Molly, I completely agree with what you’ve said. I do use the phrase casual game when I describe what we’re trying to create, but for the lack of a better way to explain it.

Been playing games for 30 years and even though I play Candy Crush (hit level 1537 today) and some other puzzle games, I’d personally like to see developers reduce the amount of cutesifying of games aimed at older women gamers. One game had “cropsies” instead of crops. I want to be treated like a 38 year old woman, not someone who is still in grade 3 whose primary concern is whether there’s a grape drinking box in my lunch bag.

For three years, we’ve been developing a game publishing engine aimed at everyday writers to create story games. Point-and-click adventure-type games and heavy on the reading. Because we wanted to create a new kind of casual game and make it mainstream. We just signed Charlaine Harris, a #1 NYT bestselling author with 36 million novels sold under her belt, to adapt a novel into a story game for her audience. We want to marry books with games. All the fun!

We’re working with writers from Native communities, LGBTQ communities and even the Deaf community to create story games with characters that are largely overlooked unless they’re cast as a sassy sidekick. We’re committed to diversity in games — in both substance and form.

Thanks for a fantastic read.