News

The Fall 2013 issue of Casual Game Insider is now in stock and available for sale! Print and digital versions are available.

It's time for our crowdfunding picks for October 2013! This month we're seeing some new themes (junk collection in space and lying pandas) while also keeping with some of the common themes we've seen in the past (monsters, pirates, and ninjas). There are several press-your-luck style games currently seeking funding. We're also starting to see a trend of digital game studios crossing over into tabletop game publishing, and I believe this will continue as casual tabletop games continue to gain popularity.

The publisher of one of our recommended casual games, Square Shooters, is running a compelling contest this month that is worth a look. The That's How I Roll^® contest challenges independent game designers to come up with interesting new game variations, in several different categories, that use the original Square Shooters dice.

By popular demand, we are now offering digital (PDF) subscriptions of Casual Game Insider magazine as an alternative to the print version. Each individual issue is now also available for purchase directly from us in PDF format. In addition, all of our current and future print subscribers will receive a PDF of each new magazine issue at no extra charge, with no action required on their behalf.

Casual games are still blossoming like a rose on Kickstarter. It's great to see so many great projects, yet it's becoming more and more difficult to narrow them down to our top picks. When we first started putting together this list, we had to dig long and hard just to find a few good casual games to include — now there are so many that we couldn't possibly include them all.

Our picks for September 2013 include games about monsters, cavemen, art museums, mobsters, royalty, fancy parties, and more.

Casual games are a great way for singles to break the ice without having to worry about pick-up lines or awkward conversations. Fortunately, the executives at Match.com have picked up on this and have recently begun hosting game nights as part of the Match.com "Stir" events.

Casual Games have a big presence on Kickstarter right now, almost like never before. This is our biggest crowdfunding roundup yet, packed full of some fun and exciting casual games seeking your support. Take a look!

Is it possible to start a game publishing company for under $1,000? Michael Mindes, our friend and founder of Tasty Minstrel Games, certainly believes so – and he intends to prove it by publicly and transparently starting up a new company, Paradise Game Labs, for $999. He intends to publish games through this label that, for one reason or another, are not a good fit for TMG. Of course, it goes without saying that the actual cost of printing the games will need to be raised on Kickstarter after the company is formed.

Our crowdfunding roundup for July includes several great-looking titles (and a bit of shameless self-promotion). Oddly enough, there are no multi-million-dollar miniatures projects going on that we know of, meaning there's plenty of Kickstarter love for the more casual fare this month.

We're always on the lookout for great casual games, wherever we can find them. In May, the Parents' Choice Foundation announced their newest line-up of games receiving the award. Award levels include Gold, Silver, Recommended, Approved, and FunStuff. While the awards are primarily intended to help parents make informed decisions on the products they buy for their children, many of the games they select may be a good choice for casual gamers, as well. Here is a list of the games that caught our attention (click here for the complete list).