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EA making games For Dummies

Publisher's casual label bringing popular how-to manuals to PC and DS, beginning with the just-released Poker trainer.

Whether it's laying plumbing or managing Oracle databases, there's probably a For Dummies book that explains just how to do it. Now, Wiley Publishing's ubiquitous yellow-and-black how-to manuals are making the transition to the interactive medium, thanks to publishing powerhouse Electronic Arts and Beanbag Studios. As part of its arrangement with Wiley Publishing, EA plans to release a line of For Dummies-branded games under its Casual Entertainment label for the PC in the US, Canada, and the UK, with Nintendo DS installments following in this fall.

As part of today's announcement, the publisher said that the first of these titles, Poker For Dummies featuring Texas Hold 'Em, is now available for play through its casual-gaming portal, Pogo.com. The card-game trainer includes instructional gameplay for poker variants including the titular Texas Hold 'Em, as well as Omaha and Seven-Card Stud, and players can begin dealing for $19.95.

EA plans to follow up Poker For Dummies on the PC with Solitaire For Dummies in September, Brain Training For Dummies in October, and Sudoku For Dummies in November, with more titles slated to arrive in 2009. Retail editions of Poker and Brain Training are expected to ship to stores in October.

Travel Games For Dummies marks the first DS installment in the line, and it will go on sale in November. A how-to minigame compilation, Travel Games includes tutorials for Solitaire, Sudoku, and crossword puzzles, as well as other modes where gamers can put into practice their newfound skills.

105 Comments

  • PumpkinBoogie

    Posted Aug 16, 2008 7:28 pm GMT

    LOL @ Devvy01

    Seriously, if you need a Dummies book for any of the above mentioned 'games', then that means only one thing....you need step away from the PC/console/whatever and live a life of complete solitude.

  • Devvy01

    Posted Aug 16, 2008 2:02 am GMT

    How about a Cheaper Oil for Dummies Book?

  • NoseWeed619

    Posted Aug 14, 2008 10:13 pm GMT

    Wow. Should be uber exciting...

    :/

  • Pilch_R_eD

    Posted Aug 14, 2008 3:14 am GMT

    Who in their right mind would buy this stuff. Certainly not gamers, who are the people most interested in interactive entertainment, and are the majority of people who own the platforms these products are being released on. It makes no sense, who would want this stuff??? In the end, they're making interactive games which teach you how to play real life games. Isnt the fun of a game to play it and learn it yourself? yeeeesh!

  • hitmanxmk

    Posted Aug 12, 2008 7:24 pm GMT

    Its OK for me as long as this "disease" stays in the boundaries of EA and don't spread out to the other game developers / publishers

  • portej

    Posted Aug 12, 2008 5:48 am GMT

    Someone needs to give EA Games "Originality for Dummies"

  • Proman84

    Posted Aug 11, 2008 10:33 pm GMT

    All jokes aside, if this will expend beyond casual card games into something more serious, this may not be a bad idea. Otherwise, I don't really care.

  • xraystar

    Posted Aug 11, 2008 11:43 am GMT

    instead of buying a "how-to" solitaire, sudoku or crossword game, why not by the real deal and read the manual?!

  • Treflis

    Posted Aug 11, 2008 11:24 am GMT

    My common senses tells me this will be a super flop.

  • Humorguy_basic

    Posted Aug 11, 2008 3:29 am GMT

    If you want to know why PC gaming is struggling, just read the comments below. By insulting anything not hardcore we are not helping bring potential new hardcore gamers into the fold. casual gamers are potential future hardcore gamers! The sons and daughters of casual gamers might jump straight to hardcore gaming! You think there is enough hardcore gamers to keep these types of games coming over the next couple years? Think again! The growth is in casual, independent and retro gaming. Mainstream AAA hardcore gaming is on the decline! So grow up gamers and welcome new gamers into the fold, whatever games they play - because without them, hardcore gamers numbers will just continue to shrink and we will see fewer and fewer hardcore games!

  • tawagivercetti

    Posted Aug 11, 2008 12:23 am GMT

    i thought they already made dummy games, lol

  • Zombie_Eric

    Posted Aug 10, 2008 6:45 pm GMT

    lol when I read the title I immediately thought they were talking about the Madden series.

  • xbox360progamer

    Posted Aug 10, 2008 2:20 pm GMT

    wow how smart do oyu have to be to play video games...

  • rachkovsky

    Posted Aug 10, 2008 8:47 am GMT

    WEIRD!

  • sdauz

    Posted Aug 10, 2008 1:10 am GMT

    games for casual gamers r easy enough, do we really need this?

  • Weddum

    Posted Aug 9, 2008 10:04 pm GMT

    I thought we already had a Games For Dummies thing. Its called a Wii. And casual games.

  • NA3D

    Posted Aug 9, 2008 3:29 pm GMT

    Anything to make a buck EA huh... If EA was a person in jail... we can all imagine where I am going there. In the end, EA would be shived to death, because no one would want to deal with the trash EA throws out at them.

    Maybe someone should write EA a book, how a company should be ran for dummies. Step 1: care about your customer more than making money, then you will end up making even more money

    Step 2: dont try to buy out companies that don't want to be bought out by you. (I am talking about Ubi more than T2, T2 is looking for a buyer and didn't like EA's bid, while Ubi was not when EA started trying to make a hostile takeover)

    Step 3: if you reuse the same game engine, you better make some amazing enhancements to the game, even more so when you use the same models, same animations, same textures, same everything, and only a roster update.

    Step 4: Gut yourself of executive members. They waste your money, and you can typically get someone else to do the same work for $80,000 to $160,000 a year instead of $800,000+ a year.

    Step 5: Keep the roots in mind. Know where the company has came from, as well as the roots of different game franchises and things that relate to them. (books, movies, sports, games, and so on)

    Step 6: If you fail at these things because you are too greedy to or even too greedy to follow basic logic, see how to off yourself for dummies. You are already close to the one where you tick off the consumers and they chase after you with pitch forks and torches. Might be easiest to do that...

  • ps3thabest

    Posted Aug 9, 2008 10:07 am GMT

    make "how to play a ps3 for dummies" some of my friends need it.

  • blindead05

    Posted Aug 9, 2008 7:42 am GMT

    lol^^

  • MichaeltheCM

    Posted Aug 8, 2008 11:12 pm GMT

    lol! well at least new people can learn how to play

  • Richmaester6907

    Posted Aug 8, 2008 5:40 pm GMT

    The minute they announce this they have a number of games ready in line good old EA exploited amazingly naff possibilities

  • okassar

    Posted Aug 8, 2008 3:25 pm GMT

    Rofl?

  • enoslives7

    Posted Aug 8, 2008 3:21 pm GMT

    If EA was a person, it would be Paris Hilton...... rich, stupid, ugly, and willing to be a parasite on the rest of society,

  • mjk_1

    Posted Aug 8, 2008 2:34 pm GMT

    Sounds like a flop to me.

  • bradly_2795

    Posted Aug 8, 2008 2:07 pm GMT

    Well atleast this is going to follow EA's trend of dumbing games down for people.

  • crow_barman

    Posted Aug 8, 2008 1:35 pm GMT

    Are you for real?

  • Vince910

    Posted Aug 8, 2008 1:29 pm GMT

    By dummies, for dummies.

  • aygol

    Posted Aug 8, 2008 1:06 pm GMT

    EA is for dummies!

  • kos1085

    Posted Aug 8, 2008 12:46 pm GMT

    I hope that EA has its freshman designers working on this because this would be a huge waste of talent to use their best designers to make these games.

  • CMakaCreative

    Posted Aug 8, 2008 12:32 pm GMT

    You could have easily changed the heading to "Dummies make games for EA" but that would be too harsh. This just sounds like an extended manual. Why do we need this? What happened to the days when people just jumped right into the games & learn on the job. Are the games they have these "For Dummies" that hard to understand.

  • cfamgcn

    Posted Aug 8, 2008 11:34 am GMT

    Nice. Just what I needed since it is so hard to read the manual that comes with every game >_>

  • chadw_genx

    Posted Aug 8, 2008 11:22 am GMT

    EA selling games to dummies

  • KLONE360

    Posted Aug 8, 2008 11:05 am GMT

    WOW i just want to buy that game wow and its made by the best game maker evar EA WOW, EPIC FAIL FOR EA

  • markharris31

    Posted Aug 8, 2008 11:02 am GMT

    @Lord_Alan

    They will make games for smart people when smart people make up more than 1% of the population. I don't really see that on the horizon...

  • Ash2X

    Posted Aug 8, 2008 10:43 am GMT

    Maybe next Time it´s not "It´s in the game" or stuff like that,its "EA - for dummies" :-D

  • dolljack

    Posted Aug 8, 2008 10:34 am GMT

    people will buy them as offensive gifts.

  • dj_c4

    Posted Aug 8, 2008 10:30 am GMT

    I thought that said "EA has dummies making games" at first glance. I was confused why that would be news to anyone.

  • agent_nino

    Posted Aug 8, 2008 10:27 am GMT

    they are trying to get their hands in everyone pockets. Money hungry bastards

  • necronaux

    Posted Aug 8, 2008 10:15 am GMT

    Why? Most electronic versions of the (any) game have a "help" file, in the game, that explains how to play. Most even have a built in tutorial, and or a beginners level for getting started. Most even have printed manuals with the games. So, WHY would anyone need a 'game' to teach them how to play a game?

  • iuns

    Posted Aug 8, 2008 9:29 am GMT

    Idonyo, spot on

  • sergioalb64

    Posted Aug 8, 2008 9:24 am GMT

    Ough; I wish the Poker trainer came to DS; I would actually consider getting it, since I don't know even the basics of the game

  • Lord_Alan

    Posted Aug 8, 2008 9:17 am GMT

    When are they going to make games for people with brains?

  • Sony_Soilder78

    Posted Aug 8, 2008 9:10 am GMT

    "EA's been making games for dummies for years. How else do you explain Madden, Tiger Woods, and all the other sequels that are nothing but updated rosters and other trivial content"?

    Ya they should really just change all aspects of Football and Golf itself instead of improving on every possible aspect of a sports game they can...why not they are EA

  • Jico

    Posted Aug 8, 2008 8:47 am GMT

    Idonyo, you beat me to the punch.

  • musicaz70

    Posted Aug 8, 2008 8:43 am GMT

    ...EA does realize that most card games already have something called a tutorial built in with them right?

  • shinmew

    Posted Aug 8, 2008 8:34 am GMT

    lol @ ldonyo You said it!

  • ldonyo

    Posted Aug 8, 2008 7:33 am GMT

    EA's been making games for dummies for years. How else do you explain MAdden, Tiger Woods, and all the other sequels that are nothing but updated rosters and other trivial content?

  • Draggunof

    Posted Aug 8, 2008 7:25 am GMT

    Might they should read the book "Developing serious games For Dummies" before release any new one.

  • markharris31

    Posted Aug 8, 2008 7:19 am GMT

    Finally someone is making games for me!

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