[Lucien21]

http://kotaku.com/351537/womens-murder-club-goes-casual

James Pattersons novel "Womans Murder Club" to become a casual game by Jane Jenson's Oberon Media.

Much rather it was a full game, but hey it might be ok.

[Owskie]

i smell feminism

[Squinky]

OH NOES!

[LimpingFish]

Originally Posted by Owskie

i smell feminism

Really? Smells more like...

[rtrooney]

I wonder if it will be along the same lines as Be-Trapped?

[Thello]

If she's working on this, what's going on with her other project?

[Lucifiel]

James Patterson? Eh, spare me his stuff.

Good for her, I guess.

[michael1123]

Jane Jensen making murder mystery games. How can this really go wrong?

I'm sure they'd be good, even with knowing nothing of the source material and with the term "casual game" being a turn off.

[Owskie]

Originally Posted by LimpingFish

Really? Smells more like...

smells more like a shifty smiley?

[Melanie68]

Originally Posted by LimpingFish

Really? Smells more like...

Originally Posted by Owskie

smells more like a shifty smiley?

This line of conversation has nothing to do with the game. If you need to iron out something between the two of you, use the PM function please.

[kitkatrpn]

I don't know...sounds really good to me. I love his books, in particular the ones regarding the woman's murder club. I'm just disappointed it's a casual game instead of a full game, but I'd still like to play it.

[Henke]

Originally Posted by kitkatrpn

I don't know...sounds really good to me. I love his books, in particular the ones regarding the woman's murder club. I'm just disappointed it's a casual game instead of a full game, but I'd still like to play it.

That's pretty much how I see it too. Although I haven't read the books, the TV-series is just starting here but the trailers looks interesting enough. But this "casual game" idea doesn't sound to appealing. Plus they claims that the reason for it is that the main audience are woman. Or have I misunderstod this? Somebody should tell them that woman can play full games as well.

[LimpingFish]

http://zone.msn.com/en/root/deluxe.h...18337&RefID=25

Well, there it is.

Plays like an offspring of those "find-the-junk" games and CSI-lite.

Yes, as horrible as that sounds.

[kadji-kun]

Being a fan of Seek & Find games when Im in the mood. I might check this game out.

[Kazmajik]

I would steer my mom towards this game. There's a whole demographic of would-be gamers who still approach the genre with disdain, who don't know what they're missing out on, and who would love adventure games if they only gave them a chance. Something like this might be a good bridge, taking the casual approach that would leave those interested in more in-depth games that the "real" adventure games have to offer with the desire to explore the genre further, and discovering that just because something is a "game" doesn't mean it deserves to be looked down upon any more than a movie or a book. Speaking of which, I don't know why adventure games aren't marketed to bookstores more. It seems that the casual browser might be intrigued by many of the titles available. I'm sure this one would do well.

[Pavel4444]

I was playing the demo, but it ended after 1 hour. If anybody finishes the full version please let me know who the killer was and why he did it. thanks.

[Lee in Limbo]

Ah, the casual gaming debate. I looked at the press stuff for the murder club project and thought it would be ideal for armchair sleuths and moms who don't have the time to play WoW. It's not bad stuff. It's not really for us experienced AG players. It's meant for people who aren't traditional gamers at all, and can't imagine themselves sitting down at a computer for a handful of hours plugging away at a game, but would rather do something fun than surf the net or talk on an IM client for what little time they have available.

This is essentially the same non-traditional market that episodic content games are trying to reach, but the last time I looked, the numbers seem to say that these casual games have the leg up. If I were a game developer and wasn't as focussed on epic-scale storytelling as I am, I'd seriously devote some time and resources to the casual market, and try to use it as a springboard to lure in non-traditional players to try out some more expansive games that didn't try so hard to club them around the head with how clever the devs are. It's not where I want to go, but it's not unworthy by any stretch of the imagination, and may very well be a viable alternate future for AG game devs who can't find enough buyers for their full length games.

Actually, thinking about it, casual games are a good way to get started in the business these days. At least one company I was reading about took this route, and others are bound to try.

And really, if all you have is a half hour to an hour for lunch, and won't have time after work, what would you rather do: a) Play a game that you may be poking at for months at this rate, until you've forgotten half of the stuff you've seen in the game and can't remember what you have to do next; Or b) pick up an easy breezy number that can be played during your break and then move on to something new? I know the way most folks on this forum would vote (Me too), but for most folks who just don't have the time and dedication, casual (and episodic) gaming just makes more sense.

Back on topic, I don't know if I will bother with these games, but I may give them a try at some point, just for the sake of knowing how they feel. With Jane Jensen involved, they certainly can't be monstrously bad.

[Steve Ince]

Microsoft recently said that stories in casual games is an untapped market and this certainly seems to be the case. One that people are suddenly waking up to, if my inbox is anything to go by.

I think that we're on the cusp of seeing some really strong stories in these kinds of games. Admittedly, the market is different to a more "hardcore" market, but for developers and writers who want to tell stories in an interactive way it may be an ideal approach.

For me, the appeal is in the turnover time. I could write and design more games for this market than I could ever hope to in the more traditional development arena.

[rtrooney]

I DL'd the demo, and just started to give it a play. I like it. There's more to it than her earlier Oberon games, e.g., BeTrapped, but obviously not as complex as her full-fledged adventures.

It strikes me as a great "starter" game if you want to get someone interested in the adventure genre.

[Scott Nixon]

For me, the appeal is in the turnover time. I could write and design more games for this market than I could ever hope to in the more traditional development arena.

Agreed. I was asked to write the story for a Civil War themed Hidden Object title which I dutifully did, and the experience was really refreshing in a rather primitive way. There's a larger accepted disconnect between narrative and gameplay than in a traditional title, so you don't have to bang your head against the wall for hours trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.

Granted, the conventions are trite and you aren't given the budget or the time to push the envelope. To some extent these games are just skins of previous incarnations with the same gameplay mechanic repackaged ad infinitum. All the same, it's nice to occasionally not be judged so harshly, and you can throw in something new every once in a while if you're so inclined. I'm looking forward to doing more of these -- they're the game design equivalent of junk food!