Fun with toys!

So I've noticed a trend of downloadable games being very akin to toys. Few rules, few restraints, just pick it up and play. No time limits, no goals, no game overs. I think this is interesting and kind of exciting. I'm seeing games that don't follow any traditional sense of what a game is, sometimes you'll find a rudimentary version of score or an endpoint, but for the most part the games are basically virtual toys.

Flow

Now this has, in my mind, two very distinct effects. First off it's sparking a lot of new ideas in game developers, because they're seeing that a game really doesn't have to be a triple A, all out million dollar project to succeed and make money, and sometimes smaller games can make even more money.

The other effect is that it's redefining what a videogame is. I don't think if you pulled an average non-gamer off the street and showed them one of these games that they wouldn't recognize it as a videogame. but ask a gamer and they might identify it more as a toy, a program, or maybe a casual game. While this creates a larger void between what the hardcore gaming market and what the average public see as a videogame, it also brings them together because neither side is put off or unfamiliar with the concept. Everyone played with toys as a child, so anyone can pick these games up and have fun.

It's an interesting thing to watch and think about.

Current game choices:
Flow
Pain
Sudoku
World of Warcraft