Play it Forward: Casual Games Predictions 2007

Storyline and character are becoming crucial to boot - it won't be long before most mouse-mashers sport in-depth plots and signature mascots, e.g. Super Granny or Cake Mania's Jill. Production values are further rising across the board, meaning games like PopCap's best-selling Bookworm Adventures (which cost $700,000 to make and sells for $29.99) will become less rare, more commonplace. Happily, most won't cost quite so much to make/distribute, so $20 sticker fees should remain standard. Better still, new business models - see: subscriptions, advertising-subsidized content and pay-per-play options - will help offset these expenses, providing more for your gaming dollar.

Cloning, the process of swiping popular ideas from existing hits, isn't going anywhere either. (As movies and primetime TV teach, unoriginality pays.) Still, it's anticipated the general range of content represented will be much wider, as forays into the fantasy, simulation and strategy genres join the generally puzzle- and action-dominated fold. The top titles you'll see emulated shortly? Our guess: Tactically-minded, ten gallon hat-clad favorite Westward and life simulation Virtual Villagers.

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Don't think you'll be killing time solely on PC or mobile phone either. With Apple's iPod now a full-fledged portable game player, can it be long before Microsoft's ostensibly MP3-focused Zune follows suit, introducing Xbox Live Arcade-style game browsing/buying provisions? After all, the initiative's proving hugely successful on Xbox 360. Chart-topping handhelds PSP and DS are suddenly awash in conversions of popular desktop diversions. And Nintendo's "virtual console"-equipped Wii also brings the hobby's underlying philosophy of simple, fun, accessible titles to the living room.

Whoever you are, whatever your platform of choice, one thing's certain, though: Starting this January, casual gaming is officially bigger and better than ever.

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