Casual Gaming

NYTimes.com: Far from the bloody streets of “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas,” and light years from the deep space, run-and-gun menace of “Halo 2,” lives Flo.
She is the cartoon-cute stockbroker who chucked it all to operate a modest diner that is the centerpiece of a highly successful yet relatively low-budget video game called “Diner Dash.”
The staff of GameLab develops pared-down video games in an office carved from an industrial building.
The game is not found on the shelves of video game or consumer electronic stores. Nor is it sold on the DVD’s that deliver interactive 3-D fantasies to millions of PlayStation 2 and Xbox game consoles.
This game, sold exclusively on the Internet and downloaded onto players’ personal computers, is challenging many of the conventions of video gaming. Such simple games – often called casual games – are growing more prominent in the ever-broadening game marketplace, becoming big sellers on a small budget.
On Screens, but Not Store Shelves: Casual Games [NYTimes.com]