There's no such thing as a "casual" game in my opinion. Why? Because it is too vague. It has no real meaning. All games have gameplay, gameplay cannot be "casual." At least the term "casual GAMERS" makes a little sense, although I hate that term as well.

The term has beccome so vague and overused, all it litterally seems to mean nowadays when hardcore gamers use is it "a game that I don't like/don't get."

I don't like Oblivion, but it's not a casual game.

I don't like Final Fantasy XIII (much), but it's not a casual game.

I don't like Modern Warfare, but it's not a casual game.

I don't like Grand Theft Auto, but it's not a casual game.

I use a strict dual definition with addendum.

First: A casual game is a game you can pick up and play with basically no prior experience and do reasonably well and ultimately high playtime is due to replayability, IE the game from start to finish can be completed in a few hours or even less.

Second: Alternatively it is a _type_ of multiplayer game of similarity from the first definition, however, also encapsulates games with zero 'start to finish' gameplay, IE party games.

Addendum: There are gamers that trend towards casual games but also play hardcore games. These players have a certain play preference which fits with casual games, however, they also like to play games with heavier depth and much longer 'start to finish' play times. They also play casual games in a hardcore manner, IE their total playtime of a casual game can be in the hundreds of hours.

 You played Dirt 2 on the wii? It was really bad on the wii. Casual games are "dumb down" but that doesn't mean people who play them are retard or are not fun. Mario Kart wii physics are seriously "dumb down" compared to GT5,FM3, or even Dirt 2 (on anything but the wii). Then you have Iracing which is a very hardcore sim yet it will not sell anywhere near console racing games.

 A hardcore gamer can have fun with both casual and hardcore games but the opposite is not true. (I've have race everything from MK to Iracing) I don't see why anyone be offended the fact Wii is aiming more toward casual gamers and children. Why  try to deny what made Wii a success.

 P.S by the way Dirt 2 physics leans a lot toward arcade compared to the older Colin McRae series. They did this to make it more casual. The best rally racing sim is Richard Burns Rally which is now 6 years old.

A casual game is a game that's designed to be fun for non-gamers. Usually they are simple, or 'dumbed down'.

And what do I think of them? I can't like them, or their effect for that matter, but they're not all evil. It's just that others get fun at the expense of mine. The money put to casual games, even if it's less than for so-called 'core games', if off from core games' budget.

I always thought of them as games that don't require a lot of skill opr time investment to have fun with. Games you can just pick up play for 10-30 mins and forget.

I dont really define it. A game is a game.

Casual games: Good games to enjoy with everybody (nongamers). Good games to play when I am in a certain mood. Good games with Zero frustration. (EDIT: unless you wanted to get really hardcore with them). Good games to play for about 30 minutes.

(There are TONS of bad and stupid hardcore games: those are a disgrace to gaming)

I have no idea why people call mainstream games 'casual'. Maybe it's because games haven't been mainstream for so long they forgot what they looked like.

A retarded gamer, imo, is someone who'd pay full price for a weekend game. A retarded game is one that tries to be a storybook and could barely be described as a game, nevermind a videogame.

You do know  that there were  "story  games" back in C64 days and some of them were pretty tough. (Ex. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) If you refer to Metal Gear the story has always been a part of that series. Because of this is why it was one of my favorite NES games.