2004 Web and Downloadable Games White Paper 

IGDA Online Games SIG 

F. 

Design 

In the following sections, we'll take a closer look at: the target audience that web and downloadable 

games are typically designed for, the mechanics that have seen popularity within the market, some 

guidelines for user interaction, and desirable game features. 

G. 

Target Audience 

The remarkable growth of the downloadable games market makes it clear that a previously underserved 

market is being reached. Considering that the 

potential

 audience is anyone that happens to use the web, 

the audience for web games is generally much broader than retail games.  

This audience has a different relationship to the computer than hardcore gamers; they have fewer 

expectations, but also less familiarity with gaming conventions. They do not self identify as  gamers . If 

they have played videogames before, the content has not maintained their interest.  

Although it can be assumed that with each new title they play, this audience becomes more sophisticated, 

this is not to suggest that ultimately they will evolve, nor should we force them to try to evolve, into 

hardcore gamers. At its core, this is an audience with different tastes, different patterns of consumption, 

and different requirements for their gaming experience.  

Additionally many players look to these games as a way to have a short fun experience, and are either 

unable, or uninterested in spending hours on a single game. Keeping this in mind by providing easy 

access to pausing the game, and even allowing players to save their progress in games that take more 

than five to ten minutes, can greatly increase user satisfaction. 

H. 

Game Mechanics 

This section will identify those qualities that recur in casual games, providing specific examples and 

speculating about the particular types of `fun' that the casual player is looking for. Finally it will touch upon 

the evolution of both the game mechanics and types of fun. Game themes and user interaction are 

discussed in their own sections. 

In the case of web and downloadable games, and particularly those that have seen marketplace success, 

we can identify a handful of mechanics that can be found in the bulk of the titles on offer at any given 

time. Here are a few examples: 

1. 

Match/Align  

Player must create groups of three or more objects by swapping, dragging, or shooting them into 

place.  

Examples: 

Bejeweled, Snood, Walls of Jericho, Mah Jong Solitaire, Congo Cube, Chomp Chomp 

Safari, Atomica, Cubis, Hexic

2. 

Identify Groups 

Player must identify existing groups within a pool of possibilities.  

Examples: 

Collapse, Avalanche, Qbeez

3. 

Find/Order Subsets 

Identify and order subsets of objects within a rule limited pool of possibilities (such as the alphabet, or 

a deck of cards)  

Examples using words: 

TextTwist, WordWhomp, SpellSpiel, WhatWord, Word Up, Spelvin, Wild Wild 

Words, BookWorm

4. 

Arcade/simple reflexes 

Examples:

 Breakout, Blasterball, Rebound, Atomaders 

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