Craig Holland - SURVEY SAYS!

You could call 2006 “The Year of the Survey” in the casual games business, with several key players—including RealNetworks, Trymedia and PopCap—issuing press releases with a summary of results from their user surveys. Have you taken the time to look at the data? Have we learned anything new? Can we use this information to build better casual games? The Casual Games Association Marketing Action Group has taken a close look at the publicly available survey results to form this list of “Three Tips For Building Better Casual Games.”

Tip # 1
Survey Says: “Forty- and Fifty-Year-Old Women Are Playing Games”

Yes, we’ve all heard that women are the primary target market for casual games, and many developers and publishers are successful because they are taking this information to heart. In fact, the survey data make a strong argument that you will miss the boat if you don’t find a way to tailor your game to appeal to women over 40. The PopCap®/Information Solutions Group® survey found that 71% of their players are women over 40. The RealNetworks®/Harris Interactive® study says that “more than 70% of the people buying games” are women age 40 and over. And many of these casual gamers are over 50 (the PopCap survey says 46% and the Trymedia survey indicates 28%). So for some of you, this means your mother’s rolodex may be the best source of potential game testers.

How many of you have a team of forty- and fifty-year-old women reviewing your game concepts, design documents, prototypes, and alpha and beta builds? You don’t have to have them on staff, but you should most definitely have them involved in your production process. Don’t assume you know what they want and what they find funny or “cute.” Ask them.

Tip #2
Survey Says: “Women are Playing Games on Weeknights to Relax and Unwind”

According to the data, the majority of the respondents find these games a way to “relax and unwind” (64% of the PopCap survey respondents), and they cite “stress relief” as the most important reason they play (53% of the RealNetworks respondents). This shouldn’t come as a surprise. Men play games to relax and unwind too. It’s just that men use different words to describe the same thing. Some men will play a competitive game of racquetball after work to “wind down.” And many men will log onto their favorite MMORPG like World of Warcraft to “shoot away” the worries of the day. The women who play casual games don’t consider themselves “gamers” because they aren’t engaging in a “testosterone” kind of experience that society has labeled a “video game.” But just like some men who play other types of games, these women consider casual games valuable components of their weekday routine.

The survey data suggest that many of them play every weeknight (PopCap survey says 51%) and late at night before bed (Trymedia survey says 73%)—even preferring to play a casual game over watching TV, working on a home project, or reading a book. What does this mean for game designers? If playing casual games is replacing TV time, then we might want to think about the best aspects of TV that we can incorporate into casual game design. Have you considered episodic gaming? Well defined characters? Story? Plot? Special effects? If the characters in your game are appealing and the story is engaging, then you’ve got a fighting chance at capturing your share of the “relax and unwind” time in the day of the life of a casual gamer.

Of course, you can create a successful game without characters and without story, but if you look back at the year’s most popular titles, you’ll see more and more character-driven and story-driven games than ever before (such as Diner Dash, Cake Mania, Delicious Deluxe, Virtual Villagers, Mystery Case Files). Oh, and don’t forget to offer a “relax” mode just in case she doesn’t feel like competing for points or trying to get a high score. Relaxing doesn’t automatically mean “not competing,” but sometimes it does mean “I just want to veg and click away.”

Tip #3
Survey Says: “Women are Playing Games For Hours at a Time By Themselves”

Until the recent survey results were revealed, many people in the business believed that women were buying these games for their kids. And there is a certain percentage of women who do. However, the Trymedia survey found that the majority of respondents (58%) have no children at home. So, most of these casual gamers are buying these games for themselves to play for extended periods of time.

Many of them are playing for at least an hour per session (the Trymedia survey says 66%, and the PopCap survey says 43%). So, what does that mean for your game design? It means that a large percentage of your buyers are setting aside specific “play time” to engage with your game. They are not only taking five minutes during a coffee break for a quick fix. Evening play time is “me time” they are designating as a necessary indulgence.

So, games that involve longer play cycles (such as simulation or strategy) may satisfy this “relax and unwind” need very well. Judging by the success of some of these types of games this past year (Virtual Villagers, Westward), some game creators are already figuring this out.

Final Words

So do these surveys suggest that we should all be focusing our attention primarily on 50-something females who use casual gaming as a replacement for weeknight TV? Of course not. However, game creators would do well to involve in their game development process women in their 40s and 50s who play games. Applying what we’ve learned from survey data and focus group findings can help us design better games and may spark some innovative ideas that help us to broaden our constituency and expand the market beyond the current core.

PopCap Survey Results: http://www.popcap.com/press/?page=press_releases&release=casualgames_survey_9-13-06

RealNetworks Survey Results:
http://www.realnetworks.com/company/press/releases/2006/casgames_research.html

Trymedia Survey Results:
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=18008

CGA Marketing Action Group: Craig Holland (Freeze Tag), Lisa Sikora (Microsoft Casual Games Group), Julie Pitt (RealNetworks), Beatrice Spaine (Pogo.com Electronic Arts), Dave Williams (Atom Entertainment).

HOME \| LECTURES & ARTICLES \| GAME DESIGN \| SURVEY SAYS! Survey Says! Craig Holland (CGA Marketing Action Group) Casual Connect Magazine, Winter 2007 You could call 2006 “The Year of the Survey” in the casual games business, with several key players—including RealNetworks, Trymedia and PopCap—issuing press releases with a summary of results from their user surveys. Have you taken the time to look at the data? Have we learned anything new? Can we use this information to build better casual games? The Casual Games Association Marketing Action Group has taken a close look at the publicly available survey results to form this list of “Three Tips For Building Better Casual Games.” Tip # 1 Survey Says: “Forty- and Fifty-Year-Old Women Are Playing Games” Yes, we’ve all heard that women are the primary target market for casual games, and many developers and publishers are successful because they are taking this information to heart. In fact, the survey data make a strong argument that you will miss the boat if you don’t find a way to tailor your game to appeal to women over 40. The PopCap®/Information Solutions Group® survey found that 71% of their players are women over 40. The RealNetworks®/Harris Interactive® study says that “more than 70% of the people buying games” are women age 40 and over. And many of these casual gamers are over 50 (the PopCap survey says 46% and the Trymedia survey indicates 28%). So for some of you, this means your mother’s rolodex may be the best source of potential game testers. How many of you have a team of forty- and fifty-year-old women reviewing your game concepts, design documents, prototypes, and alpha and beta builds? You don’t have to have them on staff, but you should most definitely have them involved in your production process. Don’t assume you know what they want and what they find funny or “cute.” Ask them. Tip #2 Survey Says: “Women are Playing Games on Weeknights to Relax and Unwind” According to the data, the majority of the respondents find these games a way to “relax and unwind” (64% of the PopCap survey respondents), and they cite “stress relief” as the most important reason they play (53% of the RealNetworks respondents). This shouldn’t come as a surprise. Men play games to relax and unwind too. It’s just that men use different words to describe the same thing. Some men will play a competitive game of racquetball after work to “wind down.” And many men will log onto their favorite MMORPG like World of Warcraft to “shoot away” the worries of the day. The women who play casual games don’t consider themselves “gamers” because they aren’t engaging in a “testosterone” kind of experience that society has labeled a “video game.” But just like some men who play other types of games, these women consider casual games valuable components of their weekday routine. The survey data suggest that many of them play every weeknight (PopCap survey says 51%) and late at night before bed (Trymedia survey says 73%)—even preferring to play a casual game over watching TV, working on a home project, or reading a book. What does this mean for game designers? If playing casual games is replacing TV time, then we might want to think about the best aspects of TV that we can incorporate into casual game design. Have you considered episodic gaming? Well defined characters? Story? Plot? Special effects? If the characters in your game are appealing and the story is engaging, then you’ve got a fighting chance at capturing your share of the “relax and unwind” time in the day of the life of a casual gamer. Of course, you can create a successful game without characters and without story, but if you look back at the year’s most popular titles, you’ll see more and more character-driven and story-driven games than ever before (such as Diner Dash, Cake Mania, Delicious Deluxe, Virtual Villagers, Mystery Case Files). Oh, and don’t forget to offer a “relax” mode just in case she doesn’t feel like competing for points or trying to get a high score. Relaxing doesn’t automatically mean “not competing,” but sometimes it does mean “I just want to veg and click away.” Tip #3 Survey Says: “Women are Playing Games For Hours at a Time By Themselves” Until the recent survey results were revealed, many people in the business believed that women were buying these games for their kids. And there is a certain percentage of women who do. However, the Trymedia survey found that the majority of respondents (58%) have no children at home. So, most of these casual gamers are buying these games for themselves to play for extended periods of time. Many of them are playing for at least an hour per session (the Trymedia survey says 66%, and the PopCap survey says 43%). So, what does that mean for your game design? It means that a large percentage of your buyers are setting aside specific “play time” to engage with your game. They are not only taking five minutes during a coffee break for a quick fix. Evening play time is “me time” they are designating as a necessary indulgence. So, games that involve longer play cycles (such as simulation or strategy) may satisfy this “relax and unwind” need very well. Judging by the success of some of these types of games this past year (Virtual Villagers, Westward), some game creators are already figuring this out. Final Words So do these surveys suggest that we should all be focusing our attention primarily on 50-something females who use casual gaming as a replacement for weeknight TV? Of course not. However, game creators would do well to involve in their game development process women in their 40s and 50s who play games. Applying what we’ve learned from survey data and focus group findings can help us design better games and may spark some innovative ideas that help us to broaden our constituency and expand the market beyond the current core. PopCap Survey Results: http://www.popcap.com/press/?page=press_releases&release=casualgames_survey_9-13-06 RealNetworks Survey Results: http://www.realnetworks.com/company/press/releases/2006/casgames_research.html Trymedia Survey Results: http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=18008 *CGA Marketing Action Group:* Craig Holland (Freeze Tag), Lisa Sikora (Microsoft Casual Games Group), Julie Pitt (RealNetworks), Beatrice Spaine (Pogo.com Electronic Arts), Dave Williams (Atom Entertainment).