2007 was a remarkable year for adults who play casual games. First the good news…
1. Nintendo sells the two best and best-selling game platforms for casual gamers – Wii and DS. Our New Year Eve’s party was a rousing success, as the adults stood around the Wii, practicing their tennis, golf, and bowling skills most of the night. I woke up the next morning, not with a hangover, but with tennis elbow. The Wii consoles are still hard to find, but I guarantee that your entire family will enjoy playing wonderful games like Guitar Hero and Super Mario Galaxy.
2. Nintendo’s handheld console, the Nintendo DS, is not just for kids. In 2007, brain games like Big Brain Academy and Flash Focus, designed for baby boomers, outsold all other games. Other applications related to food and wine, travel, language learning, and more, are available. So borrow the DS from your children or grandchildren and check out all the products that are available for adults. There are increasing numbers of games and programs geared to you and your interests on the Nintendo DS.
3. Have you joined Facebook yet? Did you know that the fastest growing group to join Facebook is people over 35? Did you know that you can play games on Facebook? I joined about a year ago because a business contact invited me. I felt a little silly and didn’t add much information to my “profile” for the first few months. Then my eighteen-year-old daughter, Leah, invited me to be her friend, and my network of friends and other family members expanded rapidly. When Facebook began to allow developers to create applications that members can add to their profiles, including games, I became an active member. Leah challenged me to take quizzes (e.g., “Guess who the celebrity is without makeup”) and to play simple arcade games. Mostly she beat me, until I found a great word game more to my liking - Scrabulous. Games are definitely getting more social, and joining Facebook allows you to easily play with your friends. I expect game playing on social networks to get even bigger in 2008.
So much for the good news. What’s the bad news? I personally was disappointed with PC casual games in 2007. Production values are definitely better than they’ve ever been before, but there were few PC games that introduced anything new. I thought that the two most innovative downloadable games were Build-a-Lot and Azada. What were your favorite games in 2007?
So stay tuned for next week's blog, when I'll describe what Legacy has planned for 2008. And as always, I’d love to hear from you! Best wishes for a great 2008!
Ariella
President
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