RENZAmusings » Casual Gaming Addiction

Casual Gaming Addiction

December 6th, 2006

Casual games are generally defined as simple to play games that are engaging with no long-term commitment. The classics solitaire and minesweeper are popular examples. Start playing — have some fun — play again — repeat until your eyes are bleeding, fingers are sore, or you just cannot avoid doing what you are supposed to be doing any longer.

I have written about the excellent games at PopCap in the past and still enjoy their offerings. I even broke down and purchased Feeding Frenzy 2 after the demo expired because my 3-year old son also got addicted to the fish-eat-fish antics and excellent graphics. He has my genes, so his interest in computers and gaming are to be expected.

My current obsession is both seasonally appropriate and unexpected. In Rudolf’s Revenge, the object is simple: You start by having Rudolf mule-kick Santa at a strategic angle into the air. Elves in trees have candy canes that you use to give Santa a ”boost” higher through the forest trees collecting presents along the way. Sometime you can really launch Saint Nick like a rocket, and I seem more interested in how high I can get him than the presents or actual score. The upward trend doesn’t last forever though, and if you can’t keep propelling him upward, gravity begins to bring Santa back to Earth. Even though he collects presents along the way, once he bounces on his head on the ground, the game is over, so the trick is to use the elves to snag him and attempt to send him skyward once again.

The whole process probably should last only a few minutes. The flaw with this game however, is when you start to get good the game lasts a long time. Perhaps another flaw is that the game doesn’t get any less fun. The last time I played (which I may vow to be the last time), I bounced Santa Claus around for over an hour, where I found myself tensing while falling and holding my breath when speeding upward. I amassed a score of over 2 millions points (2,443,261), and achieved a maximum height of 8,597.6 meters.