Casual gaming is taking the world by storm and leading the charge is publisher Big Fish Games. Hidden object games are a big part of why casual gaming's really taken off and this month we got to talk to Big Fish Games' Jeff Haynie, art director for the hit Mystery Case Files series. We asked him for his take on why the hidden object genre has become such a huge phenomenon and he had some great answers for us.
Examiner: Hidden object games are something of a phenomenon now when just a few years ago, no one had heard of them. How did Big Fish originally conceive of making games in the genre?
JH: When the original Mystery Case Files: Huntsville game was launched, there weren’t any hidden object games in the market. The inspiration came from all the Where’s Waldo and I-Spy books. We wanted to make the traditional hidden object game an interactive experience.
Examiner: Who was the original intended audience for these games? Women still represent a minority in the world of gaming. In the beginning, was there a conscious effort to make games that would interest women?
JH: It wasn’t a focus on female gamers as much as a focus on gamers who liked more puzzle solving and adventure. As the company evolved the style of game, the core audience just worked out to be more skewed toward females. In the last few years, as we’ve added more adventure and more complex puzzles, we are seeing more families playing together. One family member will solve the puzzle while another finds objects. It’s almost like a multi-player experience.
Examiner: What size team and how much time does it take to create a top quality hidden object title?
JH: Our teams are small usually less than a dozen people. The production time is around 10 to 12 months.
Examiner: How do you think most non-gamers have become aware of the hidden object genre or casual games in general?
JH: The Internet has helped to expose casual games to a broader demographic.
Examiner: What kind of gamer do you think hidden object games appeal to and why? What can this genre offer them that other genres can't?
JH: HOGs seem to appeal to the gamers who like to relax and solve creative problems.
Examiner: How do you think the hidden object genre has evolved since the first Mystery Case Files game?
JH: We specifically focused on evolving the game mechanic by adding a strong story and adventure element. When hidden object games started, the rhythm of gameplay was hidden object scene, then puzzle. Now the flow is story, navigation through world, hidden object scene, puzzle, navigation scene, etc.
Examiner: Do you see hidden object games as a revival of the old school PC adventure genre?
JH: On the one hand it is a reemergence of the old adventure genre and on the other hand an evolution. The evolution is more with a variety of game play that is not as hard as the early adventure games. A player doesn’t have to buy a book and spend months trying to solve one puzzle.
Examiner: In a market now saturated with hidden object games, how does a developer make a hit title or even something that stands out from the crowd?
JH: I think the key is immersion in a compelling world and story. A good story needs a believable world that has a consistent logic. When you build a world and establish a game language, be careful not to move away from the logic because it will confuse the player and break the emersion.
Examiner: Are Big Fish's hidden object titles localized and played in other countries? If so, which countries are they localized for?
JH: Yes, about 10 languages for now. English, German, French, Spanish, Japanese, Danish, Swedish, Dutch, Portuguese and Italian.
Examiner: What do you see as the future of hidden object games? Can they continue on, continually growing stronger or will the market one day reach a saturation point?
JH: I think hidden object games will continue to grow although the games that stand out will have a longer life. There will always new stories to tell and mysteries to solve.
For more information, visit the Big Fish Website or the official web portal for the Mystery Case Files series.
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