Who are you calling casual?

I was thinking last night, is being referred to as a casual gamer a put down? Are casual games less important than hard-core games?

Labels are funny things. By adding casual to the title does it make us sound less serious, less committed? Well the statistics being released of late seem to indicate the opposite.

Casual gamers are some of the most dedicated gamers out there. And unlike the young male dominated world of the ‘hard-core’ gamer, casual gamers are made up of all demographics and all ages. The dominant group of casual gamers are in fact women over the age of 30, a fact that comes as no surprise to those in the industry. However it’s not the demographic or age group that immediately jumps to mind of the general public when you talk about computer games.

The beauty of the casual game is its simplicity, and that’s why the worldwide audience of 100 million* continues to grow. Sometimes you just need a little diversion to get through the day.

We at 3RD sense are extremely proud of the games we create, and we thank the lord that people like them and keep coming back to visit. We don’t consider our games casual, and I bet to the majority of Playaholics gamers out there, casual is not even a term they use.

Of course casual games are as important as the more traditional hard-core games. If they were not, then people wouldn’t play them and our industry wouldn’t exist. I just wish we had a better name.

* source: Jupiter Media Metrix