By any standard of measurement, online casual gaming has been exploding over the last 4 years. From $228 million in sales in 2002, it is estimated to grow to $953 million by the end of the year, according to DFC Intelligence.
The strength of the medium is that the games are easy games to learn that can be played by one player for a quick 10 minutes or hours if one chooses to.
Pogo, the popular online gaming site by Electronic Arts, has done well in this market as it offers several ways to entice consumers to partake in their service. They offer free games, a subscription service and downloads (I use this service and like it a lot).
They offer the free service with ads included that caters more to teens not wanting to pay for the games, while at the same time they offer their subscription service for older users who don't want to take the time to wait for ads. The company has been very profitable for Entertainment Arts.
RealNetworks is another big player in this space with their casual games division converting into 21 percent of the company's revenue in the first quarter of this year.
The one real strength that is beginning to draw advertisers to this area is that it is attracting women specifically and people in general that are over 35 years old. A big change in the usual your male demographic.
Another great feature of this business is that once you figure out the right marketing model, you can easily reproduce and market it to other countries and other languages very easily and cheaply.
Last it is a part of the social-networking scene. At least the ones that I have used. They have instant messaging and chatting right on the side of the game so people can talk while they play. Or they can set up private rooms for family and friends that can include only invited guests.
This is an area that is going to grow strongly for years. Adding some casual games to your site may be something worth checking out.
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