The meteoric rise in the last 12 months of casual games such as Angry Birds and Farmville has put brands (and their creative agencies) on alert as they consider what gaming means for their own customer outreach and engagement programmes. But as Rumbi Pfende, Country Manager for RealGames UK, explains, agencies are not always best placed to turn a good creative idea into a killer game…

"The biggest myth in casual game development is that the creation of a popular game relies on a quirky theme or an eye-catching design. Users worldwide are familiar with concept-driven games like Sally’s Salon or Bejeweled, and so it is often assumed that this fun and addictive gameplay is easy to replicate purely based on a good idea or fancy visuals. Sadly this couldn’t  be further from the truth, as any specialist game developer will tell you.

Unlike creative agencies which are big on ideas for casual games but short on the technical expertise needed to make them work, specialist game development houses aren’t focused on a ‘brand’ when they spec out a potential game – even if ultimately it is being built for one. Our primary driver is great gameplay. Once this has been achieved, the branded element is carefully overlaid throughout. In our experience, games that follow this formula are far more likely to be successful - which for the brand means being played repeatedly and shared..."

Read the rest of Rumbi Pfende's article here