By Justin Polak
Co-Founder, Ambassador to the Mushroom Kingdom

Most gamers scoff at the idea of casual games.  They feel that the are obliterating the video game industry beyond all repair. Hordes of solitaire jockeys, soccer moms, grandmas, and toddlers will dumb down video games in the long run.  They especially believe this when it’s reported how much of a success something like Farmville is.

For those of you who don’t know, casual games are usually defined as a video game or interactive software that is easy to jump into. This could be a lowly Facebook app, a paltry game found on a console, games that are on your PC (Freecell, Minesweeper), or any game that anyone can casually play. Hardcore gamers will even go as far to tell you that any game without a “real” challenge is casual.

Image from Gather.com.

However, I don’t believe casual games “dumb down” the gaming industry. In fact, I believe that casual games are helping the industry more than hurting it. Don’t get me wrong, I hate those Facebook apps with a smoldering passion, and I certainly care less about the mediocre stream of shovelware pouring out of consoles these days (Wii, I am looking at you).

The reason why I believe that casual games can potentially help the industry is simple:  My own childhood. I am guessing you might want me to elaborate on that. Well, I guess if I have to…

Anyone who played video games for more than an hour as a child from my generation will tell you that their parents bitched at them non-stop. You know what I am talking about: “Your grades are slipping because of them vidya games!” “Stop playing that Nintendo and go outside!” “No, you can’t save your game. Come eat dinner NOW!” Ah, memories. While my parents never were all that bad, I do remember a few heated arguments here and there because I played video games. Keep in mind that they played video games themselves, and not just Tetris! At least they weren’t bad as other parents I knew growing up.

An aunt and uncle hated video games. Well, mainly my uncle. They didn’t forbid playing video games, but they certainly just didn’t get it. My uncle often viewed them as a complete waste of time. If my cousins did anything wrong, the first thing he would do is take away the video games as punishment. He used to have an uncanny ability to detect when my cousins and I were playing games past our bed time during a sleepover. We had the volume all the way down and we never made a sound. Yet, it was inevitable what would happen every single time we tried.

“Turn it off!”

Guess what? That very same Uncle? He bought a Wii without any hesitation a few years ago. And no, not just for Wii Sports. Now, they may not have a copy of No More Heroes or Super Mario Galaxy, but it was very cool to see them jam to Guitar Hero and Rock Band. It also caught me by surprise when my Uncle was floored by the idea of XBox Live. Granted, it’s not something he would get into, but he was amazed that people all over the word can play a round of Slayer in Halo at anytime. Years prior to that he thought my cousin and I playing two-player NES games was anti-social behavior.

I think the community aspect that causal games bring to the table is what really wins over people from older generations. Thanks to Viking Clan, another Facebook app, my mom now understands many RPG terms that I grew up with. Because of that, she has a better understanding my love for RPGs. Again, I don’t care for Facebook apps, but I have to admit that it is very cool to see my mother geek out about leveling up, planning strategies, and just generally enjoying what is essentially a video game.

Gamers with a cynical outlook at casual games might tell you that the more those types of games are successful, the harder it will be to find a “legitimate” game. However, I think those gamers should think back to their childhood. Look back when video games were primarily played by children. Go take a look at your Atari or NES collection, or try to remember what games you used to own. Were all of the games you owned just as awesome as Space Invaders or Super Mario Bros? Hell no. Fact:  Shovleware and casual games have always existed.

My point is this: When people from my generation were all new to gaming, we didn’t really have any direction at all. We knew what a good game was, but we were also constantly duped or shafted into buying/receiving video games that were complete garbage. We played them anyway and we loved it.

My theory is this: As time goes by, you might see those soccer moms or middle aged people get into something a little deeper. Try to think of Shovelware and Facebook apps as a gateway to having casual gamers eventually play better games. If anything, I believe that casual gamers who don’t eventually move on to greener pastures will stop playing video games altogether. Not that the video game industry is in any serious trouble right now, but any business is better than no business. I’d rather see twenty releases designed for casuals a month if it meant one or two triple A titles can still come my way once in awhile.

At the end of that day, whether I am right or wrong, I am glad that gaming is something that is more accepted as more time passes by. Maybe it’s because I grew up in a time where most adults I came across were dismissive or rude about my video game habits, but it’s nice to see the same kind of people get into a hobby that I have loved for nearly all of my life. I don’t believe that casual games signify the eventual end of video games as us “real” gamers know it, but a new beginning full of limitless potential.