Massively

It's the eternal debate: hardcore vs. casual. Which one are you? Game developers are at a pinnacle moment now where they need to decide which is their target audience. Many have made attempts at covering both sides of the coin, and even fewer have succeeded. But recently it's become more an issue of addressing this topic from a business point of view. According to indie developer Rebel Monkey's co-founder Nick Fortugno, web-based casual online games are where it's at. He cites such examples as Club Penguin, Pogo.com and (heaven forbid) Webkinz as expanding the idea of what an MMO can be. From a money-making standpoint, this would only make sense, but we just worry if it will siphon away from the hardcore market's capital funding.

So at the Indie MMO Game Developer's Conference this weekend, Nick Fortugno will address this daunting issue at his lecture "What Your Mother and Your Ten-Year-Old Can Teach You". He will mainly explore the direction that our online games are taking, and the lessons casual games teach about reaching a broader audience. It will be held at 4 p.m. Central on Sunday, March 30, 2008, in the Minneapolis Convention Center.