# The joys of "casual gaming" and other fun toys **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 23, 2006, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-joys-of-casual-gaming-and-other-fun-toys/377522 "2006-10-23T02:56:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2006, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-joys-of-casual-gaming-and-other-fun-toys/377522/1 "2006-10-23T02:56:51Z")
Mrs. WeHaveCookies and I have recently been on a flash gaming binge. [This](http://www.lecielestbleu.com/media/pateasonframe.htm) French interactive music toy is quite fun. It is kinda hard to describe. You just have to dive in. [Jayisgames.com](http://jayisgames.com/) has access to a mind-numbing quantity of games. Some of my favorites include: [Grow](http://jayisgames.com/archives/2004/04/grow.php)- Of course… [Grow Cube](http://jayisgames.com/archives/2005/09/grow_cube.php) [Grow RPG](http://jayisgames.com/archives/2005/07/grow_rpg.php) [Iso-infected](http://jayisgames.com/archives/2005/08/isoinfected.php) - This one is basically the lovechild of two of my favorite games as a kid: Marble Madness and Airball. Truly a nostalgic delight. [Rumble Ball](http://jayisgames.com/archives/2005/05/rumble_ball.php) - addictively simple and yet pleasantly appealing. I could go on and on…and on… They’ve even written a nice [Google gadget](http://www.google.com/ig/add?moduleurl=http%3A//jayisgames.com/jigadget.php) where you can add a randomly rotating slection of Jay’s games to your personalized google page. Just to make it that much easier to waste a few hours. ---
**Author:** ![Sierra\_Indigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Sierra\_Indigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sierra_Indigo)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2006, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-joys-of-casual-gaming-and-other-fun-toys/377522/2 "2006-10-23T04:02:06Z")
I hate you. I hate you with a passion that eclipses the burning sun. 😉 AAAAAGH. Grow! I know it’s been linked here before, I’ve seen the threads. But dammit, I resisted. And now I can resist no more! ---
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2006, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-joys-of-casual-gaming-and-other-fun-toys/377522/3 "2006-10-23T04:20:18Z")
I might as well make it easy for you then 😉 [Grow Version 2](http://www.eyezmaze.com/grow/v2/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2006, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-joys-of-casual-gaming-and-other-fun-toys/377522/4 "2006-10-23T04:24:29Z")
:smack: Trigger-happy pinkie. [Grow Ornament (aka Grow Tree)](http://www.eyezmaze.com/grow/tree/index.html) - Just in time for the holidays. That just about covers all of the ones I’m aware of. But of course then you have… [Tribute to Grow](http://jayisgames.com/archives/2006/10/grow_tribute.php) ---
**Author:** ![Subway\_Prophet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecb155/32.png) [@Subway\_Prophet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Subway_Prophet)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2006, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-joys-of-casual-gaming-and-other-fun-toys/377522/5 "2006-10-23T13:53:20Z")
I love casual gaming, but I never understood Grow. I did get a kick out of [Flow](http://intihuatani.usc.edu/cloud/flowing/), however. I’m less of a Flash game fan, though. I really like the small no-install executables I can carry around on my flash drive. [Transcendence](http://www.neurohack.com/transcendence/) is one of my all-time favorites. Does anyone know of a good casual strategy game? Nothing so traditional like chess, but not so back-breakingly unwieldy and large as Freeciv… ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2006, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-joys-of-casual-gaming-and-other-fun-toys/377522/6 "2006-10-23T14:12:44Z")
[QUOTE=ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies] [Grow Ornament (aka Grow Tree)](http://www.eyezmaze.com/grow/tree/index.html) - Just in time for the holidays. [/QUOTE] Yay! I finally solved a grow puzzle! (Haven’t worked out the others quite yet). Present, cloud, heart, light bulb, ribbon, star ---
**Author:** ![lizardling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f4b2a3/32.png) [@lizardling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lizardling)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2006, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-joys-of-casual-gaming-and-other-fun-toys/377522/7 "2006-10-23T21:11:22Z")
I loves me some GROW. And flOw is awesome, too – you know Sony snapped them up and are planning a PS3 version? I’d also recommend [Orisinal](http://www.orisinal.com) for a bit of a break – these are quickie little games, but don’t have a pause function, just so you know.