In the piece Wright – who devised The Sims, itself regularly pointed to helping grow the games playing demographic to female gamers who traditionally had no times for games – calls casual gaming “probably the most important thing happening in the gaming industry. We’re seeing that with the Nintendo Wii. That pressure to start serving the whole market rather than this little section.”

And the growth is not just the rise of female gamers interested in The Sims. He said: “That’s a big part, but also the intergenerational market. Families. With Wii, you see kids, parents and even grandparents playing together.”

I’ve got to agree with you on this one, Will.  It’s no doubt casual gaming plays a huge impact in the gaming industry.  The Wii exploded with these players, and ever since the gaming industry has been recording record breaking sales.  Heck, in fact I was surprised myself when my mom tried out Wii Sports.

Casual shift ‘most important thing happening in the gaming industry’