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08:00 (BST)
16/05/2008
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Casual classification is tenuous, says Harrison
Tim Harrison, EA Mobile's European marketing director, thinks that the "casual games" term isn't as definitive as some people think.
"I think the big difference in terminology here is that when people say 'casual games' they assume a certain type of game, or a certain kind of person," he told GamesIndustry.biz.
"The reality is that it's a lot more complex than that - there are certain types of people in certain types of need states, and a gamer in one environment will have a very different set of criteria to a gamer in another environment."
A person who likes Gears of War on the Xbox 360, for example, might be more than happy to also play Hexic, Harrison noted.
"So I think classifying casual gamers versus hardcore gamers for a start can be a little bit tenuous."
While acknowledging that the restrictions of the mobile handset tend to make games simpler, Harrison says that EA tries to replace simplicity with depth to "make up for the constricted screen and controls."
The bottom line is that, even though EA looks at its customers as mass market gamers in mobile, it is not particularly focused on labels.
"We're not trying to create casual games, or hardcore games - just great games," said Harrison.
The complete interview with Tim Harrison is now online.
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