More addictive than cigarettes and wine gums...

Casual gaming is a funny old thing. In fact its got to the point where it don't feel right calling it such, what with it being spread as far as McDonalds across the world. Everyone and their gran have had some experience on these games. Some are simply cheap and cheerful flash games, whilst others are quite large projects, developed by a small team for a large publisher.

Some of these find their way onto the Xbox Live Arcade or Playstation Store, whilst many are just found scattered around the internet in various shapes and sizes. the biggest developer of these casual games is 'PopCap' who either make new, sleeker versions of online puzzle games or take some idea dreamed up after a pretty crazy party and add it into a game.

The reason I've brought these games up is because I spent all morning playing Peggle, again. I got attached to Peggle (for lack of a better term) earlier this year after downloading a free version based on Half Life (free for nVidia graphics card owners off Steam).After playing through that, I played a online trial version, then had to get the full 'Peggle Deluxe' and complete that.

What it is about it, I don't know. Is it that the sound effects trigger something in your mind that goes 'Must...play...more', the same way a slot machine makes you put some more money in. I mean, what makes me keep playing a game (for those unaffected) bounce a little ball of multicoloured pegs, attempting to get all the orange ones and the highest score. It has no real achievement once you get to the end, you get a little trophy and then you go and do ridiculous challenges that will drive you to the edge of insanity.

You know you've played any game too long when you're reading the paper and begin to imagine bouncing a ball off the print. Now i obviously understand why Jack Thompson believes GTA is responsible for crimes, he's played Peggle. Popcap offer a variety of other games some more intelligent and mind bending than others, from Bejeweled 2 to Bookworm.

Peggle is also being developed for the DS, which should prove great on bus jouney's with the constant binging and bonging. It's also avaliable on iPod, as well as many other games, which explains what Popcap are trying to do. Once we are surrounded by their addictive casual games, we will have no need for other consoles, for any other games. PC's will become know as 'PopCap Portals' where we download games directly into our mind. Those crazy little critter characters in Peggle are there for a reason, who would refuse to do what 'Jimmy Lightning', a chipmunk who says 'Toasty!' alot, if he asked u to take over the world....

Looks like they already have one person....