Why Working in Casual Games Rocks

Written by: Mike Sweeney, Lead Game Designer

First and foremost, every morning I get up and do something that’s a dream for most people around the world, I get to design games that people around the world play. Much like those that are gifted with the talents so they can sing, act, or play a sport for a living, I’m able to go and create the things that are dear to me, and that of course is games.

There are several types of games that folks make; some make games for home consoles like the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, others concentrate on massively multiplayer games for computers, and still others make games for phones and handheld devices. However it’s Casual Games that I make on a daily basis.

One of the great things about making Casual Games is that I get to work on more than one game a year. Those that work on huge games for the home consoles don’t get to see very much variety in what they are working on from day to day and month to month (and with some titles now, it’s even year to year). In the past year, I’ve gotten to work on at least a half of a dozen games across a variety of platforms.

Also, Casual Games have traditionally smaller teams. I’m able to get up from my desk, that is when I can be drawn away from the beautiful view from the window, and go and talk to everyone on the team of the project that I’m working on. If there’s any questions, they can get aired out in a few minutes of everyone’s time.

While the teams are smaller, the audience for Casual Games is huge. From young kids to great, great grandmothers, and everyone in between, it makes me proud to see such a big and diverse audience enjoying what I do. To top that off, I’m a big fan of when my mom, and my nieces enjoy games that I’ve worked on. I really doubt that they would enjoy them anywhere near as much if I was working on Super Death Race to the Finish 2009.

Another thing that must be said about the audience (and that means you!) is that they usually appreciate the games more than those that would play Super Death Race to the Finish 2009. Some of the audience is vocal, and make it know whether they love or loathe a game, but usually say things about games that can help out with future ideas.

But the absolute best thing about working in Casual Games is that I get to craft fun. While fun is a noun that’s really hard to describe, every day I toil at my desk at making something that I would like to think is fun for everyone. It’s a hard task, but I’m able to try different things. I’ll end up asking myself is popping balloons in a carnival game fun, or what about a tropical island adventure, or taking the stage in a trivia game show? Even when a game is made and done, the fun doesn’t stop there, I’ve got to look at things like the title, the instructions, and the credits for the rest of the team, and they need to be fun too. After all Slingo is First in FUN!