Microsoft's Chris Early, Studio Manager of MS Casual
Games, was eager to show-off how his company is prepared to accommodate the female gamers that comprise two-thirds of
the online MSN Games population. In fact, 48% of those women are over the age of 35. So that's what the soccer moms do
in-between matches...To help drive addiction, Microsoft has built-in a Badge system, similar to the Xbox 360's Achievements. No more guilt. Now you can feel proud that you've wasted the day in order to reach Level 10. MS has also made moves to build a community around casual game addiction--you don't have to be alone anymore. Fire up MSN Messenger and play with a friend. According to MS, that's what all of the teenage and young adult girls are doing these days. Compete, collaborate, it's your choice. The only feature we thought this web of enslavement lacked was cross-platform integration. If I can play the same game on my PC, cell phone, and Xbox 360, why can't I have one profile that compiles my progress? In time...
Aside: Microsoft is really pushing this Hexic game, forcing us to watch demonstrations on the PC, a mobile phone, and the Xbox 360. Is anyone out there getting hooked on this one?
