RedRover navigating maze of 'casual' online games.

Of course, none of you reading this would ever play "Solitaire" on your computer at work.

Clearly, however, lots of people are playing what the industry calls "casual games" like "Minesweeper," "Fish Tycoon" and "Zuma" via the Web at work and at home. The industry has grown from almost nothing in 2002, to well over $600 million in 2004 in the U.S. alone. Industry experts anticipate that the domestic market will reach over $2 billion by 2008.

We're not talking "Madden Football" or "Grand Theft Auto." Those are high tech, graphically impressive video games designed for separate play stations. Casual games have simple rules and designs--and are frequently based on classic games like tic-tac-toe--for a mass audience on the Web, where they can be accessed via browsers or download. They require no special skills and can be played quickly in short bursts--say, a work break--or, in the case of portable and cell phone games, on public transportation.

Among the new movers in the field is Los Angeles-based RedRoverGames.com, which was founded by Roger Nail as an off-shoot of his 11:11 Media Works Corp., which creates special visual effects for film and TV. Nail created the company with help from his computer savvy son Robert, who was named the company's lead designer and game developer. Currently, Red Rover has three full-time employees and shares a number of 11:11 workers as well. Robert Nail said he's happily designing video games, but he admitted he had to take a pay cut from his earlier job as a designer with 11:11.

The company has scored with "Lost in the Labyrinth," a computer version of the old-fashioned wooden maze game, and its second offering, "Scramble," available in the new few weeks.

Founder Roger Nail says the casual gaming industry right now couldn't be bigger or better.

"Our goal is roughly a six-week development period, with a couple of weeks testing," Roger Nail said. "We intend to do six to eight more games this year. For the moment, we are building a library of games and looking for user feedback to help dictate the direction of future games."

The dominant business model in 2000 for targeting the casual games audience was offering free online games that were monetized by advertising and sponsorships. Today, the casual games market has a number of business models: fee-based downloadable games, premium online subscription services, skill-based gaming and free game play supported by video advertising and sponsorships.

The games that Red Rover produced are available online for $19.95 each and can be purchased in a Mac or Windows format.

"Our new company will be creating original downloadable casual games for the ever-expanding casual game market," Nall said. "Every game will be available in a free Web-playable form and a downloadable demo form."

A number of the largest video game publishers, including Santa Monica-based Activision Inc., are testing the casual games market. That can be seen as an aggressive foray into a natural realm for these firms' considerable technological, design and graphic capabilities. Or it can be seen as joining, rather than fighting, a rival games delivery approach that may have even more potential.