Easy-to-play titles that do not require too much time and that are playable online or downloadable to mobile devices will see real growth in the coming year.

The trend shows that gaming is not just about big-hitting, games console titles, which appeal more to “hardcore” gamers, said a panel of experts.

The panel also insisted that casual gamers were not just women, a common misconception which pervades current thinking about gamer demographics.

Casual games like pool, bridge, bingo and puzzle-based titles, which can be played online or downloaded onto mobile devices, were “gender neutral” and different genres attracted different players.

But hardcore gamers who are more attracted to blockbuster games which usually require hi-spec PCs, like Half-Life 2, or Halo 2 on Xbox, also liked to have a different type of gaming experience.

“When hardcore gamers are not playing Halo, they are playing poker and pool, based on our research,” said Geoff Graber, director of an online gaming firm, which attracts about 12 million gamers a month.

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