Every month an estimated 200 million people play casual games, and the casual gaming industry is seeing a 20% increase in both audience and profits year after year.

The Casual gaming market it expected to surpass $2 billion in 2008.

Casual gaming gained popularity with games like Solitaire, Tetris and Bejeweled played on the PC and Nintendo video game system.

The internet has now become the main source of distribution for casual games and social networks like Facebook are playing a major role in their rise in popularity and profitability. Casual games share a few basic characteristics; they offer simple gameplay and simple graphics that can be enjoyed in short burst like during coffee breaks or while on public transportation.

Casual gaming first gained popularity on the PC and video game systems like Nintendo. Many early producers like PopCan Games adopted a try before you buy model, and offered an enjoyable yet limited version of their games for free, and then offered a deluxe version for around $20.

Casual Games are fast becoming one of the most popular online marketing tools. An advertising based model is now becoming just as popular as the try before you buy business model. Advertisers are using casual games to attract people to their websites, and keep them there. Casual games are a great way to get people to spend time with your brand, while they are having a good time and being entertained. The key to successful marketing with casual games of course starts with creating a great game, and that is easier said than done.

What does it take to develop a quality casual game, besides a great idea? Most casual games can be developed by 3-5 people in 6-9 months for less than $100,000. This might sound cheap to companies spending millions on TV and print campaigns, and out of reach for small companies with small marketing budgets. There has also been a rise in indie casual game makers trying to make a name for themselves. So for those of you who can’t afford $100,000 you may be able to team up with one of these indie game makers before they get big.

Buffalo Wild Wings is one example of a forward thinking company that is using casual gaming as part of their branding strategy. On June 2nd, they are launching Night Hunger, a causal game aimed at positioning Buffalo Wild Wings as a contender for your late night fast food dollar. Here is the trailer.

I just received a disturbing email from Creative Public about the new Orphaned Works Copyright law that is trying to be passed in congress. This law could hurt a lot of artists and designers, if passed.

The following is from the Creative Public email I received and was written by Michael Durwin, Creative Director of eyeanimate.com…

=======================
The Orphan Works Act of 2008
Bill # H.R.5889
=======================
The Shawn Bentley Orphan Works Act of 2008
Bill # S.2913
======================

These bills effectively release creative work, whose authors or originators cannot be found, to use by anyone, including major corporations. This will allow large corporations to take advantage of the limited understanding of copyright law by artists, illustrators and other creatives. Essentially profiting from a large group of Americans that barely make a living with their work.

The bills would require the authors of so-called “orphaned works” to go through extraordinary measures to digitally copy and submit their work the the copyright office. This doesn’t just effect artists. If someone posts pictures of their baby on MySpace, then negleects to check their MySpace email, or signed up for the social network using a screen name rather than their real name, they could find those baby pictures being used for a multi-million dollar advertising campaign.

I work for an ad agency and have just as much respect for the artists, photographers and designers who I work with as I do the budget limitations faced by companies trying to promote their products and services.

This bill, however, amounts to legalized theft by big corporation of the property of the little guy.

Unfortunately these bills are being sponsored by Democrats ( Howard Berman D-CA 28th, Patrick Leahy D-VT) who should know better.

I’m sure your members would be very interested in this legislation.

You can read more about these bills here:

http://capwiz.com/illustratorspartnership/issues/bills/?billid=11320236

http://capwiz.com/illustratorspartnership/issues/bills/?bill=11322171

Michael Durwin
Creative Director
eyeanimate.com

People like to consume their media in many different ways. When it comes to getting our daily dose of news, some people like to read their morning paper over breakfast, other people listen to the news on the drive to work, and many of us check the headlines online as soon as we get to work.

MSNBC.com shows that they are aware of our diverse media habits, and they are offering us even more ways to experience the news via www.NewsWare.msnbc.com. MSNBC.com has added Spectra, Newsblaster and Newscroller to their existing collection of podcasts, RSS feeds and mobile applications.

Spectra is a news visualization tool that allows people to navigate the latest headlines in a colorful three dimensional space.

For the casual news reader out there who would rather be playing online games then checking the latest news, there is Newsblaster. It is a take on the classic “Bubble Blaster” arcade game, that rewards you with news headlines and snippets. It is also available as a Facebook application.

Newsscroller is a customizable news widget. It allows you to choose your favorite news and entertainment topics, and can be embeded on your blog, webpage, or social network pages.

Not all of these applications will be of interest to everyone, but I’m impressed to see MSNBC experimenting with different news delivery formats. I’m a podcast junkie, so I’ll be checking out a few of their podcasts.

This is for all you sinners (link renters) out there.

TLA is giving a 15% off discount in the month of May when you use coupon code may.

Apparently this will give you 15% off your order for the life of your order.