Casual Games Not So Casual

Trymedia Network operated by Macrovision Corporation has released some
interesting results for a survey they conducted on casual gaming. It
seems as though casual games players don't play casually. Instead,
those who play some of the top games like Diner Dash and Mahjon play
"more than nine, two or more hour 'sessions' each week." Also, while
the common perception is that these games are played during 'breaks'
at work, they are instead played mostly at night. Sounds more like
average to hardcore gamers work hours to me.

The survey was conducted through their website where 789 gamers
participated. Some of the survey's highlights can be seen below.

Casual game player demographics:

• 37% are age 35-49
• 28% are age 50-60

• 71% female
• 29% male

• 58% have no children under age 18 living in their households

Top personal interests/hobbies of casual gamers:

1. Pets
2. Travel
3. Arts & Crafts
4. Shopping
5. Gardening

Casual game play habits:

• 37% play 9 or more game 'sessions' per week
• 66% say each 'session' typically lasts for at least one hour
• 31% spend more than two hours in each gameplay 'session'
• 73% play at night
• 55% play on weekends
• 48% play when they have the house to themselves

Top casual game genres:

1. Puzzle (67%)
2. Card (44%)
3. Strategy (35%)
4. Action (34%)

Other Notes

• 30% have downloaded more than 21 games in the last year
• 67% read game reviews and 46% of those who do feel they are
influenced to try or purchase a new game by the reviews they read
• 84% access the Internet through a home broadband connection
• 70% have purchased a game after first playing it free of charge on
the Internet

Casuality 2006 at Seattle

Check out whats happening at Seattle - All the Casual Games Industry is there....

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Consoles!!! when were they born

Hi guys here is a litle gyan on Consoles

Where would the gaming industry be without the invention of these babies called Consoles? The babies started out as humble slow machines, but they do get the credit of bringing gaming into the common mans homes.
Consoles were the first to popularize the concept of gaming as a way to past time among the msses

Console Started to make the apperance during the early 70s with the Magnavox Odessy 100, it is credited to be the first console ever to be launched. These pre historic machines worked with cartridges rather than the now storage devices like CDs and DVDs, though the modernized version of the prehistoric consoles are way different from the now present but the passt still hold some similarities passed over 3-4 decades.

Console game into existance in 1972 with Magnavox Odessy, Ralp Baer the creator of the first video game is credited to build the prototype in 1967 called Brown Box which later on became a template for the New Age Consoles. This idea was presented by Baer ro RCA(Radio Corp of America) which was shot down by them, however one of the RCA employee who was involved in the negotiation who later joined Magnavox acquired Baer Technology and hence Magnavox odyssey was born


More will be added next week leave comments
Mystro

Zapak Or Zatak

Zapak Or Zatak

 

Dosent the name Zapak sound like the latest TV commercial Zatak..very very sexy. Lol.

I guess it does, but Ill tell u whatiteeeeez??? , but i am not Bhagwan Bhai.

Zapak is going to be India's Largest gaming Portal for discussions on games which u like.

But i have a question for u. When u guys play any game in which u are fully engrossed, what do u land up doing.
Options,

picked a lock with a credit card,
accidentally killed my own dog,
eaten carrion,
had sex with a succubus who seemed not to enjoy it very much,
bought tinned food,
had my ass saved when my God answered a prayer,
broken a camera,
had the most enjoyable hallucination trip since . . well . . . a while,
stripped naked to squeeze through a narrow gap.
Others.

Reply back for some thing what eva u've done.

Take Care.
I.B.

Counter-Strike, India Style

Check out this link:
Wired News: Counter-Strike, India Style

India needs a good casual games portal

Do you play casual games?? Hold on dude - what are casual games?? Well that would be the answer from most of my Indian friends as no one in India is exposed to the fun and addiction of these so called casual games. Though there would be lakhs of Indian surfers visiting & playing on Yahoo Games, MSN Zone or Pogo but they don't find them part of the community there hence they just dont understand the real power of casual games portal. Casual games portal worldwide are attracting zillions of visitors every month as they are getting more and more innovative by offering better games & community features.
So why dont we Indians realize that casual games are such a phenomena? One, they relate to the community there and secondly they find their susbcription models and offerings targetted towards their local visitors (americans and europeans) and lastly the content may not be suitable to Indian users for example games like Backgamman or Mahjong. There are many

Indian games sites like Indiatimes Games and Games 2 Win are there but they dont even come closer to foreign sites in terms of content and overall user experience. This signifies that India needs a good casual gaming portal which is as good as any international games site and is targeting towards Indians when it comes to susbcriptions, community and content. I am a game freak and I love spending time online playing casual games but it would have been great if I would have got a chance to play pool against Sonia or Pooja or Priya rather than Samantha, Angelina or Macy :-)

Let me know if you all are looking forward to such an India casual games portal???

- Deepak Abbot

Indian Gaming Industry

With the game development industry in India seemingly in a growth phase (albeit in fits and starts), it is time for developers to think ahead and look for ways to achieve global acceptance for their products. With a reasonable Indian market still years away, most developers seem to be focused on making games that western ( and perhaps Japanese and other Asian) audiences will buy, and they're quite justified in this outlook.

 

The question is, just what kind of games from India will global audiences like?

 

A message there for game developers!!!!!!!!!

I would like to see an industry that has the vision and confidence to take the route of making original, Indian content as opposed to churning out job work or me-too products that are Indian purely by virtue of being made here. I am convinced that the talent and ability abound – it's only a question of taking the leap of faith.

Yes, it's risky. Job work certainly pays off much better in the short run – and I'm certainly not suggesting that companies drop lucrative contracts to chase vague ideals. What I'm trying to say is that companies who manage to find the resources and will to make high quality products free of preconceived and rigid notions of what will work internationally and what won't, will be rewarded with much larger long-term profits and respect from the global industry.

I.B.

Every Thing in Life has LATENCY

World Of Warcraft Database

Hi Game Freaks,

    I have been playing World Of Warcraft since a year now and have enjoyed a lot. There is one site which is

very usefull for all New WOW players who have joined or would join.

its www.thottbot.com

This site has almost every thing. rather i should say that its a complete database of World Of Warcraft.

It has proved its value every time i wanted it to. For instance if i was stuck in some high level quest. it did help me find any thing abnd every thing.

 

If your stuck some where, Please go on this site for reference. I do not know whether this site is made by Blizzard or some third party, so in other words i do not know whether this site is Official or no.

 

for any assistance with WOW mail me on gamelogics@gmail.com

 

I.B.

Free Gaming Art Magazine Launched

GameSide Network, a company with a network of websites dedicated to gaming and technology, has launched a free online magazine, The Art of Gaming, to highlight the artistic side of video games.
The magazine takes a look at video games of the past, present, and future that are or were visually impressive whether they were bit mapped or polygonal. The magazine details the beauty of the games from the aspect of character design, conceptual art, and more. The magazine features artwork created by gamers as well as questions and comments submitted by gamers.

The free magazine will also contain reviews of classic games, gamer profiles, and tutorials on how to create graphics similar to those used in the video games. The premiere issue will feature art based on the cult classic, Metal Slug, which had impressive graphical content for its time. The upcoming issue will feature art based on the popular MMORPG game, World of Warcraft.

"The Art of Gaming was born out of a love for games and an appreciation of its art. We're also excited at the opportunity to showcase artwork by the gaming community" says GameSide Network's CEO, Lachelle Talbot-Thomas. "The fact that the magazine is free and has content by the gaming community just re-establishes our company's motto of 'For Gamers By Gamers'."

The Art of Gaming magazine is available for download here.

- Deepak Abbot

Zappu

wot up all,

 

what lara croft is to tomb raider, mario to nintendo, master chief to xbox, solid snake to ps2, Zappu is to Zapak. we need to build is strong character that will personify zapak. Zappu (long distance cousin of pappu) is a name that i have thought of (pls give ur inputs and possible new names). need to give it a desi tadka and appeal, all suggestions welcome

Ritesh

Best Casual Games Awards!!

And the award goes to.....

 

A) Zuma

B) Bejeweled 2

C) Luxor

D) Text Twist

E) Galactic Quest

 

Let us know your favourite casual game. My personal favourite is Bejewled 2 though I am very bad at it :-)

Bring it on!!!

The zone for game-aholics! Discover views and remarks on a cocktail of causal games, multiplayer or MMORPG! You have a thought, a keyboard and we have the space. Type and share your critical or non-critical views on a game with other game-aholics.

-Pawan

Testing it out

I was wondering if blogging through email really works or not. If I can read this on the blog then I must say that it ROCKS!!!

 

-Deepak

New GIRL on the blog!

wat up all...! keep checking this space for more news from me...

Looking for Flash Games Developers

Anybody got flash game development skills? We are looking for companies/individuals who can execute our ideas and can create world class casual games.
Just post your comment and we will get back to you.

Call of Duty

Are you trigger happy?

COD 1 and 2 are definitely among the coolest war games around. Funny thing tho, The COD 1 Expansion Pack is longer than COD 1.

COD 2 has got some really rocking missions. One of the best is at Tel Aviv. It's an absolute mind f***. Just when you think you've conquered everything... KABOOM! The enemy always come back.

Like there is this crazy stage in COD 2 where you climb up a cliff in Normandy or D Day. It's maddening to cross the bunkers and destroy the enemy guns. Take a step in any direction and you are pounded with lead. Grenades blasting away, machine guns going takakataka all around you. You'll be patting your back when you finish the mission, but don't be fooled into believing that you've won.... COZ you've not! You have to hold your position now.

That's one of the main things about COD 2. After taking over the position, you have to hold it!

I'm going back to discover some more games. Till then... have fun!

Hey......What have u got!!!!!!

Hey every one!!!
Since MMORPG is developing in India at Agility. I wanted to know which games r u guyz playing these days.

Ragnarok
Guild Wars
World Of Warcraft
Lineage
City Of Heores
City Of Villains
Others

Let me know, what r u pro with.

Imran
I.B.

mmorpg....

hi guys,
sourav here...have just started playing Guild Wars(www.guildwars.com) and have also seen WOW(world of Warcraft). Anybody here playing guild wars? how do u feel abt the game?...lemme know....

Welcome to Zapak Games Zone

This blog talks about everything thats exciting except SEX!!!