This is a perfect example of a game that can transcend genres, labels, and audience demographics by creating an easy-to-learn objective with an addictive "just one more time" scoring system.

Just like Tetris, Bejeweled has tapped into that basic need of fun, diversion, and scoring-improvement that is independent of audiences.


Gamasutra:

More than 350 million trial editions of Bejeweled and Bejeweled 2 have been downloaded from the web, says PopCap, which estimates the casual gaming audience at between 350 and 450 million. Total Bejeweled downloads account for a third of PopCap's claimed one billion total downloads across all its titles.

Read the entire article HERE.

Questions for Analysis
Can game publishers learn from this? Does Nintendo's Blue Ocean strategy, and Ubisoft's and EA's casual divisions prove that console publishers are catching on? Are they missing the mark by segmenting audiences even further under the guise of going casual? Are gamers at fault by assuming anything not targeted towards young adult men means that a game must be casual?