Network now...NEWS
PopCap VP Pours Hate on "Casual" Term
By Kris Graft
July 23, 2008
See also:
Related Articles:
"I don't like the term 'casual,' and I'm not going to defend it."
It seems contradictory that PopCap VP of videogame platforms Greg Canessa is wholly against the term "casual game."
PopCap itself, famous for pick-up-and-play games like Peggle and Bejeweled, uses "casual" in its press materials.
"It's out of date. We've evolved past it," Canessa told Edge-Online on Wednesday. "I'm an executive of PopCap ... but in the past I've specifically crapped on the word 'casual.' ... I don't like the term 'casual,' and I'm not going to defend it."
Canessa has been around the "casual" block. Prior to joining PopCap in 2007, he was the driving force behind Xbox Live Arcade as group manager, and became an advocate of bringing accessible games to more people.
He adds, "It's a term of convenience for the industry. ... They needed a name for these downloadable games for PC aimed primarily at women. So they called these games 'casual.'
"I don't disparage people, including PopCap, for using that term. But I don't like the term because it's not a precise term."
Canessa says "casual" means too many different things. It can be used to describe a genre, a gameplay style or how engaged a customer is with a certain game.
He said someone may play only puzzle games, but for a hundred hours a week. "Does that make that person a casual gamer? Probably not."
"...But it's a known term, like it or leave it, and PopCap continues to use it."
Despite his distaste for the term "casual," Canessa still feels like pick-up-and-play games deserve their own label or category.
"I like 'games for everyone,' and I think that 'broad-appeal entertainment' is very descriptive. Something like that."
For more "casual" hate, click here for a related keynote from Foundation 9's Chris Charla.
I agree with him, there are hardcore gamers who play just one game, and it might be Bejeweled! It's funny a casual gamer really means someone who plays games a few times a week, but a casual game is a bad definition because sometimes they are played ALOT! I've know people who played Minesweeper at least 20 hours a week when it was first release with Windows, and don't forget the hardcore Puzzle Quest addicts. Unfortunately no one is going to be able to coin a different name for those games, too late.
What are some examples of games PopCap has made? Are they a more "hardcore" company? I've never heard of them before.
I'm glad that someone has piped up and had a go at the word 'casual'. I think the industry has become a little confused of late and it seems to be splitting off right between 'core' and 'casual'. I have always considered myself a 'core' player, but since I've got older, got married, run my own business etc etc I have less and less time to play games... so I guess my playing habits have become 'casual' snatching a few hours of play a week, but I'm playing I suppose 'core' games (Battlefield: BC is my weapon of choice at the moment). Yes, maybe the way I play is casual but I don't want games involving chucking frizzbees for dogs just because I don't have the time for 80 hour adventures. Although these games could become better suited for my play habits. Episodic content, more regular saves points or just shorter levels so I can dip in and out with my casual habits...
I know how you feel - I play 'core' games in a 'casual' way, too, if that makes any sense... :) The ability to save anywhere at any time seems a must to me, and I find myself unable to play games where I have to devote large amounts of time between save points (I've been put off buying Lost Odyssey for exactly this reason).
ultimately I want to be able to play a decent 50-60 hour game but be able to almost turn it off and on at will and be able to carry on from the very point I left off. The recap feature of Alone in the Dark sounds good. I remember playing Twilight Princess and having real problems remembering what the hell I did last and need to do next. Now I might be in the minority here, but I'm put off certain games just because the save points are so few and far between. I have to commend Naughty Dog on Drakes Fortune. The checkpoints on that were excellent. I could pick up and play for 10 minutes or 3 hours. It's got it's issues but I think it's one of the best games I've ever played. I look forward to the sequel...
Some handheld games have the right idea, where you can just save at the point you're at and return back to it later (Final Fantasy Tactics Advance is a good example of this). It's not 'quick-save' in the sense that you can only reload it once, but it does away with the need for the stock phrase 'I'll be there in a minute; just need to find a save point...'.
Nice...an attempt to make a point ends up getting owned by the Edge Staff.
And I care what this guy thinks because............????? Is some VP not liking the word "casual" really worth it's own news article? I don't like the word "eggnog," can I have an article too?
Well, if you had been working for years in the eggnog industry, were a top executive at the leading eggnog producer and were the purveyor of a top-shelf line of eggnog that garnered millions of fans worldwide, then sure, I'd care what you thought about the term "eggnog."
You can blog about your own hate for "eggnog" in your new personal Edge Blog! Web 2.0 ftw.