I suppose it might be a little intense for a family to go raiding together on WoW. Family discussions around who’s letting their character drop behind in levels might get fairly heated.
Popcap games released a survey yesterday which found that 92 percent of casual gaming parents and 66 percent of casual gaming grandparents will use casual games to bond with their children. Considering that you can pick them up and leave them with little effort, it makes sense that they would be a source for family gatherings.
“The universal appeal of casual games makes them a great activity in which the whole family can participate, with each generation enjoying the games in different ways while also enjoying the interaction with other family members,” Mark Griffiths, Professor of Gambling Studies at Nottingham Trent University, said in an article on ElectricNews.net.
Increased broadband capabilities have created more of a demand for casual games now that more can be downloaded in such a short time. Not only that, but developers are competing for the marketshare of casual gaming, which holds more sway than MySpace, YouTube and Facebook.
Board games might be in trouble.
I can totally go along with this. I have noticed recently that me and my kids actually spend most fo our time when we are alone playing games of one kind or another. I find the online games are the best because I have control over when they are on there and can temper the amount of time they play. This has however caused me to speand more time on there too and subsequently I spend more time with them now :o)
Warmest Paul & Kids
Comment by Paul — October 24, 2007 @ 6:44 pm