What's So Casual About Video Games?

Video games have been around for a long time and it seems they have finally grown up. The era of arcade games is behind us and even though blockbusters like Halo 3 and other console titles still dominate there is a growing universe of online games that fall into a whole new category -Casual Games.

Casual Games differ from other video games in a number of important ways. What most of us think of when we hear the words video game are first person shooters like Doom, stand-up arcade games like Pac Man or ancient home console games like Pong. You might imagine a bunch of high school guys sitting around, hopped up on caffeine and junk food fighting for a turn at the controls of a racing or sports based game like Madden 2007. Those games are fast and often violent. They are intense, requiring strategy and a steady hand. One wrong move and it is game over.

Casual gaming is casual. Games are usually simple with straightforward rules and controls. They require the player to complete simple tasks to progress through the levels. 'Collecting', 'matching' and 'lining up' are common instructions when it comes to this kind of game. There is little intensity, speed or pressure. Casual gaming is gaming as relaxation rather than gaming as a sport.

That is not to say that Casual Gaming is not challenging. Most games are difficult to master. That is what makes them so addictive. It is easy to get started because there are few rules to follow. But after you finish a couple of easy levels you find yourself in any number of tricky situations. The Casual space often includes card games, puzzles, memory games and word games and most of those are in Flash.

Large sites like Yahoo and Big Fish have built huge game areas but most good games start on smaller sites like JenkatGames.com. In fact, some games are only available at smaller sites. Games are usually available for a free trial online or even as a free trial download but if you like the game you should be prepared to pay a few dollars for it. And it will be worth every penny. For less than the cost of a DVD you get hours and hours of casual gaming fun.

David Robinson has been writing about free online games for major web publications since 1997. His gaming articles have appeared in 9 different languages on every continent except Antarctica. His current favorite game is Café Mahjongg. If you want to try your hand at Flash games