Mini-game experience packs big punch with kids

Depicted as the next hot niche for the gaming industry, purveyors of kids IPs have been hopping on the casual online bandwagon. In the past 12 months, Nickelodeon pledged to spend US$100 million developing its casual game offering and Electronic Arts established EA Casual Entertainment to capture part of the estimated US$2.25-billion casual market. So it's no wonder that video game publishers have been tapping into the casual gaming ethos to amp up their console titles. In fact, including mini-games in kid titles is becoming a standard operating procedure and is helping gamecos widen their reach beyond the core gamer to bring in families and girls.

But what exactly constitutes a mini-game? Is it different from an online casual game? They both share the same characteristics of simplicity and accessibility. Gui Karyo, EVP of operations for family-friendly gameco Majesco Entertainment, categorizes the activity as a string of clearly segmented, short experiences. "You're faced with a challenge, you perform and then get feedback for that challenge," he says. So if it's accessible, gives positive reinforcement quickly and is still a satisfying experience after multiple plays, you've likely got a mini-game on your hands.

And these types of games appeal to a particularly sought-after audience - younger kids and girls. "We believe the six to 13 age range is a place where there are more and more gamers who aren't looking for core gaming experiences," says Karyo. "Kids and parents are interested in a fun and easy pick-up-and-play experience that doesn't require hundreds of hours of investment to enjoy." Also, mini-games often have a strong addiction factor. Once players are satisfied, they want to come back for more, as evidenced by Majesco's Cooking Mama titles, which have sold more than two million units across the franchise. Cooking Mama World Kitchen for the Wii hits retail this holiday and includes fun mini-games such as flipping a burger and trying to catch it in the pan before Mama's dog snatches it away.

The inclusion of mini-games is also considered to be a sure-fire strategy to entice girls to enter the gaming world. Disney Interactive Studios is launching Disney Fairies: Tinker Bell for Nintendo DS at the end of the month, targeting girls six to 12. Executive producer Sandy Abe likens it to an abridged version of Nintendo's hugely popular Animal Crossing - a never-ending game of exploration and, naturally, mini-games.

The game begins in Pixie Hollow, and players can simply flit through the world with no time limits, bringing new seasons to the world. The script for the game was actually penned by the writer of direct-to-video feature Tinker Bell (launching this month), and the game team spent considerable effort trying to apply elements of the movie to the game. Tinker Bell fixes things, so the designers incorporated a mini-game in which players use tools to help her repair broken items using virtual glue, varnish and paint.