Sony: Casual Games Are Just "an Addictive Diversion"

Fanghawk

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Sony: Casual Games Are Just "an Addictive Diversion"

Sony's President believes that social and casual games aren't going to replace traditional gaming models.

Ever since the Wii proved that games aimed towards casual audiences could be hugely popular, perhaps even more popular than traditionally hardcore games, the industry has been trying to find ways to take advantage of social and casual gameplay elements. For some publishers, <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/118785-Sony-Publishing-Models-Must-Change>adapting to such changes is not an easy process, notably Sony, who prefer to cater to hardcore gaming markets. To Sony President Jack Tretton, the rationale for this is that social and casual games are a temporary trend that will eventually turn back around to favor hardcore experiences.

"[Social and free-to-play] is a business I think a lot of companies are learning is difficult to sustain for the long term," Tretton explained. "It's an adjunct or it's an add-on, but it's not where gaming is headed. It's an addictive diversion. There's a place for social and freemium, but it's not going to replace the business models that are out there."

Sony has been criticized for a heavy reliance on traditional game publishing models, but Tretton notes that Sony's cyclical popularity implies that hardcore audiences are a more reliable market. From Sony's height during the PS2 era, to its shaky PS3 launch, to its slow rise again in hardcore prominence, proves to Tretton that traditional markets make for a stronger foundation than a temporary resurgence of casual markets. "I think it tends to go in cycles," Tretton said. "If somebody comes out with a game people enjoy, it draws people to that genre. Shooters have been bigger the past few years. I think they're not just the same game done with a different storyline, they're taking that genre and expanding on it. ... Sometimes racing is really relevant. Sometimes it's not. The same thing happens with sports, or RPGs. ... I don't think our industry is any different. [In any form of entertainment], you're going to get a herd mentality moving to where the consumer is."

While I think it's hard to claim that casual markets are impermanent compared to hardcore markets, there is some truth to the cyclical nature of the games industry. Even now, new gamers that were introduced to the hobby through casual titles <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/117273-Mid-Core-May-Be-the-New-Casual>are slowly transitioning to traditional genres. However, that doesn't change the fact that even if the games stay the same, the platforms are facing fierce resistance, especially in handheld markets. Whether Sony can remain relevant using dedicated gaming devices remains to be seen.

Source: <a href=http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2012-08-10-sony-interview-jack-tretton-defends-vita-dedicated-consoles>Games Industry International

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Berithil

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As someone who has played video games since the age of seven, I have never been a big fan of the casual game thing. In fact, I think whats going on with Zynga right now is a testament to how big a mistake it is to just target a casual audience (well, that and the fact that they just make crappy games). Casual games can be fun for a little diversion while travelling or when bored at the office, but they won't ever be able to beat an old fasioned "hardcore" game.
 

ScruffyMcBalls

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I fully agree with Sony on this one. Casual games were big money, and they could have been big money. But companies like Zynga have just shown us that no one has a sustainable business model that works with casual games, not the way they are. The Wii did it best with party orientated games, which are casual and also extremely successful, probably because they could be enjoyed by both a casual audience and by some hardcore gamers to (depending on the title). But you throw a Zynga game at any average hardcore gamer and they'll just piss themselves laughing or vomit in disgust.
 

tlozoot

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Most 'hardcore games' (damn I hate that phrase...) are indeed just diversions. Some aren't, and it's nice to see ones that aim to be more than that. Most casual games are just diversions. Some aren't. I played Passage last night, and I could make an argument for it counting as a casual game that delivers a meaningful experience.

Foolproof said:
Grey Carter said:
As opposed to core games which are what? Just diversions?
A fulfilling experience that stays with you. I doubt I'm ever gonna meet a person who was majorly impacted in their life by Angry Birds. Unless they had a head-on collision while playing the game.
Bulletstorm is considered a 'hardcore' game. It's fun. I wouldn't say it's a fulfilling experience though. There are 'fulfilling experiences' to be found in both hardcore and casual game.

Argh...apples and oranges in both orchids. How will the 'down with the casual' crowd ever deal with that.
 

Scars Unseen

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Grey Carter said:
As opposed to core games which are what? Just diversions?
Pong was the first video game I ever played. I probably put more hours into Tetris than I did any other that I had on the Gameboy. Neither of those hold nearly as much significance for me as my time spent playing Final Fantasy VI. "Core" games certainly can be throwaway entertainment, but just like movies, they have the potential to be far more. Casual games(IMO, of course) can only make their cultural mark through popularity, not by any qualities inherent to their design.
 

tlozoot

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Scars Unseen said:
Grey Carter said:
As opposed to core games which are what? Just diversions?
Pong was the first video game I ever played. I probably put more hours into Tetris than I did any other that I had on the Gameboy. Neither of those hold nearly as much significance for me as my time spent playing Final Fantasy VI. "Core" games certainly can be throwaway entertainment, but just like movies, they have the potential to be far more. Casual games(IMO, of course) can only make their cultural mark through popularity, not by any qualities inherent to their design.
We ought to define what separates a casual game from a hardcore game. When does a game suddenly rise to the lofty heights of hardcoredom?

When we say something is a casual game do we mean a game that can be played in a handful of minutes? Is it a game that appears on a casual device like iPhone or Android? Is it the intended audience?
 

Farther than stars

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Foolproof said:
I doubt I'm ever gonna meet a person who was majorly impacted in their life by Angry Birds.
Angry Birds, no. But games such as Limbo and Dear Esther have had an impact on me that games such as Just Cause 2 and Oblivion have failed to. As a matter of fact, the latter two have been more of a diversion to me than the former.

frizzlebyte said:
"Addictive" != "Additive"

So, is the title correct, or is the quote in the article right?
GenGenners said:
frizzlebyte said:
"Addictive" != "Additive"

So, is the title correct, or is the quote in the article right?
This got me too. Really bothering me...... :/
According to the source "Games Industry International" the word "additive" is correct and our own Escapist new contributor, Marshall Lemon, got it wrong! :O
 

Mikodite

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Foolproof said:
Bulletstorm is considered a 'hardcore' game. It's fun. I wouldn't say it's a fulfilling experience though. There are 'fulfilling experiences' to be found in both hardcore and casual game.
Not really. You pointed out that bulletstorm is unfulfilling and juvenile, but didn't give an impactful casual game. So yeas, there are bad apples in the apple orchid, but you haven't found any good stuff on the orange trees. Or vines. I'm not really sure how oranges grow. Buds? Eggs?[/quote]

Uhh... Echo Bazaar? Pretty well any half-decent 'art' flash game on sites like Kongregate? Plants vs Zombies?

DVS BSTrD said:
Funny how he waits to say what we all know already until AFTER Zynga's stock plunge.
Ok, the casual market has proven to be crap, so Zynga isn't doing well anymore. So, how's PopCap doing?... oh wait, they seem to be doing well for themselves. They aren't publicly traded, so its hard to be exact (course, neither is Sobeys, so it isn't an indicator of crap).

So, you think Zynga's problems have more to do with the fact that they make shit? PopCap, last I checked, doesn't make shit. Zynga made shit, bug people with shit, built a reputation for making shit, and now their surprised no one wants to play their games? Especially since anyone can make those games?

Its not the audience, whom are less whinny and more willing to give money than hardcore gamers, its the product. All hail PopCap!
 

OriginalLadders

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Fanghawk said:
...Shooters have been bigger the past few years. I think they're not just the same game done with a different storyline...
He's right; they're the same game done with the same storyline.

On topic, I don't think casual games are going to go away, there's too much money to be made in them. But I think calling casual games an "addictive diversion" is true, but it's also true for 'hardcore' games. And books.