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When I first started working at EB Games in May 2005, I didn’t really hear the term "casual gamer" thrown around a whole lot. Most of my customers were either hardcore regulars gearing up for the release of the Xbox 360, or parents and significant others of gamers who had no real interest in anything in the store. It’s not that they didn’t exist; there have been some casual gamers out there since the industry started, dating back to the days of Pac-Man and Donkey Kong. However, they were definitely a lot less common.

It’s funny how things can change in the course of a year, give or take a few months. Last year, there was a growing trend in pick-up-and-play titles for gamers of all ages. Now, not only are casual gamers everywhere, but the store’s entire marketing strategy is to attract them. Casual gamers are where the money is at now. No longer are video games just for the small percentage willing to invest outrageous amounts of time and money in them; anyone can pick up and play.

The revolution is obviously led by Nintendo’s casual gaming machines, the immensely popular Wii and DS, with the plethora of puzzle games, board games, and brain games the systems have to offer. The Wii also offers something brand new: simple sports games and other minigames controlled by motion, not by button-pushing; this is something that anyone can get in on. However, Nintendo’s not the only one who’s getting in on this trend; it seems like every system now has at least a few games coming out geared towards a more casual audience.

It’s easy for hardcore gamers to look upon casual gamers as the enemy, with developers sometimes veering away from traditional gameplay in order to create something that will attract a wider audience. But you know what? This isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

First of all, "casual" doesn’t have to mean "not fun". As an owner of both a Wii and a DS (in addition to almost every other system that’s been on the market in the last twenty years) I’ve found a lot of these games to be enjoyable. It also gives me something to play with my non-gamer friends or family members. My own father, who describes hardcore gamers as "mindless zombies", loves Wii Sports; my mother got a DS for her birthday this year and has been playing New Super Mario Bros. ever since.

Even more than helping bridge the gap between gamers and non-gamers, casual games help the industry expand in new directions. Casual gaming has introduced a lot of new innovations, like games that are fun yet educational. Seriously, who would have thought something like Brain Age could be so addictive? Who knows, maybe if game developers weren’t trying to create something new to appeal to a larger audience, we wouldn’t have games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band, and I think we can all agree that the world would be a sadder place without them.

Now, don’t take this to mean I’m about to trade in my 360 to buy a few more puzzle games for my DS. I’m still going to be spending most of my gaming money on more in-depth titles, the kind that my parents think are a waste of time. But that doesn’t mean I can’t take a break and play a few games of Wii bowling, does it?

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