Casual Game Market and Pricing

In his Gamezebo article The Sky is Falling . . . NOT!, Joel Brodie talks about the higher priced PopCap Bookworm Adventures which sells for $30. But in the article he also talks about the expanding demographic of the casual games market and how many young adults and teenagers don't have credit cards or may not necessarily be able to afford the price of these games.

So how do we make it easier for this demographic to buy games? Some of Joel's suggested solutions include iTunes style gift cards, or a system to allow parents to top up online game accounts, or even selling games at a more kid friendly price.

These are all good ideas. And I believe it's an issue that will need addressing as more and more people are turned onto the idea of playing casual games - especially as games break out of the straight match-3 puzzle genre.

Check out Joel's article here.