After reading Chapter 2 of A Casual Revolution, there were a few things I wanted to discuss.
First, the author states that “casual games” are often built to be less complex and played for shorter periods of time than “hardcore games.” A representative of Nintendo even stated that many games for the Wii are downplaying the importance of graphics and other complexities of games in favor of simplicity in order to adhere to a broader audience of players. If games like these for the Wii and Xbox’s Kinect are indeed supposed to be less complex, then why do they still cost $50, which is similar to more “hardcore games” such as Skyrim or Battlefield? Is it because of the interactive technology required for the Wii controller or Kinect sensor to work? Personally, I choose to spend a certain amount of money on a new video game based on how much time I plan on playing it. I would love to purchase new Kinect games, but I am not willing to throw down $50 for a game that I would only casually play on an infrequent basis.
The author also mentions that casual games must have the ability to be played for both short and long periods of time. Players of the Rock Band games are able to play just a song or two for ten minutes, or they can also play for longer periods of time in game portions such as the “Endless Setlist,” where the gamers play all the songs in a row in one setting. This provides ideal entertainment for different players of casual games who spend varying amounts of time playing video games.