http://www.casualgaming.biz/ CasualGaming.biz Blog en-uk Copyright 2009, Intent Media http://www.casualgaming.biz/blog/171/Sony-finally-invites-us-to-Home One of biggest potential casual gaming platforms ever released arrived last week when Sony finally, after what seems like years of delays, released its social network and gaming platform PlayStation Home to the masses. Well, it opened up its ongoing beta to all PS3 owners, anyway. http://www.casualgaming.biz/blog/171/Sony-finally-invites-us-to-Home http://www.casualgaming.biz/blog/170/A-casual-reader I expect a fair few publishers were slapping their heads when Nintendo unveiled its 100 Classic Book Collection last week. http://www.casualgaming.biz/blog/170/A-casual-reader http://www.casualgaming.biz/blog/168/Taking-the-joy-out-of-joypad It wasn't long ago that I was speaking in this column about the term 'casual gaming' being a dirty word. Well, perhaps 'dirty' is a little harsh, but one of gaming's most recognisable and respected figures certainly gave it a bit of a bashing this week. http://www.casualgaming.biz/blog/168/Taking-the-joy-out-of-joypad http://www.casualgaming.biz/blog/167/Do-publishers-understand-the-Wii Do we overestimate the importance of Wii as a casual gaming platform on this site? Maybe. After all, it's the millions of hours logged everyday on online casual games that really forms the meat and veg of the casual games industry. But the disparate wares of the globalised internet and PC user base means that tracking the economic importance of online based Flash gaming is a tough job. The Wii's impact is statistically far simpler to measure. And regardless of the larger argument, to dismiss its colossal impact is unjust. http://www.casualgaming.biz/blog/167/Do-publishers-understand-the-Wii http://www.casualgaming.biz/blog/166/Do-controversial-Flash-titles-deserve-any-coverage This topic has been an obvious contender for what we tend to refer to here at CasualGaming.biz as the 'Thursday Thought' for quite some time. Despite the widespread popularity of casual gaming, it's still a concept that many people don't quite understand. But the term itself is, at least, widely known thanks in no small part to the number of tabloid stories linked to it of late. http://www.casualgaming.biz/blog/166/Do-controversial-Flash-titles-deserve-any-coverage http://www.casualgaming.biz/blog/165/Casual-games-market-overview Over the past few years, casual games have become one of the booming areas of the interactive entertainment market. The industry started taking shape in 1999, when games were created by independent developers in their free time and the process was merely a hobby. Nonetheless, the first attempts to sell casual games online, which took place in 1999 and 2000, were a success. http://www.casualgaming.biz/blog/165/Casual-games-market-overview http://www.casualgaming.biz/blog/163/Is-casual-a-dirty-word We've spoken at length on this site about what the term 'casual gaming' actually means. It's a valid argument, of course, but not one I want to revisit here. Instead, rather than examine its meaning I wanted to talk about the perception of the word. http://www.casualgaming.biz/blog/163/Is-casual-a-dirty-word http://www.casualgaming.biz/blog/162/Building-on-success-Nintendos-DSi First of all, I'd just like to say a quick hi to all of you out there. This is my first week as editor of CasualGaming.biz, and it's a job I'm looking forward to immensely. http://www.casualgaming.biz/blog/162/Building-on-success-Nintendos-DSi http://www.casualgaming.biz/blog/161/Digging-deeper-in-the-ReflexiveAmazon-deal The world's biggest bookseller is branching out. Amazon has just bought casual game portal Reflexive in a move that will strengthen its digital distribution expertise and increase its exposure to a market that has essentially eluded it to date: downloadable casual games. http://www.casualgaming.biz/blog/161/Digging-deeper-in-the-ReflexiveAmazon-deal http://www.casualgaming.biz/blog/160/Austin-power EA's official opening of a new casual studio today might seem like a run of the mill publisher announcement. At a time when casual customers are driving games industry growth, it's no surprise to see the publisher's Pogo.com team expand. But what is interesting about this latest news is how this move stands as another example of the 'casualisation' (for want of a better word) of the core games industry. http://www.casualgaming.biz/blog/160/Austin-power