Casual game company PopCap Games has posted the findings of a survey into some 7,500 casual gaming adults. The results found that 70 percent believed that the games had some educational value, 68 percent believed they helped improve hand-eye coordination and manual dexterity, and 48 percent found positive benefits with cognitive exercise aspects of the games.
Almost a third of the respondents had children or grandchildren who played games in their home, and 80 percent of those play with their progeny. A resounding 92 percent of those thought that playing casual games together helped them bridge the generation gap and bond with the youngsters.
Psychologist Carl Arinoldo, author of Smart Parenting, commented, "Casual games span generations and genders in ways that traditional 'hardcore' video games never have... Casual games seem to promote more of a cooperative 'let's work on this together' type of atmosphere, as opposed to an aggressive, interpersonal competitive environment."
I don't think a lot of people understand what the term "casual" really means in this situation. It's not a PS3 or 360 owner who occasionally play RB6: Vegas. Rather, "casual" refers to the type of game. Casual games are easy to learn, appeal to a wide audience (and mainly women!), and are usually pretty addictive. Check out Mystery Case Files, Luxor, Bejeweled or Diner Dash if you want to get an idea as they are some of the most popular casual games around.
I love casual games with family
Jermwarfare- It seems that the limiting factor to this discussion is the definition of hardcore gaming. You bring up good points regarding increasing accessibility with subsequent installments to a series. I don't play FPS much, so I won't argue that point with you. But a question, and I don't pretend to know the answer to this, to ask is: What exactly is suffering from increasing accessibility? Is it the difficulty of the game itself? Is it the story? I'm not asking because I'm trying to make a point; simply to elucidate what the problem is. I mostly play strat rpg's in the Tactics Ogre lineage and Japanese RPGs. I do see the differences between classics such as FF Tactics and Ogre Battle with the recent Atlus and Nippon Ichi offerings. The latter are simply not as good. But are the end products a result of increasing accessibility for casual gamers? Or is it the fact that I have a certain emotional investment to the older games? This genre is interesting because it was and will never be an accessible genre for most casual gamers. This notion adds another stipulation in the creation of modern games. Accessibility equals larger profits, and larger profits equal more games of the same ilk. That is something I've never been able to enjoy with my genre of choice, other than w/ Final Fantasy. But with every iteration of FF, I don't see them being dumbed down or more accessible. I don't pretend to understand what's going on with FPS, but if the problem of deep and demanding play is your issue, it is possible that your skills are much better now. There needs to be more evidence to support the claim that casual gaming is ruining hardcore gaming. It may very well be the lack of innovation and foresight of developers to meet the demand of self proclaimed hardcore players.
my grandmother will die if she's not in front of her Univision
"cecalder"- another nice theory.... but if you dont see "hardcore games" being dumbed down one after another,than you're just out of touch or were never a "hardcore gamer" to begin with.im not talking about bad language or violence and sex....im talking about deep and demanding play,which has almost become absolete. GRAW isnt a hardcore game,but GR and GRIT were.Vegas isnt a hardcore game,the original R6 and RS were.the new Americas Army seems to be in the same boat relative to the last game.... obviously im into FPS,but ive heard the same sentiment being echoed from every genre.if you havent folllowed specific series over the years and seen how they become "more accessible" with every iteration,than you cant understand.
well its sorta tru, cuz my parents dun fight as much anymore since theyre bowlin and shootin stuff on the wii
why do people believe this rubbish?
I honestly only clicked on this because I saw the Simpsons...
board games and cards can still do it after all these years, why not realize electronic gaming isn't far behind.
Unholy_Smite and the rest who proselytize the apocalypse of hardcore gaming as we know it: Take it easy. Games for those that consider themselves "hardcore" are going to continue to be made. If you haven't noticed, there are "hardcore" games being covered here on gamespot. As others have pointed out, the current deluge of casual games will only increase the capital of the developer/publisher, allowing the creation of many more "hardcore" games, while decreasing the monetary risk that these companies incur. It seems to me that my fellow "hardcore" colleagues are an elitist group that can't suffer to see their pastime being shared by people who aren't like them. Also, Unholy_Smite, the article doesn't state that "icky hardcore games" cause agressive behavior. And even if it did, your anecdotal evidence wouldn't disprove anything since its one data point. That isn't statistically significant. You'd do well if you actually read PopCap's findings to find out if the study is bogus.
"jermwarfare, you are a compliment to all gamers and have truly got it! Thank you!" cant argue.:)
"So if 48% found benefits with cognitive exercise (what the heck does that even mean? Brain exercise sounds ridiculous, they should have called it something else), does that mean that 52% found no effect, or were there some people who found it negatively affecting them? That would be amusing." http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/cognitive it means that 52% didnt know what cognitive meant. ; )
jermwarfare, you are a compliment to all gamers and have truly got it! Thank you!
i'll be getting a wii here soon,my hope is to find more games for my son and maybe get the wife more interested in gaming. but i do feel unholy_smite's frustration.it seems that lately "accessibility" is the only thing that matters and all of our hardcore games have been sacrificed at the "casual" alter. im all for both types of games,just not one at the expense of the other. ....which is typically the case when trying to merge the two together.very few games can nail the bullseye with "easy to learn,but hard to master".i wish they wouldnt even try,and just make two different games,for the sake of both sides.
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gamerzvoice games are about fun! What takes away aggression for me is being able to take it out in a harmless manner, like GTA games where I can hijack cars and cause mayhem! Even my sisters who like Mario admitt that games like GTA are a great stress reliever! And what about real games? Great single player hardcore games? Oh right I forgot, that is not allowed on consoles anymore.
You are right Boo, sales do NOT show how people act or what their tastes are, for all they know all of the people who got mario party may have gotten resident evil also.. tmacairjordan87 you are also right, I doubt many will jump to real games soon and if anything the Wii is weakening the hardcore market and harming gaming more than anything.
I agree, my dad didn't used to like video games, but i picked up some racing games, (cause he likes cars) and i invited him to play, now, I find video games with family members takes away some of the agression of everyday and when you're done playing a family-oriented game, you feel great. After all, isn't that what video games are about?
Even though I like Mario Party, that doesn't show anything. It shows how many people bougth it, not how people behave.
More than 2 million copies of Mario Party 8 have already been sold which further shows that this is true.
umm the wii isn't doing anything for gaming really lol. far as i know grandma wont be jumping from cooking mama to ghost recon and little johnny wont be jumping from wii sports to grand theft auto for a while, if at all
This is fairly true check the Wii. Hopefully more corporations recognize this and utilize it better than exploiting specific family members in specific unmoral ways...
This study is wrong anyway and an attack on real games, 7500? COME ON! aggressive, interpersonal competitive environment? YEAH RIGHT! I play thos icky hardcore games and they have NEVER caused me to be aggressive towards my family in any way! This study is bogus and done by less than .1% of gamers.. This study is trash! CLOSED!
playa video games ARE MAINSTREAM!! At this rate games will be for little kids and families only and almost all teens and adults will ditch them, also parents won't buy a 300 buck digital board game, this industry is going to be just like the board game one soon....Played by a few people and laughed at by all. Hardcore games are the industries lifeblood, what will the largest demographic 18-34 year olds play? NOTHING! Thanks Nintendo! RIP GAMES!
Hopefully when video games become more mainstream, politicians will get off of its ass.
It's true. Playing the games on the Wii like Wii Sports, Wii Play, and Mario Party 8 have taken away the agression towards my family! :P
I think people are interpreting this wrong. Its not about what video games do for families. Its what casual video games do for families, and what hardcore video games do not. I see that as more of an attack on what many of us would consider what gaming is all about.
And the gaming industry dies a little bit. Hardcore games are something we call fun! With all the casual games I give the industry 5 years to live.
i liked the picture for the headline
Not surprised at all....I guess games aren't that evil anymore...(not like they have ever been evil)
Casual video games are just digital board games and such.... it's family time.
This just in 25 years ago: Family game nights help bring families together. I appreciate the studies finding, but my only response is "Well, duh."
It's true! :D
Slightly off topic, but the picture on the front page of the news story was awesome.
Im thinking this has a lot to do with the Nintendo Wii... Hey, I like Monopoly too, not the computer game, old fashoined style, as long as I get the car!
Wait until someone starts cheating that'll tear em apart!
Kingtrewq, you mean monopoly on the computer right? Riiiighhhhhhhhht? No I love board games and video games too, You sunk my battleship sir.
wow decoy1978 is right caual gmaes are becoming like borad gmaes evn though i still sometimes play some board games like monopoly
That is cool
lol the pic... well my parents like some games... like my dad likes action and shooter type of games... my mother likes Mario and Pac-man... and she loved Brain Age when I showed her. Think she's already a fan of the game... lol!
I've been telling people this for years.
Nothing new.... play a game of Monopoly or Chutes & Ladders with your kids promoted family time. Board games of the past were considered to be the video games of their time. Now its video games that can incorporate the whole family that will shine.
I can see that. The first day I got my Wii my whole family was playing it. It was pretty cool, felt like the old days with the NES when family members would crowd around the TV to watch you play the NES.
my parents have no interest in video games whatsoever same with basically every other member in family.
"Casual game company PopCap has posted..." - who would have thought the results were great. Seriously good for them and good for gaming's reputation in general.
This last few generations are probably going to have it easier being parents. Kids will be spending more time with their parents, especially if dad can hold his own in Unreal Tournament 12. The majority of our parents just get too frustrated adapting to controllers. I remember the disaster of trying to get my dad to play Contra. I'd love it if my dad liked to play games. It's hard enough getting him to play Tiger Woods with me even after I explain how simple the controls are.
So if 48% found benefits with cognitive exercise (what the heck does that even mean? Brain exercise sounds ridiculous, they should have called it something else), does that mean that 52% found no effect, or were there some people who found it negatively affecting them? That would be amusing.
This is nice? I gess
Sure, all time spent with relatives and friends leads to bonding.
I can relate to this. It's great fun playing casual games with my family. We dont really need them to relate to eachother though.