Casual Games – A Glossary

But that’s not all – this guide to the fast-growing sector will itself continue to grow as we add more entries. If you want to suggest changes, a new entry, or want us to help define a phrase you might not be familiar with, send a mail to casualgaming@intentmedia.co.uk

Advergame

Free-to-the-consumer downloadable or web-based game that carries advertising or branding in lieu of a charge to play.

Aggregator

Company sitting between publishers/developers and portals/distributors, collecting the rights to distribute games from the former, and selling them into the latter.

Casual game

Hotly contested, but generally indicates a game with some or all of: quick to start playing, simple gameplay mechanics, mass-market theme/setting, relatively cheap development costs. Usually digitally distributed.

Community

A group of gamers congregating around a particular product or portal, supported by features such as personalisation, chat, high scores, and skill-based challenges for prizes. Active communities are a strong selling point to potential subscribers.

Conversion rate

The percentage of downloads of trial versions of a game that result in a sale of the fully-featured version. Around 1-2% is usual.

Developer

The individual or company responsible for a game’s design, graphics, sound and coding. Casual game developers range from one-man bands to large multi-teamed SMEs. They may be self-funded, or contracted by publishers or others to work for hire.

Distributor

Specialist companies that secure the rights to distribute the games of publishers and developers, as well as the technical ability to deliver the games. Usually work with publishers and retail portals; often also aggregators or portal owners in their own right. Much more diverse business model than the box-shifting High Street equivalent.

Downloadable

A game that can run on a consumer's PC, mobile phone or games console without access to the Internet. Usually purchased as a result of the successful conversion of the try-before-you-buy version.

Flash

A multimedia technology used to add animation and interactive elements to web pages, Flash is used to create most new web-based casual games.

Hardcore gamer

An avid consumer of full-priced boxed games, who responds positively to difficult and lengthy games that have a focus on skill-based gameplay, and who identifies himself through his consumption of specialist websites, forums and games magazines.

Intellectual Property (IP)

Legal term for the designs, images, copyrights, trademarks, patents and other rights granted to the creator of an invention or artwork such as a game. An IP holder can sell others the rights to exploit their creations, and can legally challenge those who ‘steal’ them.

Java

A platform independent programming language used to author web-based casual games.

Mass market

A product designed to appeal to all demographics.

Mobile games

A game played on a mobile phone or PDA, having either been downloaded by the phone’s owner or else pre-loaded on the device before sale. Casual gamers make up a significant (but not exclusive) portion of the mobile games market.

Monetization

The conversion of a consumer’s desire to play a game into a revenue stream for its developer, and/or publisher, and/or distributor. Popular methods include charging for full downloads, featuring adverts alongside or as part of the game experience, subscription fees and micro-transactions

Online/offline

Games that can only be played when connected to the Internet are known as online games. Offline games can be played on standalone devices such as PCs, mobile phones, and games consoles. Often a casual game can be played in a limited online mode for free, with consumers paying to download the complete offline version.

Publisher

Provides funding, marketing and other support to developers of games, in return for owning some or all of the Intellectual Property rights, and works with distributors, aggregators and retailers to sell games to consumers.

Portal

A website storefront, enabling consumers to try and buy a wide range of casual games, usually from many publishers and developers, and access to community feature.

Platform

The host hardware and software combination on which a game is loaded, excuted and played.

Pay-per-play

A business model where a gamer is charged every time they want to play a particular game.

Retailer

Any company that sells games to consumers; in the casual space usually a web-based portal, but also mobile phone operators and High Street ‘bricks and mortar’ game stores.

Skill games

Games where the business model is to charge consumers to face each other in competitions; the winner gets the pot, minus a fee for the competition’s host. In some jurisdictions, certain casual game genres must be modified to remove any element of luck in order to be legal.

Subscription

A charge levied for accessing and playing the games from a particular retailer or game portal. Usually payable monthly.

Try-before-you-buy

A business model whereby a gamer is allowed restricted ‘teaser’ access to a game – say with a time limit, or with limited features or levels – but must pay if they want to play the full title.

Value chain

In casual games, the activities of developers, publishers, distributors, aggregators, retailers and consumers that together take a game from first concept to gamer, for various profits for each participant along the way.

Viral marketing

The use of social networks, word-of-mouth, and the Internet to spread an idea or sales message. Casual games can benefit from viral marketing, but more often comprise part of marketing campaigns themselves, in the form of Flash-based games played in browsers, or advergames.

Web game

A game that runs in the consumer’s web browser.

Xbox Live Arcade

An online software distribution service for Microsoft’s Xbox console that has achieved great success in bringing casual games to hardcore gamers.

If you want to suggest changes, a new entry, or want us to help define a phrase you might not be familiar with, send a mail to casualgaming@intentmedia.co.uk