Anyone who keeps up with gaming news knows that casual games are the biggest thing since sorted gems. But man, if a new report is to be believed, casual gaming is more popular than even we thought.

The report, from research firm Interpret, estimates that 145 million U.S. residents aged 12 to 65 played casual games in 2007. That's almost two-thirds of the roughly 222 million people in that age range. And just because they're casual games doesn't mean they're played casually -- the report estimates players spent an average of 5.1 hours per week on casual games in the fourth quarter of '07. That's nearly 740 million man hours spent playing casual games per week, outpacing activities like magazine and newspaper reading.

Even though most of these gamers only play games on free sites like EA's Pogo, Interpret still estimates industry revenues of $400 to $700 million by 2010. That's a drop in the bucket compared to estimates of $40 billion in total industry revenues by that point, but if we were a small developer, we sure we wouldn't mind having a piece of it.

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Developer Kuju opens new studios like most of us open Twinkies, though with less tearing of cellophane and swallowing of delicious creme filling. Since March 2007 the UK-based company has opened up three new specialized branches, including kid-friendly Nik Nak, online-focused doublesix, and Sheffield-based Chemistry, which looks to Epic's popular Unreal Engine as its tool of choice.

Now Kuju has added yet another studio to its collection with Kuju America, a new San Francisco office focused on the casual games space. Kuju's North American face is already pounding out code for its first title, which it describes on its website as a "high profile IP," something that doesn't mesh all that well in our brains when thinking of games with a casual flair -- though the company teases that more information is "due to be announced soon."

It's worth noting that Kuju America is a licensed dev for the PS3, PS2, Xbox 360, Wii, and DS. On the one hand, it's hard to get too excited about anything with so little to go on. On the other hand, however, we sure could go for a Twinkie.

Americans, bust out the boxing gloves; Europeans, bust out the champagne. A representative from EA has stated that European game developers are inherently more creative than American developers. This is either a tad insulting, or a very nice compliment (you know, depending on where you're from).

Nick Button-Brown, director of business development at EA Partners, spoke with GamesIndustry.biz recently, and admitted that U.S.-based game studios are less willing to take chances than their European counterparts, and are therefore less likely to innovate in the industry.

To be fair, he also argues that multiculturalism plays a big role in the creative output of Europe. Still, Button-Brown states that a paradigm-shifting game like Grand Theft Auto would have never come out of America. Stand up for yourselves, America! There are obvious exceptions to Button-Brown's argument. What games are the pride of the United States?

Games based on the popular anime Bleach are coming to the US and Europe by way of Sega, according to a press release. Both Shattered Blade (Wii) and The Blade of Fate (DS) have been out since 2006, and the DS title has a sequel that came out five months ago.

Having played a Bleach DS game at the Tokyo Game Show last year, even without knowing much about the anime I have to say I was impressed by the fighter. Both games are due out in North America this fall and Europe in early 2008.

[Via DS Fanboy]

Major Nelson has corrected an earlier report made during a recent Blogcast concerning the release date for the Xbox Live Vision camera: it will be out in Europe and Asia (outside of Japan) on October 2nd rather than the earlier September 19th date, which still applies for 360 owners in the U.S.

We suppose the short wait is better than the lack of any confirmed release dates for Japan, New Zealand, Australia, or any of the other countries in which the system has already been officially launched. At least Japanese gamers can still converse on their original Xboxes with the Xbox Video Chat camera that was released only in that fair land. They might not get to play UNO on the current generation of hardware, but it's better than nothing.

[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]

See also:

• Xbox Live Vision camera coming mid September
• Report from a much earlier E3 concerning Xbox Video Chat in Japan

When listing the differences between the UK and the USA one usually thinks of spelling, gastronomy and driving on the wrong side of the road, rather than film and game censorship. However, this fascinating post at Terra Nova (along with its thriving comments thread) delves into the differences between the BBFC and MPAA, as well as cultural factors, to try and establish why American consumers are less happy to have age restrictions on games.

The whole thread gives an international perspective to current debates over the censorship of violent games. While sexual content in games can be treated as pornography, the lack of existing US legislation covering violence across other media means that singling games out is plain unfair. In the UK, however, ratings of violent and extremely realistic games fall under the Video Recordings Act, which covers any recorded video media.

We have to wonder when games will get a category of their own and stand alongside more established media such as film and TV. In the meantime, to find out more about international game classification, Wikipedia's a great place to begin.

From Software's RPG title [eM] -eNCHANT arM-, currently released in Japan, will be making its American and European debut this summer under the title Enchanted Arms. It's the first Japanese RPG to appear on the Xbox 360, and by the time it's released, Oblivion fans may well be looking for a new RPG to play.

IGN has previewed the game, describing it as an "eccentric, epic title rich with character, story, and an evolving combat system". While its review scores in Japan have been reasonably low, the quirky nature of Enchanted Arms may increase its worldwide appeal, paving the way for more Japanese titles to travel abroad.

An ad campaign from the Centers for Disease Control is pulling no punches with their tagline "Give your thumbs a rest. Play for real." Supposedly encouraging active lifestyles rather than the way of the couch potato, the ad features an in-game style image of obese baseball players on an overgrown field.

As Water Cooler Games points out, this seems to have been created with no thought for its target audience. In particular, the ad mocks rather than reaches out to gamers; not the best way to connect with a demographic. Also, as governmental propaganda goes, jumping on the anti-gaming bandwagon is a disturbing trend--a sideline political campaign is one thing, but a government-approved message seems overkill.

With CDC themselves turning to games for educational purposes, we can't help but feel there's a mixed message here.