March 18th, 2008
Online Games by the Hundreds, With Tie-Ins
By Brian Stelter
The New York Times
For some children, watching “Dora the Explorer” on television is becoming passé. Now, they want to be Dora. Tapping into this desire, media companies are increasingly entering the marketplace for online games — called casual games — and treating them as new programming, not just online add-ons to their television properties. In addition to building brands, one of the big lures in casual games is the opportunity to attract advertising.