Episode 101 Who are Casual Players?
Who are Casual Players?
Hi and welcome to Experience Points by University XP. On Experience Points, we explore different ways we can learn from games. I’m your host Dave Eng from games-based learning by University XP. Find out more at www.universityxp.com
On today’s episode, we’ll answer the question “Who are Casual Players?”
Casual players are often one of the most sought-after demographics for many in the games industry. They are players that often represent various backgrounds and have a vast array of experiences with games. But who exactly are casual players and what exactly defines them?
This episode will explore and define the term “casual players.” In understanding casual players, we must first review and examine casual games. So, casual games will be defined along with relevant characteristics of casual games such as complexity, mechanics, and theme.
All these factors influence and affect casual game design which will be explored in-depth in addition to examples of casual games over time.
The results of which help us explore and determine what the casual player experience is and how casual players compare against “hobbyist” or hardcore players.
Not all players identify as either casual or hobbyist. Rather, players exist on a spectrum and could include multiple different identities according to their play group; style; and investment.
Therefore, this episode will also address the “time investment” of casual players in games which represents one of their most defining qualities.
This episode will then close on how causal games, casual players, and elements of casual game design can be used for applied games in teaching, training, learning, and education.
Before jumping into defining casual players, it helps to start by first identifying what casual games are.
Casual games are a type of game that is targeted to a large and varied audience. As such, they are designed to appeal to a broad spectrum of players and offer a friendly and accessible world to engage and play.
Casual games are not limited to modality. Instead, they can be played on game consoles, mobile phones, computers, or on a physical tabletop.
No matter what the modality, these casual games all include simple mechanics that are easy for players to grasp, engage, understand, and master.
Casual games have taken on a wide variety of different forms and roles. Perhaps one of the more recently influential offerings has been that of the Nintendo Wii and its ability to attract and engage casual gamers with its accessible offerings. All of which include easily understood mechanics that are both quick and fun.
Most of all, casual games are played by players exclusively for recreation and entertainment. They are often used to pass the time in a safe and enjoyable way.
This means that casual games often have some benign themes that are makes it accessible and appreciable by both children and adults alike.
Despite this, what games fit into the category of casual games often cause contention between players, designers, and developers.
This at least happens in spaces like table top games where confusing terms such as “Euro” and “Collectible Card Game” are compared to other types of games like “Fillers,” “Party,” and “Social” games.
This means that despite how casual games attract, engage, and retain their audience, they do so in a way that makes their play accessible through reduced complexity.
Casual games are made accessible through a reduced level of complexity that makes them easier to observe, play, and engage with. This means that players from all different skill levels can find enjoyment from casual games.
This is important as it relates to casual players because casual players often play casual games to pass the time rather to “win” or attain a specific achievement.
As such, these casual games are often seen as “light-weight” offerings that generally involve simple and straightforward controls that don’t require a heavy investment in cognitive energy from players.
Therefore, usability is at the forefront of casual games as it must be easy for players to get started with a game and see the recreational benefits of playing it.
This also means that casual games often include the same kind of controls that players have seen in other games such as shifting or moving shapes - like Bejeweled - or tapping to a beat - like with Guitar Hero - or moving an avatar from one part of the screen to another - as with Super Mario Bros - or claiming a trick of cards – as seen in Spades.
The familiarity of these controls and mechanics makes these casual games easy for players to pick up if they are already familiar with their gameplay.
The ease of game controls and mechanics goes hand in hand with how players are retained and engaged throughout. Casual players playing casual games benefit from the emotional appeal of seeing positive reinforcement from their progress in the game.
This goes even further when players can apply some bit of strategy through game play that demonstrates game outcomes based more on skill rather than luck.
This indicator of strategy investment is more substantial for hardcore hobbyist players than casual players. However, a reliance on strategy for at least some game outcomes is not out of the ordinary for casual games.
The threshold for casual game complexity directly affects and informs casual game mechanics. Casual games don’t require a large investment in mental capacity.
Therefore, mechanics are reflective of that reduced investment. We can see this with “matching and moving” games that are also conducive to the simple touch interfaces of mobile devices.
Such casual games found on mobile devices don’t rely on intricate series of moves and controls. Rather, the game’s controls are abstracted down into simpler motions such as taps and swipes.
As such, these casual games rely on the simplicity of their interfaces and controls along with their components. These components could take on the basic aspects such as pawns, meeples, and shapes that represent different elements of the game.
This simple setup creates opportunities for players to engage with the game at basic levels such as matching three of the same shape together in games such as Bejeweled.
Such an action at face value is incredibly simple; but can also be deeply satisfying when discovering and creating reactions and chain reactions for other shapes.
This means that casual games substance is more about the activity and the engagement of the player rather than the content or the theme.
This is why simple, approachable, and accessible mechanics make the game more appealing to a wider audience.
Once players are playing and engaging with casual games, they can be gradually introduced to more complex elements such upgrades, collectibles, abilities, and characters.
Such additions build onto the foundational aspects of the game and allow the player to apply their base level knowledge to more complex game mechanics.
This is not necessary for all casual games; but is emblematic of good game, level, and engagement design that can be emulated for serious game design.
Additionally, this doesn’t mean that mechanics aimed at casual players isn’t found in more hobbyist and hardcore games.
One such element known as the “rest bonus” from World of Warcraft encouraged casual players to return to play even when their peers kept playing uninterrupted. This feature was balanced out by adding high-end raid content for more serious players.
Casual games are known mostly for their simple and accessible play and basic mechanics. This means that game theme doesn’t play as critical a role compared to other more hobbyist titles; but theme does help players maintain a sense of immersion through play and their overall engagement.
This is where casual game themes are drawn from familiar content in everyday life. This can be seen in games using bright colors, shapes, and other similar icons to represent familiar objects and components.
Likewise, other types of games that casual players may play such as outdoor lawn games, children’s games, and tabletop games can be found in more modern adaptations of casual games.
This can be seen in games where game components are picked or throw from one area to another: like many lawn games.
This is also seen in children’s’ games that involve tagging and freezing of players as well as card games that involve collecting all a certain type of card; shedding all of one type of card; or a combination of the two.
While these elements alone can constitute entire casual games on their own; the theme, narrative, and atmosphere of casual games often position themselves to be bright, colorful, and positive to seem non-threatening.
Doing so makes the game approachable and accessible to wider audiences and inviting to play.
The opposite can often be found in more hardcore or hobbyist games where more serious themes or mature themes can be found that doesn’t appeal to such a wide audience.
These can often be seen in more realistic first-person shooters and other games including and simulating combat on either a personal or grader scale. Doing so, often matches the desires of more hobbyist gamers.
Therefore, we also see a stratification of casual games when it comes to addressing the genre in its entirety. Often elements of puzzle games, word games, rhythm, and matching games arise when discussing casual games.
Such descriptors often are associated with the major mechanics of such games as much as the games themselves.
Casual game design reflects the nature of its accessibility for players. As such it is designed to be flexible, simple, and approachable for players from different and varied backgrounds.
This means that in order to best engage these players, the game and overall design of the core loop must reward ease of drop in play and the benefits from it.
This is observed in casual game design where there are intuitive visual and control systems that allow players to get started as fast as possible.
This is why the same or similar mechanics - such as with match 3 - often appear in casual games as they are familiar mechanics that appeal to the game literacy of casual gamers.
Likewise, casual gamers will continue to engage and play casual games that are easy to adapt to by not being punishing at the outset. Whereas hardcore and hobbyist games may make it difficult for players to settle into learning how to play.
Casual players often do not have the tolerance in casual game design for being punished too often and too early if they fail to complete an objective or otherwise progress in the game.
Therefore, positive feedback is a core component of casual game design in order to first engage players and then keep them playing.
One interesting aspect of casual game design is the “juiciness” of player actions and moves and the response that players receive in reaction to them.
Juiciness in this context is the emotional lens of the game design where a player subconsciously connects good play with a positive outcome. Therefore, reinforcing players’ expectations for these actions is often necessary for further engagement.
Overall, this provides a very wide design space for casual games that make use and apply basic game mechanics in different ways.
This can be seen in memory games, logic games, spatial reasoning, rhythm, and speed games. The result of which is a diverse library of different games with simple mechanics that reinforce deft player behavior with outsized positive rewards.
It is here where some casual games build upon this high engagement model to further reinforce player engagement.
This is often done through progression systems where players’ continued engagement provides them upgrades in skills for their player character as well as power progression through their play.
The results of which often mirrors what other hardcore and hobbyist gamers sees in role-playing games as well as other genres which require a greater investment than most casual players may have originally anticipated.
There are many factors, characteristics, and differences that make up casual games. While the specific limits for what makes something a casual game are constantly being refined, one of the most recognizable are classic arcade games such as Namco’s Pac-Man which served as one of the earliest instances of casual games.
This is attributed to its “cute cast of characters and a design sensibility that appealed to wider audiences than the shoot-em-up Space Invaders."
Likewise other coin operated arcade games such as Donkey Kong and Dig Dug also embodied the same elements that made Pac-Man a commercial success. This was due to them both being based around quick experiences that most players could enjoy for brief periods of time.
This carried over the era of the personal computer with the advent of Microsoft’s Solitaire as the first highly successful digital casual game often played in people’s homes.
Since its release in 1990 it had drawn approximately 400 million gamers. Likewise, these characteristics of casual games developed onto mobile platforms with games like Bejeweled which was originally offered as a flash game.
Finally, Pokemon - and it’s requisite following - represents yet another game with mass appeal that possess many of the same qualities and characteristics of the other aforementioned casual games.
Pokémon’s cute design, genial characters, and ease of mechanics made it accessible for many young gamers but simultaneously appealed to hardcore and hobbyist gamers as well.
Now that we’ve covered what makes up casual games, we can begin to address who are casual players. Casual players are often those who are found playing casual games. But that definition is too limiting.
Rather, casual players are more about “casual” gaming experiences. Basically, and more succinctly, casual players are those who play games casually.
This often has less to do with what specific games they play and more to do with how they play them. This means that casual gaming is more about the player experience than anything else.
When casual players play casual games, they do so not as the way to demonstrate an expertise or to develop a prefect strategic solution. Rather, casual players play games as a past time and often as a way to connect and socialize with others or as a form of escapism.
Casual games can be played in many different modalities. When casual players play casual board games, they are often looking for “lighter weight” experiences. This means that games that can be setup and played in under an hour and often require light strategic thought.
Again, this format speaks to casual players’ desires to play games that do not require a large investment in time, patience, and energy.
We can often see the differences here in games that have populations of both casual players as well as hardcore and hobbyist gamers.
For massive multiplayer online role-playing games; casual players are players who only play occasionally and often enjoy rulesets that make the game “…easier and more fun.”
This can often become a boon for game developers by creating more hobbyist titles that can ultimately recruit casual players. This is done with a strong “hook” in which designers can keep players engaged long enough for them to see the benefit and enjoyment that can come from deeper mechanics and subsequent gameplay.
Most cannot talk about casual players without discussing their opposite: hardcore or hobbyist gamers. This episode is no exception. Returning to our overview of casual games and the casual player experience; casual players are those who play games casually and are usually not competitive.
That’s because there are other reasons for casual players to play games casually. This is for their social interaction, or simply to have fun. Winning is often a secondary outcome and one that isn’t normally important for them.
So, what about hobbyist gamers? Hobbyists and hardcore gamers care about games for many of the same reasons that casual players play games. However, they are also invested in the game enough to compete, to win, and to discover and exploit new strategies in their game play.
But the important thing to consider is that hobbyist gamers can play casually too. This means that casual games, casual players, and hardcore gamers are less about the games they play and more about the reason why they play.
Casual games are designed for mass audiences and can fall into multiple different genres and themes. Because they are often defined by their simple rules and lack of a steady time commitment, makes them more accessible through more frequent and shorter play sessions.
This means that both casual players and hobbyist gamers can play casual games. That’s because it is more about the reason behind why players play than what they play and how they play it.
Because of this, casual players often represent the “majority” of the gaming population in that they are meant to represent players who play games on a casual and non-committal basis. And that can really be anyone. Especially if the social aspect of games is considered.
Casual games and social interactions found one of their most fruitful periods with the introduction of social casual games that could be played on social networks like Facebook.
Likewise, the sale and proliferation of Wii consoles made casual games more accessible to wider audiences through new ways for players to provide input and feedback through motion sensing controllers and other novel devices.
The social and casual games on these platforms also adhered to the mantra of casual game design by not requiring a large amount of time for player to engage with them. This is in contrast to more hobbyist and hardcore players who often dedicate more time - both playing and non-playing - to game related activities.
Despite this, casual gamers are also open to acting like hobbyist and hardcore players by investing much time, money, and resources into a game that they will eventually end up spending hundreds of hours playing.
Again, this is more a factor of why players play, rather than what they play and how they play it, that defines casual gamers.
This episode began with the question of who are “casual players.” But a more apt question to ask is how are players identified? The ways that groups of players in the past have been identified and sorted have been mostly influenced by the industry itself.
This includes casual players versus hardcore players versus hobbyist players versus mainstream players. Those terms may not have much meaning for individuals. But they have much relevance when it comes to creating and marketing games that cater to one type of player over another.
It’s useful to think about the types of activities, mechanics, and themes of games that appeal to certain players compared to others. That means puzzle games, platformers, first-person shooters, and open-world games could cater to casual players, hardcore, players and everyone in between.
So, with this in mind current games really cater to more than two groups of players. Games are more than just casual or hardcore. Really, gamers’ motivation for play could identify them as power, social, leisure, incidental, dormant, and occasional gamers.
These constitute more than just two groups but examine the different types of player identities that are circulated.
Despite the diversity of all these terms, it seems that one of the core aspects that identifies casual players is the means, speed, and access of games for short player sessions.
These short sessions grab players’ attention and continue to engage them. This means that these casual players are more interested in filling some iota of free time rather than fill some other specific player need.
However, even this characteristic is transient. As games permeate different and varied platforms, casual gamers are playing more often and for longer periods of times.
This alone means that casual gamers don’t continue to play because they only have a limited amount of time. Rather, they continue to play more and more frequently as they become more invested in the game.
This is advantageous now more than ever with the advent of asynchronous multiplayer play where individuals can play multiple opponents over multiple sessions.
Examples of this include games such as Words with Friends where even time doesn’t become a discriminating factor due to the nature of how turns are taken.
Therefore, the investment of casual players into casual games is about the game itself as well as the amount of time that it demands.
One of the primary reasons that attracts casual players to casual games is that they do not require much time to play. As such, the definition of casual games is that they do not require a major time investment from players to enjoy.
In turn, this informs casual players’ styles as they do not place gaming as a top priority in time investment compared to other activities that they may engage in.
This means that time represents the discriminating factor for casual gamers. Enjoyment must be had from the game without investing a significant amount of time playing it.
This could mean that the time that they spend playing doesn’t have to occur in any specific geography, circumstance, or location. Rather, the only discriminating factor is that they have time - a small amount of it - dedicated to play.
For many casual gamers this is an acceptable circumstance. They do not have to dedicate an inordinate amount of time to be immersed into a world of gameplay.
For them, gameplay is defined by the amount of time that they can invest first and the player experience second. In this way, casual players play casual games in ways that adjust to their own needs and schedules.
Unfortunately this often means that casual games suffer from low engagement and retention because the common factor between all casual games is low to little time investment.
Therefore, mechanics and styles of casual games are often limited by what is already known and familiar to the player and what they can do and accomplish with their limited time.
This is perhaps why many casual games - and by extension casual players - often gravitate to games with the same or similar mechanics as the necessity to learn a new way to engage is unnecessary since these games “play like other games.”
Knowing what casual games are, how they are designed, and how they appeal to casual players is significant. But what about causal games for learning? Are there applications there?
There can be, especially when paired with microlearning. Casual games can serve as a driver for short, intense, learner driven sessions that are linked to intrinsic motivation and educational experiences.
All of the assets of casual games such as the short time investment, familiar mechanics, and benign themes can be combined through the development of serious games and applied games for teaching, learning, training, and development.
So much so, that games-based learning used and applied in this way can be more impactful than traditional learning approaches.
Furthermore, playing casual games can have an impact on corporate learning through the development of vigilance and alertness. Specifically, when it addresses the work environment and game mechanics are relevant and thoughtfully connected to content and learning outcomes.
Games-based learning often requires learners to know and apply mechanics in the game to achieve their goals. Casual games excel in this regard by using and applying common mechanics for players that reduce the amount of time it takes individuals to become competent in the game.
By extension, this means that casual games make the game easier to learn how to play – therefore allowing learners to jump towards the learning content embedded in the game’s core loop, mechanics, and theme more quickly.
The close connection of learning content and game mechanics is a hallmark of serious game design, applied games, and games-based learning. So much so, that well-crafted games for intended learning purposes allow individuals to transform experience more quickly and easily into knowledge through play.
However, this means that games - like content - must often remain novel for players. If players approach learning games like any other content - such as text, videos, or audio - that they have already consumed and familiarized themselves with, then the learning gains are minimized.
However, by playing games whose core loop provides novel outcomes, players are continually engaged through multiple play sessions.
Casual games can be designed and applied for learning. Like any great learning content, it they should be focused specifically on identified learning outcomes while also created in a way that makes them accessible and approachable for casual players. Doing so makes them a powerful educational tool for learner engagement.
This episode examined and defined casual players by first defining casual games. Casual games were reviewed in depth by outlining their specific complexities, mechanics, and themes.
Casual game design was also addressed as well as how those characteristics are integrated into current and most popular casual games.
Examples of casual games were shared and how they related to the casual player experience. Casual players were defined by the reasons and the circumstances in which they play – rather than the game they play.
Therefore, the casual player experience is most closely influenced by the amount of time and effort that players must dedicate to a play session.
Casual players were compared against hobbyist and hardcore players as well as against the full spectrum of different kinds of gamers. Player identity represented another facet of casual games and casual players.
How casual players were traditionally identified has more to do with industry analysis and consumer behavior rather than players self-selecting identities themselves.
Finally, this episode closed on the examination and application of casual games for learning and how they can be based used for teaching, training, education, and development.
I hope you found this episode useful. If you’d like to learn more, then a great place to start is with my free course on gamification. You can sign up for it at www.universityxp.com/gamificationYou can also get a full transcript of this episode including links to references in the description or show notes. Thanks for joining me!
Again, I’m your host Dave Eng from games-based learning by University XP. On Experience Points we explore different ways we can learn from games. If you liked this episode please consider commenting, sharing, and subscribing.
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