View source for Software:Casual game

{{short description|Video game genre}}
{{Video game industry}}
A '''casual game''' is a [[Engineering:Video game|video game]] targeted at a [[Finance:Mass market|mass market]] audience, as opposed to a hardcore game, which is targeted at [[Software:Gamer#Dedication spectrum|hobbyist gamers]]. Casual games may exhibit any type of gameplay and genre. They generally involve simpler rules, shorter sessions, and require less learned skill.<ref>{{cite web |last=Boyes |first=Emma |url=http://uk.gamespot.com/news/6186207.html?tag=result;title;0 |title=GDC '08: Are casual games the future? |work=GameSpot |date=18 February 2008 |access-date=3 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711072428/http://uk.gamespot.com/news/6186207.html?tag=result%3Btitle%3B0 |archive-date=11 July 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> They do not expect familiarity with a standard set of mechanics, controls, and tropes.

Countless casual games have been developed and published, alongside hardcore games, across the [[Software:History of video games|history of video games]].  A concerted effort to capitalize on casual games grew in the 1990s and 2000s, as many developers and publishers branded themselves as casual game companies, publishing games especially for PCs, web browsers, and smartphones. 

== Overview ==
Most casual games have:

*Fun, simple [[Software:Gameplay|gameplay]] that is easy to understand
*Simple [[User interface|user interface]], operated with a mobile phone [[Pointing device gesture|tap-and-swipe interface]] or a one-button mouse interface
*Short sessions, so a game can be played during work breaks,<ref name="cgw199209">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1992&pub=2&id=98 | title=Welcome To Gaming Lite | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=September 1992 | access-date=3 July 2014 | pages=74 | archive-date=2 July 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140702235436/http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1992&pub=2&id=98 | url-status=live }}</ref> while on public transportation, or while waiting in a queue anywhere
*Often, familiar visual elements, like playing cards or a Match 3 grid of objects{{r|cgw199209}}

Casual games generally cost less than hardcore games, as part of their strategy to acquire as many players as possible.{{r|cgw199209}}  Any [[Finance:Video game monetization|game monetization]] method can be used, from retail distribution to [[Finance:Free-to-play|free-to-play]] to ad-supported.

The term "hyper-casual game" or "instant game" arose in 2017 to describe extremely easy-to-learn games that require no download, being played in an existing app like a [[Software:Web browser|web browser]] or [[Social:Instant messaging|messaging]] app, and that usually monetize by showing advertisements to the player.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://blog.applovin.com/hyper-casual-mobile-gamings-newest-genre/|title=Hyper-casual: Mobile gaming's newest genre|date=3 August 2018|website=AppLovin Blog|language=en-US|access-date=29 May 2019|archive-date=19 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170619094504/https://blog.applovin.com/hyper-casual-mobile-gamings-newest-genre/|url-status=live}}</ref>

== History ==
Journalist Chris Kohler wrote in 2010 that [[Company:Namco|Namco]]'s [[Software:Arcade game|arcade game]] ''[[Software:Pac-Man|Pac-Man]]'' (1980), which debuted during the golden age of video arcade games, may be the first casual video game, due to its "cute cast of characters and a design sensibility that appealed to wider audiences than the shoot-em-up ''[[Software:Space Invaders|Space Invaders]]''."<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Kohler|first=Chris|title=Q&A: Pac-Man Creator Reflects on 30 Years of Dot-Eating|url=https://www.wired.com/gamelife/2010/05/pac-man-30-years/|magazine=Wired|access-date=10 September 2011|date=21 May 2010|archive-date=16 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130416074849/http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2010/05/pac-man-30-years|url-status=live}}</ref> It is estimated to have been played more than ten billion times during the 20th century,<ref name="Wolf-73">{{citation|title=The video game explosion: a history from PONG to Playstation and beyond|author=Mark J. P. Wolf|publisher=[[Company:ABC-CLIO|ABC-CLIO]]|year=2008|isbn=978-0-313-33868-7|page=73|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XiM0ntMybNwC&pg=PA73|access-date=10 April 2011|quote=It would go on to become arguably the most famous video game of all time, with the arcade game alone taking in more than a billion dollars, and one study estimated that it had been played more than 10&nbsp;billion times during the twentieth century.}}</ref><ref name="CNN-Morris">{{cite news|title=Pac Man turns 25: A pizza dinner yields a cultural phenomenon – and millions of dollars in quarters|date=10 May 2005|author=Chris Morris|publisher=CNN|url=https://money.cnn.com/2005/05/10/commentary/game_over/column_gaming/index.htm|access-date=23 April 2011|quote=In the late 1990s, Twin Galaxies, which tracks video game world record scores, visited used game auctions and counted how many times the average Pac Man machine had been played. Based on those findings and the total number of machines that were manufactured, the organization said it believed the game had been played more than 10&nbsp;billion times in the 20th century.|archive-date=15 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515011836/http://money.cnn.com/2005/05/10/commentary/game_over/column_gaming/index.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> making it the highest-grossing video game of all time.<ref name="Kent-143">{{citation|title=The ultimate history of video games: from Pong to Pokémon and beyond : the story behind the craze that touched our lives and changed the world|author=Steve L. Kent|publisher=Prima|year=2001|isbn=0-7615-3643-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C2MH05ogU9oC|access-date=1 May 2011|page=143|quote=Despite the success of his game, Iwatani never received much attention. Rumors emerged that the unknown creator of Pac-Man had left the industry when he received only a $3500 bonus for creating the highest-grossing video game of all time.|archive-date=17 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117222415/https://books.google.com/books?id=C2MH05ogU9oC|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1989, [[Company:Nintendo|Nintendo]]'s [[Engineering:Game Boy|Game Boy]] was released with ''[[Software:Tetris (Game Boy)|Tetris]]'' as a free pack-in game. It was quickly learned and immensely popular, and is credited with making Nintendo's fledgling [[Handheld game console|portable gaming system]] a success.<ref name="businessweek">{{cite web|url=http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/nov2005/id20051123_168638.htm|title=Tetris' Maker Has His "A" Game|date=23 November 2005|access-date=11 August 2008|archive-date=25 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120625185011/http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/nov2005/id20051123_168638.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Company:Microsoft|Microsoft]]'s Solitaire (1990), which came free with [[Software:Microsoft Windows|Microsoft Windows]], is widely considered the first hit "casual game" on a computer, with more than 400 million people having played the game {{as of|2007|lc=yes}}.<ref name="venturebeat_casual_growth">{{cite web|url=https://venturebeat.com/2007/10/29/casual-gaming-worth-225-billion-and-growing-fast/|title=Casual Gaming Worth $2.25 Billion, and Growing Fast|date=29 October 2007|access-date=11 August 2008|archive-date=11 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120511000352/http://venturebeat.com/2007/10/29/casual-gaming-worth-225-billion-and-growing-fast/|url-status=live}}</ref> Subsequent versions of Windows included casual games Minesweeper, FreeCell, and Spider Solitaire. The company published four [[Software:Microsoft Entertainment Pack|Microsoft Entertainment Pack]]s for casual gaming on office computers from 1990 to 1992.

Casual games started to flourish online in the 1990s along with the rise of the [[World Wide Web]], with card games and board games available from paid services like AOL and Prodigy, and then from web portals, like Yahoo! Games and Microsoft's Gaming Zone. In the mid-2000s, more sites specialized in game hosting and publishing, such as [[Company:Gamesville|Gamesville]] and [[Company:RealNetworks|RealNetworks]]. Some publishers and developers branded themselves specifically as casual game companies, like [[Company:Big Fish Games|Big Fish Games]], [[Company:PopCap Games|PopCap Games]], and [[Company:MumboJumbo|MumboJumbo]].<ref name="CGA :: Casual Games Association">{{Cite web|url=http://casualgamesassociation.org/faq.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090217221337/http://casualgamesassociation.org/faq.php|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 February 2009|title=CGA :: Casual Games Association|date=17 February 2009|access-date=30 May 2019}}</ref> The advent of [[Software:Adobe Shockwave|Shockwave]] and [[Software:Adobe Flash|Flash]] created a boom in web-based games, encouraging designers to create simple games that could be hosted on many different websites and which could be played to completion in one short sitting. One of the most prominent casual games, ''[[Software:Bejeweled|Bejeweled]]'', started out as a Flash game that could be downloaded for a fee, or purchased at retail.  As late as 2009, there was still a market for US$20 casual games purchased at retail or as a download.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://casualgamesassociation.org/faq.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090217221337/http://casualgamesassociation.org/faq.php|url-status=dead|archive-date=17 February 2009|title=CGA :: Casual Games Association|date=17 February 2009|access-date=29 May 2019|quote=Some websites charge $19.95 per downloaded game others offer unlimited subscriptions for $10.00 a month and others supply advertising supported games.}}</ref>

In 2008 and 2009, casual [[Social:Social network game|social network game]]s rapidly attained mainstream popularity following the release of ''[[Software:Mafia Wars|Mafia Wars]]'' for Facebook, and ''[[Software:Happy Farm|Happy Farm]]'' in China.<ref name="wired_influential14">{{cite web|last=Kohler|first=Chris|title=14. Happy Farm (2008)|url=https://www.wired.com/gamelife/2009/12/the-15-most-influential-games-of-the-decade/2/|work=The 15 Most Influential Games of the Decade|publisher=Wired|access-date=10 September 2011|date=24 December 2009|page=2|archive-date=2 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002143503/http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2009/12/the-15-most-influential-games-of-the-decade/2|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Happy Farm'' inspired many clones, including the most popular social network game, ''FarmVille'' (2009), which peaked at 83.76 million monthly active users in March 2010.<ref name="wired_influential14" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://venturebeat.com/2011/01/03/zyngas-cityville-becomes-the-biggest-ever-app-on-facebook/|title=Zynga's CityVille becomes the biggest-ever app on Facebook|date=3 January 2011|website=VentureBeat|language=en-US|access-date=29 May 2019|archive-date=5 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705204206/https://venturebeat.com/2011/01/03/zyngas-cityville-becomes-the-biggest-ever-app-on-facebook/|url-status=live}}</ref> These games innovated in [[Social:Viral marketing|viral marketing]] by rewarding players for sending invites to friends and posting game updates on their Facebook Wall.

Casual games became popular on [[Engineering:Smartphone|smartphone]]s immediately upon their debut, with touch-screen phones like the [[Engineering:IPhone|iPhone]] of 2007 featuring large color displays, all-day availability to the phone owner, and intuitive tapping-and-dragging user interfaces.

[[Engineering:Video game console|Video game console]]s' primary audience is hardcore gamers, but there are some casual games on every game console, and Nintendo's [[Engineering:Wii|Wii]] console's unique motion-sensing controller appealed to a more casual audience that was perhaps intimidated by other consoles' [[Engineering:Gamepad|gamepad]] input devices. ''[[Software:Wii Sports|Wii Sports]]'' (2006), a collection of five simple sports games in which players used the game controller to swing a tennis racket or a baseball bat, was bundled with the Wii console in most territories and sold over 82 million copies as of 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/software/wiiu.html|title=IR Information : Financial Data – Top Selling Title Sales Units – Wii Software|website=Nintendo Co., Ltd.|language=en|access-date=29 May 2019|archive-date=31 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031103300/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/software/wiiu.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Genres ==

Casual games can be found in many game genres.  2000s categorizations by [[Company:Big Fish Games|Big Fish Games]]<ref name="Casual Game Genres on Big Fish Games">{{cite web| url = http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-games/top-pc-games.html| title = Casual Game Genres on Big Fish Games| author = Big Fish Games| publisher = Big Fish Games| date = 1 March 2002| access-date = 1 March 2002| archive-date = 20 September 2008| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080920105234/http://www.bigfishgames.com/download-games/top-pc-games.html| url-status = live}}</ref> and Gamezebo, a casual game review site<ref name="Casual Game Genres on Gamezebo">{{cite web| url = http://www.gamezebo.com/games/find| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100224215859/http://www.gamezebo.com/games/find| url-status = dead| archive-date = 24 February 2010| title = Casual Game Genres on Gamezebo| author = Gamezebo staff| publisher = Gamezebo| date = 1 March 2006| access-date = 1 March 2006}}</ref> named seven popular genres in casual games:

* Puzzle games: [[Software:Bejeweled|''Bejeweled'' series]], [[Software:Collapse!|''Collapse!'' series]], [[Software:Luxor (video game)|''Luxor'' series]], ''Brain Age'' series
* [[Software:Hidden object game|Hidden object game]]s: [[Software:Mystery Case Files|''Mystery Case Files'' series]], ''Mortimer Beckett'' series, [[Software:Hidden Expedition|''Hidden Expedition'' series]]
* [[Software:Adventure game|Adventure game]]s: ''Dream Chronicles'' series, [[Software:Aveyond|''Aveyond'' series]], ''Nancy Drew'' series
* [[Software:Action game|Arcade & action games]]: ''[[Software:Plants vs. Zombies|Plants vs. Zombies]]'', [[Software:Peggle|''Peggle'' series]], [[Software:Feeding Frenzy (video game)|''Feeding Frenzy'' series]]
* Word & trivia games: ''[[Software:Bookworm (video game)|Bookworm]]'', [[Software:Bookworm Adventures|''Bookworm Adventures'' series]], ''[[Software:Bonnie's Bookstore|Bonnie's Bookstore]]''
* Card & [[Engineering:Board game|board game]]s: ''Slingo Quest'', ''Lottso! Deluxe'', ''[[Company:MumboJumbo|Luxor Mahjong]]''
* [[Software:Simulation video game|Simulation game]]s (including [[Software:Life simulation game|life simulation]] and [[Software:Sports video game|sports games]]): ''Wii'' series, ''[[Software:Nintendogs|Nintendogs]]'', [[Software:Cooking Mama|''Cooking Mama'' series]]
* Party games: ''Mario Party'' series, ''Super Monkey Ball'' series, ''[[Software:Wii Play|Wii Play]]''

== Casual Games Association ==

An industry group called the Casual Games Association was founded in 2005 to promote casual games and to provide educational, networking, and market research resources to casual game developers and publishers.<ref name="CGA :: Casual Games Association" />  It published a print magazine and hosted annual conferences called "Casual Connect" in Seattle, Kiev, Amsterdam and London with what it said were "upwards of 7,000 professional attendees each year".<ref name="conferencesold">{{Cite web|url=https://gamedaily.biz/article/423/casual-connect-joins-the-greenlit-content-family|title=Casual Connect joins the Greenlit Content family|website=GameDaily.biz|language=en|access-date=30 May 2019|archive-date=30 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530114446/https://gamedaily.biz/article/423/casual-connect-joins-the-greenlit-content-family|url-status=live}}</ref>  In 2018, the show was sold to media company Greenlit Content, who then rebranded the show "GameDaily Connect".<ref name="conferencesold" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gamedaily.biz/article/900/casual-connect-rebrands-to-gamedaily-connect|title=Casual Connect Rebrands To GameDaily Connect|website=GameDaily.biz|language=en|access-date=30 May 2019|archive-date=30 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190530114609/https://gamedaily.biz/article/900/casual-connect-rebrands-to-gamedaily-connect|url-status=live}}</ref>

== See also ==
*[[Software:Browser game|Browser game]] – a game that is played using a web browser
*[[Software:Gamer#Dedication spectrum|Gamer dedication spectrum]]
*[[Software:Minigame|Minigame]] – a short video game contained within another video game
*[[Social:Social network game|Social network game]] – a casual game with social network integration

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{VideoGameGenre}}

<!--===========================({{NoMoreLinks}})===============================-->
<!--| DO NOT ADD MORE LINKS TO THIS ARTICLE. WIKIPEDIA IS NOT A COLLECTION OF |-->
<!--| LINKS. If you think that your link might be useful, do not add it here, |-->
<!--| but put it on this article's discussion page first or submit your link  |-->
<!--| to the appropriate category at the Open Directory Project (www.dmoz.org)|-->
<!--| and link back to that category using the {{dmoz}} template.             |-->
<!--|                                                                         |-->
<!--|           Links that have not been verified WILL BE DELETED.            |-->
<!--|  See Wikipedia:External links and Wikipedia:Spam for details    |-->
<!--===========================({{NoMoreLinks}})===============================-->

[[Category:Video game terminology]]

{{Sourceattribution|Casual game}}