2004 Web and Downloadable Games White Paper 

IGDA Online Games SIG 

gameplay. Whether for skilled players or those eager to improve, good game design should provide a 

path for all levels of gamers to build loyalty to the game. 

Designing games that invite player loyalty is covered in significantly more depth under the  Brand 

Equity  header later in this section.  

c) 

Accessibility 

Offline play does not tie up phone lines, which can be important for the majority of the audience on 

dial up connections, as well as laptop users who may not always have an available internet 

connection. Games that have been downloaded to a laptop can be played while traveling, and other 

times when an internet connection might not otherwise be present. 

J. 

Themes 

The choice of thematic context for web/downloadable games can be the crucial factor in the success of a 

particular title. Developers need to think carefully about where to position the game in the aesthetic 

spectrum (light/dark, fantasy/reality) and take into consideration other forms of entertainment, such as 

movies and fiction that have proven popular with their target demographic. Is the best selling book within 

the target demographic a space themed action novel? Which genres of movies perform the best? What 

magazines do they read? All of these questions can help the savvy developer answer other questions: 

what does the audience care about? What do they like to do in the real world? Obviously, having the 

answers to these questions will not guarantee success for a title, but they are the first step towards 

designing a product that players want. 

While there are no hard rules, and individual player preferences are as varied as the audience itself, 

some general guidelines are useful:  

Games for the casual market should not contain explicit violence.  

A brighter `mood', and an upbeat look and feel are more compelling. 

Connect the game with something that the audience enjoys in the real world (including non digital 

games) in order to provide a comfort zone. 

1. 

Use of Characters and Narrative 

Although the majority of casual games don't tell a story, and some don't even have characters, both can 

help the users get involved in the game and forge an emotional connection with the gameplay. If 

incorporated poorly, however, narrative can disrupt play and distract from the focus of the game. An 

important balance will need to be achieved for casual games. Games like 

Digby's Donuts

 or 

Lemonade

Tycoon

 have used a light narrative to build player investment in the experience.

K. 

Game Features 

As mentioned above, distributors can be an invaluable resource when it comes to understanding the 

needs and desires of the target audience. RealArcade has set forth the following list of recommended 

game features.

24

RealArcade Game Design Recommendations

The following are paraphrased from the RealArcade website: 

Front End UI

 It 

s crucial that menu items are clearly labeled. When picking names for 

game  modes,  try  and  stay  to  familiar  terms  like  strategy,  puzzle,  speed  instead  of 

creating  new  and  unique  titles.  Challenge  mode  isn 

t  as  good  as  Play  Now.  Players 

should be able to get into the game with not more than one click from the main menu. 

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