That's the question I mischievously ask in today's Gamesblog column which you can find in the Technology section of the Guardian. The argument has evolved from my 'Is casual gaming the new hardcore' post from last year and is really about how casual games are better placed to exploit our new converged digital lifestyles - or at least the converged digital lifestyles that consumer electronics companies would like us to have in order for us to spend more money on entertainment servers and giant HD-ready flat panel displays.
Anyway, for insider comment on this issue I approached Matt Spall, managing director of Award-splattered UK studio Morpheme. He kindly answered a few questions on the company's fun little casual gaming site Off The Wrist and on plans to crossover to Xbox Live.
What do you think of Macrovision's findings about casual gamers - I.e. that they play a lot and in the evenings and weekends - it's not just about the odd game of solitaire in the lunch hour. Do you think this is accurate? We hope it's accurate, and we're guessing so do Macrovision, otherwise their research was a waste of an afternoon they could have spent playing Bejewelled.
We can definitely associate with it. A lot of casual games are successful because you can get into a nice gentle rhythm that causes hypnotic zoneout over a period of time. A huge amount of effort goes into creating satisfying sound and animation to lull the player into continuing play.
Xbox live seems less polarised really - there are titles which are aimed very much at the traditional casual market, then games like Geometry Wars for the hardcore, and retro stuff for older experienced players, plus stuff in-between. Hopefully over time, Microsoft will provide enough of a spectrum of titles, combined with some shopfront smarts, to push the less-experienced players onto slightly more advanced things, so the industry can begin to move beyond endless 'Match 3' puzzle games.
Do you think that with things like Nintendo's Touch Generations titles (Brain Training, etc) and Xbox Live Arcade titles, the worlds of 'hardcore' and 'casual' gaming are beginning to merge? No. The people buying the DS to play Brain Training, and Nintendogs are probably not even aware of Metroid or Advance Wars which kind of suggests this might be a one-way street - the hardcore aren't likely to buy these 'ultra casual' titles in great numbers, because they're fairly simplistic, and don't offer a great deal of depth for a hardcore player.
Hopefully though, some people who would never normally play games now own DSs, and may 'graduate' to more advanced titles over time. Having said that, the fact that the DS market can support things like Electroplankton, which can keep anyone charmed for ages, is already encouraging.
Interestingly, one of the guys in the office bought his mum a DS and Brain Training for her 66th birthday and it's really engrossed her. She's never really played anything much other than the built in Solitaire in Windows and the odd game of Finger Frenzy.
What was the thinking behind Off The Wrist? We thought the title was funny. The site was initially designed to support Finger Frenzy plus some other silly things we had knocking around the office (such as 'Middle Name'). It's now turning into a games site for people to check out, play some stuff we've made, buy some others, but in general, have a laugh and a quick game.
Morpheme takes a uniquely integrated approach to development. Do you feel this is the direction casual gaming is going in - a real lifestyle, multimedia, multi-platform activity? Yes, put the fun everywhere. Some people like web games, some people like MySpace, some people like phones. We try to reach them wherever they may be.
There are lots of directions 'casual gaming' is going in, because it's an area with a wide and fuzzy target market. One of Morpheme's core strengths has always been development of strong, original IP that stands out from the crowd, so pushing our characters - including BHB - in lots of different directions feels quite natural.
As for having both mobile and PC titles, we see mobile games as being casual games anyway, so a lot of the game design decisions apply to both platforms.
Watch this space, we've got a few games coming up over the next few months that pull PC, Mobile, online, MySpace, blogging, and all kinds of other stuff together in all sorts of ways.
How is Morpheme looking to develop its 'multi-channel' approach to development and distribution in the future? Do you think you might move titles across to the handheld consoles and even Xbox Live Arcade? We continue to expand the hardware base for our games. We're definitely looking at taking our games to systems like Xbox Live Arcade. As the new breed of console makes a move from the bedroom to the living room and from a games system to an integrated entertainment system we're expecting to see a lot more demand for games with much more shallow, or even non-existent learning curves. Part of our core strategy involves creating games with which we can target a wide range of platforms, so yes, hopefully you'll see Morpheme products on a lot more electronic devices in the future!
