When you think of a game genre, how often do you associate that genre with an era or a decade? For example, brawlers: a definitively perfect 80s/90s arcade genre that was one of the quintessential genres of the era. Or SHMUPS, also clearly viewed as an 80s/90s thing. What about Leisure Games? This leisure genre reigned supreme in the late 80s and through the 90s. Sure, leisure games still exist today. But why did they peak during this era?

The late 80s and early 90s brought about major technological advancements in computing, and thus, gaming. But it was also the perfect storm, an amalgamation of now-affordable (-ish) computer parts for developers, a burgeoning at-home-computer scene, and a rapidly-ascending gaming scene. During this time, especially the early-mid 90s, having a computer at home was becoming much more normalized as computer business tools (think spreadsheets and typing software) were becoming fairly commonplace.

While there were plenty of computer operating systems, Windows 3, and really 3.1, set the bar for easy-to-use at-home computer usage for the masses. And let’s be real, Windows 95 and later 98 raised that bar tremendously. Microsoft didn’t invent the “desktop,” but they damn sure perfected it for mass use. Despite the wild success of Windows 98, in my eyes, the golden era began with 3.1, with an ease of use for the most technologically-illiterate individual that was the the ultimate game changer. And thus “simple” home computer usage was born. But having a computer just for business tools was not the best marketing tactic, and so casual (or leisure) gaming was a great little bonus way of moving hardware and software. Heck, you could finds rows of Microsoft Entertainment Pack software boxes on the shelves at Office Depot!

By the late 90s, playing Solitaire on the computer was ubiquitous with simply just being ON the computer. It was a must-do for everyone. “Just a quick hand” is a saying I remember frequently hearing my dad tell my mom, and considering he played it VEGAS style, he was usually right (Vegas style is much harder to win). Having these games in the early 90s wasn’t as easy as it was later on in the decade. In later systems, Solitaire, Minesweeper, Freecell, SkiFree, and even Tetris, would all be an absolute must-have for any computer user of the time.

WHEN I THINK ABOUT “LEISURE GAMES…”

When I think LEISURE GAMING, or probably more commonly referred to as CASUAL GAMING (but I’d argue there’s a difference), my mind goes straight to the mid 1990s. Some of the most popular leisure games out there were already briefly mentioned here, Solitaire, Freecell, SkiFree, Tetris, Minesweeper. But there was also a sense of common leisure exploration on the operating systems of the time, playing with different backgrounds, different screensavers, paint software, and more. It was all new! If you were born in the 70s or 80s, there’s a real possibility your family didn’t even get a family computer until the mid or late 90s, and therefore, the experience was entirely new (and somewhat wild!). While the current slate of leisure games consists of puzzlers such as Candy Crush, Fruit Ninja, simple endless runners, or Angry Birds, I’d still argue those games were clearly aimed at, well, gamers. Those are more like casual games designed to turn your brain off or test your reflexes.

I believe the leisure games of the 90s were aimed at office people, and those who use computers for work, more than anything. Remember, you could buy easily find these leisure games at Office Depot. This target-demographic concept led to the games being of the “pick-up-and-play” variety, and often required the use of your brain via math, problem-solving, quick-thinking, etc. They seemed to be less “mindless” when compared to today’s leisure games. Admittedly, there’s obviously very little emphasis or pressure to succeed in games like SkiFree, Pipe Dream, etc vs. games like Taipei, TetraVex, Minesweeper, etc. But overall, the point was to just play and waste time. The pressure to beat the game was replaced with simply getting a better score than the other times you played. My best comparison for these popular leisure games of the era: it’s like a digital version of Bop-It or Simon: You play it just to play it, and you try to do a little better each time.

OVERALL

Overall, I sorely miss the simplicity behind leisure games of the era. Few skills were required, very little effort was needed, there was no emphasis on being educational, and absolutely no pressure was placed on the gamer. I genuinely revere my time fiddling around with Jezzball, Freecell, Pipedream, Taipei, SkiFree, and Idlewild screensavers. This age of computer exploration was important in molding my brain into one that fell in love with brain teaser puzzles, crossword puzzles, and later on, Sudoku.

Clearly the nostalgia does not end with me. In summer 2023, we donated a 3DO game system and a Windows 95 computer with a handful of games on it to the Raleigh Retro Gamers Summer Expo event, a massive event drawing in thousands and thousands of people into downtown Raleigh. At this event was a killer “Free to Play” Game Station with about a dozen video games set up. 3DO, Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, PS1, PS2, NES, SNES, etc. You name it. Anyway, the computer we donated was an absolutely pure and period-authentic computer set up from the 90s, monitor, speakers, and all. The OG Doom and Wolfenstein 3-D were popular, but surprisingly, it was SkiFree that generated the biggest buzz. Even if people didn’t care to play it, it was the game that made people say “OMG I REMEMBER THIS!” With huge smiles!