A casual digression

Gamasutra just published an article about the prevalence (and success) of "cloning" in casual games. (Independent Gaming tipped me off to the article.) Now, I've never been a casual games kind of guy; I have always been more interested in big-budget titles that deliver complex stories and gameplay. Nevertheless, my interest in casual games has grown slowly over the last couple years as the market has grown and as I've come closer to admitting that my best chance of completing a game is to make a "casual" one.

Casual games tend to focus on one central gameplay mechanic, rely on fewer art assets, and have much simpler stories (actually, most have no story at all). The advantages for a small team are obvious. I understand that any hope of creating a complete game that people will play depends on whether I undertake reasonable projects.

So, I have decided to turn my attention for a brief period (a couple of months) toward creating a casual game more modest in scope than my epic RPG. The concept for the game is light-hearted and nonviolent. It will be a target shooting game. I'm not ready yet to reveal the idea, but rest assured that you will all be able to play it.

Those of you who know me will know that this shift is not one I take lightly. I've been working on my RPG for years and, despite excruciatingly slow progress, I am still dedicated to it. But the fact is that it's better to develop a small, complete game than a small fragment of a large one. With a finished product under my belt, I'll be much better equipped to make progress toward the larger goal. A finished game also gives me the opportunity to explore my options for marketing, distributing, and potentially selling a game.

More details about the game will be coming soon. The blog will continue. After all, I'm in this for the journey more than the destination.