Casual Games Summit GDC - San Francisco March 23 & 24th 2009
Welcome! Dave Rohrl Kenny Shea Dinkin Steve Meretzky
The Usual Fine Print Everyone have a handout? Turn off cell phones, etc. No molesting of speakers Reception 6pm – 8pm Fill out feedback forms “same faces”
This Year’s Theme
This Year’s Theme Red Ocean: a saturated market space with many competitors and low profit margins Blue Ocean: a market you create by changing the rules, where you make the competition irrelevant
Blue Ocean Examples Cirque de Soleil Southwest Airlines Casella Wines (Yellowtail) Curves
Blue Ocean Examples A new genre (e.g. Mystery Case Files) A new economic model (e.g. Kartrider) A new demographic (e.g. Brain Age) A new user interface (e.g. Wii Sports)
Summit Structure Today Morning: Intro After Lunch: art & business of casual games in a red ocean Tomorrow All Day: art & business of casual games in a blue ocean
What is a Casual Game? Not a hard-core game. “A game intended for players for whom gaming isn’t a central part of their lives.”
Characteristics Easy to get started Reveal complexity gradually Not punitive or frustrating Non-violent themes Short play sessions Free or relatively inexpensive
Dawn of Time to 1970
Dawn of Time to 1970 Conventional Wisdom: “Games are for Everyone!”
1970 to 1990
1970 to 1990 Conventional Wisdom: “The bigger, longer, harder, more complex the game, the better.”
1990 to 2000
1990 to 2000 Conventional Wisdom: “Sure, lots of people play casual games. But no one will pay for them…”
2000 to 2005
2000 to 2005 Conventional Wisdom: “We know how to monetize soccer moms with $20 downloadables.”
2005 to Today
2005 to Today Conventional Wisdom: “Games are for Everyone!”
Design Principles
“Classic” Design Principles Lowest possible barriers to entry Rules: quickly learnable - or - Rules: already familiar UI: simple and intuitive Quick-starting
“Classic” Design Principles Assume zero knowledge base
“Classic” Design Principles Assume zero tolerance for frustation Teach through rewards, not punishment
“Classic” Design Principles Permit (but don’t require) short play sessions
“Classic” Design Principles Fit those short play sessions into a larger context
“Classic” Design Principles Reveal depth in slow, easy stages
“Classic” Design Principles
“Classic” Design Principles Match your look and theme to your demographic
“Classic” Design Principles
“Classic” Design Principles
“Classic” Design Principles Match your look and theme to your demographic… …but don’t condescend.
“Classic” Design Principles
“Classic” Design Principles
“New” Design Principles Consider your audience, genre, platform, and economic model Choose/modify the design principles to meet the needs of each game.
“New” Design Principles
“New” Design Principles
Design Principles Good casual game design = good game design If it ain’t fun, the rest don’t matter.