Internet stereotypes abound, including one with regards to the world of online gaming.

It is generally thought of as populated by reclusive, young males huddled over game consoles in darkened rooms where, as The Guardian puts it, they engage in “straightforward, male-oriented power fantasies.” (https://tinyurl.com/2e527pcm). 

As with many stereotypes, this one is inaccurate since it misses a whole genre of video games — kinder, gentler, family-friendly, and catering mostly to women.

It’s called casual gaming and the signpost of a casual game is that it’s simple and quick to learn, can be played for a short time, such as on a lunch break, and involves puzzles, word games, or non-violent, family-friendly action.

Data suggests casual games have a high engagement rate among women and users over age 40.

Even though you may not have heard of the term casual gaming, you’ve probably played at least one. An original casual game was Solitaire, which was part of a collection of games including Minesweeper, Backgammon, and Mahjong that came with every version of Windows. 

Other casual games of the past will ring a bell, such as Tetris, Pacman, and Super Mario Brothers, which were played on a game console connected to a television. 

The advent of the internet saw the move of casual games to websites where they could be played on a computer within a browser, such as Google Chrome or Safari.

Unlike games which require a game console, such as an Xbox or Nintendo Switch, online casual gaming requires no installation or setup of any software, which appeals to anyone with limited computer and gaming skills.

Casual games come in an almost inconceivable variety, from racing to fantasy and adventure. I play a Sudoku game and the online word games Wordle and Waffle every day, which are considered casual games.

There are also web-based casual gaming sites that host a plethora of online games, such as Crazy Games (www.crazygames.com/), Pogo (www.pogo.com/), Addicting Games (www.addictinggames.com/), and Poki (https://poki.com/).

Browser-based games for play on a computer are plentiful and fun, but the advent of the iPad and Android tablets changed the whole dynamic. A tablet is small enough to be held comfortably, the screen is large and vibrant, and the touch controls eliminate the need for a mouse and keyboard.

The other advantage is that there are tons of casual games that are available as apps, or the online game site can be conveniently set as an app icon on the tablet’s desktop. 

You may get recommendations for games from social media or friends, and Poki has a nice feature which can help you decide. Each of its huge assortment of games has a description, instructions, and info about whether the game is available as a standalone app for a mobile device.

Some casual games are incredibly popular and have gained a social following in the millions, such as Candy Crush Saga, Bejeweled, Subway Surfers, Angry Birds, Cut the Rope, Mystery Case Files and Animal Crossing. You can do a search for each game’s title for the iPad at Apple’s App store or the Google Play store for Android devices, or simply search for “casual games” or a genre.

Most casual games are free to play but there are two methods that creators use to monetize their games. One is the reliable tact of displaying advertising. This is the approach that Microsoft uses with Solitaire and its other games, which were free in versions of Windows before Win 10. The games now exist entirely online and display scads of advertising unless you subscribe for a monthly fee.

The more popular mode is called free-to-play mode with in-app purchases such as add-ons, boosters, and extra lives. None of these extras cost much but, with approximately 200 million people playing casual games for an average of about 30 to 60 minutes per day, those small payments add up to about $23 billion U.S. in revenue per year.

Casual gaming may not cost much, but you can spend an enormous amount of your spare time playing.

© Peterborough Examiner