Keep it simple

As many big games publishers fail to make the most of the strong demand for compelling video games...

As many big games publishers fail to make the most of the strong demand for compelling video games, one corner of the industry is doing better than ever. Simple 8220;casual8221; games, played on a PC or a mobile phone, are booming. They may lack the narrative depth of epic console games such as 8220;Fallout 38221;, but such games can be the most addictive of all, as even hard-core gamers will attest. The rise of social-networking websites and 8220;smart8221; mobile phones has created new outlets for 8220;quick fix8221; gaming.

Zynga, a studio based in San Francisco set up only in 2007, has hired 80 people since June, more than doubling its staff. The company primarily makes 8220;social8221; games that friends can play together on social-networking sites. Zynga8217;s 8220;Live Poker8221; game for the Apple iPhone is also hugely popular.

Mark Pincus, Zynga8217;s boss, attributes the success of its games to their social aspects. Social gaming is 8220;a terrific category whose time has come,8221; he says. Nor does it hurt that the games cost nothing. Zynga has adopted the online-gaming model prevalent in Asia, where games are free and users pay only for optional in-game extras. The firm has had a positive cashflow since September 2007.

Another casual-gaming firm doing well at the moment is PopCap Games, the maker of classics such as 8220;Bejeweled8221; and 8220;Peggle8221;. 8220;Bejeweled8221;, launched in 2001, kept countless underemployed people and computers busy during the dotcom bust. The basic version of each game is free; the full version costs 20 or so.

Like Mr Pincus, Dave Roberts, the boss of PopCap, is cautiously optimistic about his firm8217;s prospects. PopCap recently started selling games through Wal-Mart and other retailers, rather than relying on downloads. 8220;We provide better entertainment value than a 60 Xbox 360 title,8221; he says. That will appeal to cash-strapped consumers, he hopes.

copy; The Economist Newspaper Limited 2008