Feature: 'Casual As In Sex, Not Casual As In Friday'

Author: by Staff

Ian Bogost's latest 'Persuasive Games' feature provides a new definition for casual games and their prospects, citing the Zidane Head-Butt game and suggesting: "If Casual Friday is the metaphor that drives casual games as we know them now, then Casual Sex might offer a metaphor to summarize the field’s unexplored territory." As Bogost, who is an academic video game researcher, game designer, and educational publisher, and creator of 'newsgames' for the New York Times and CNN, explains in his introduction: "In recent years, casual games have become an increasingly popular and important part of the videogame landscape. Proponents argue that casual games both open up new audiences for games and make new styles of games possible, but the genre has largely floundered in copycat titles. One reason for this is a lack of imagination about what casual might mean. I propose an alternative: casual games that players use and toss aside -- one play stands, serendipitous encounters never to be seen again." Later in the article, Bogost explains the comparison outlined above, noting: "If Casual Friday is the metaphor that drives casual games as we know them now, then Casual Sex might offer a metaphor to summarize the field’s unexplored territory. If casual games (as in Friday) focus on simplicity and short individual play sessions that contribute to long-term mastery and repetition, then casual games (as in sex) focus on simplicity and short play that might not ever be repeated—or even remembered." You can now read the full Gamasutra article on the subject, including plenty more detail on this intriguing subject from academic, writer, and game designer Bogost.