- Casual gaming began in 1990 when Microsoft bundled Solitaire with Windows, establishing many tropes of casual games. Solitaire served as a gateway for many who would not otherwise consider themselves gamers. - These new "casual gamers" played Solitaire in small chunks throughout their day and eventually expanded to other casual games like Minesweeper and Bejeweled without ever thinking of themselves as "gamers". - Females prefer games that allow emotional and social discovery applicable to real life, connect meaningfully to the real world, and allow nurturing through helping other players.