The term "gamer" applies to more people now than ever before. The word used to be reserved for someone heavily invested in traditional video games, in terms of both time and money. With the growing popularity of smartphones, personal media players capable of running applications and games which integrate with social networks, there are now millions of casual gamers, however. The rise of casual games represents a major shift in the video game market.
Casual games have been able to capture the attention of many people who had previously dismissed video games as childish or a waste of time. Demographics which don't fit the old stereotypes of gamers are embracing casual games. Because more and more people are becoming gamers, there is a larger market for causal video game publishers.
Most casual games are characterized by an ease in learning how to play the game, a small time commitment and a very low or non-existent price. The most popular platforms for casual games are currently mobile phones such as the iPhone or Android-powered smartphones, personal media players such as the iPod Touch and social networks like Facebook. Some of the most prominent casual games of the past years include Angry Birds, FarmVille and Bejeweled.
Unsurprisingly, not everyone is pleased with the massive uptick of casual gaming. Many traditional video game publishers are feeling the heat from free or inexpensive games available on mobile devices. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has expressed his fear and negative feelings towards casual games. "In the oceanic smartphone games market, the chance to be visible
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