniques are new and fun. But don't forget: This game was originally built by a small company and then bought by Valve.

I dont see any innovation in Halo though. Rayman was funny and interesting especially for my son. But it was just another action game with influence from jump&run and shooting and a few narrative elements.

Spore is another interesting story. The hype tells it was innovative. And yes, the procedural animation is. But the game-play is just a mixture of shooting and collecting (first episode), rpg and rts (the following episodes). I feel nothing new in here, only a new combination or composition.

Regarding casual or not: I agree with you to dismiss this definition in our heads. An artist shall be free of any constraints. This is a good approach. But the world outside, the game magazines and web reporters still will put it into a drawer and categorize as they learned it.

Hi Frank,



Your world is indeed small, if it only extends to game magazines and web reporters. None of these groups actually counts as a consumer.

We really should not care what "Dorky, live in mom and dads basement, web game reviewers", think. Yes, I have an opinion on this....

There are some wonderful games being sold at the iPhone store, most of which would be classifed as casual by some game blogging asshole. Funny, I have yet to see the word casual used much if at all in regards to iPhone games...

To me I think Guitar Hero is a casual game, it could easily be done by a small team and small budget. Nobody refers to Guitar Hero as a casual game. That's because marketing can convince lap dog gamers, that its more than a casual game....

Go forth, build with your tools, make some kick ass games, sell them everywhere. Create, thats all that matters....

There was a saying, a while back, popular with us "Punk Rock" guys, it said, "F**K Art, Let's Dance". That's when Punk rock was under a simular assualt from the media, and trying to categorize it as something. It's music, dumb ass, all music is art, all games are art. It's that simple....

Ken