This editorial originally appeared at http://www.dailygame.net/news/archives/008130.php

The Casual Divide: How Hardcore Are You?

By Christopher Cummings

Rockstar Games cofounder Sam Houser stirred things up recently by claiming he didn’t understand the divide between “casual” games and “hardcore” games. No, the makers of the Grand Theft Auto series claim that the game is the thing.

“Good games will usually sell and be popular, bad games will struggle–of any type or genre or style,” Houser said. “But we still believe big, high-impact games will help the industry evolve and further surpass the movie industry as the next mass-market storytelling medium.”

That statement is highly debatable. Ico, Rez, Eternal…

This editorial originally appeared at http://www.dailygame.net/news/archives/008173.php

Casual Games: Social By Nature

By Christopher Cummings

Even as more venture capitalists see us “on the verge of a casual games backlash,” members of the media are trumpeting the rise of so-called social games. (That would be, yes, “the new hotness.”) But what are social games? Are they single-player games with group chat stapled on? Or simply any Flash game uploaded to Facebook?

At the recent Social Gaming Summit, social games were defined as products that:

• Leverage traditional gameplay dynamics;
• Make interacting with, or competing against, your friends is a core piece of the game itself;
• Provide players have clear goals, something…