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Bejeweled (video game)

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Bejeweled
The word "Bejeweled" appears over five gems of different shapes and colors.
Developer(s)PopCap Games
Publisher(s)
Designer(s)Jason Kapalka
Programmer(s)Brian Fiete
SeriesBejeweled
Platform(s)Browser, Windows, Palm OS, Mac OS X, Pocket PC, Java ME, BREW, Windows Mobile, Xbox, iOS, BlackBerry OS, Symbian
Release2000
Genre(s)Match-three
Mode(s)

Bejeweled is a 2000 match-three video game developed and published by PopCap Games. Bejeweled involves lining up three or more multi-colored gems to clear them from the game board, with chain reactions potentially following. The game was inspired by a similar browser game titled Colors Game discovered by the PopCap team in 2000, who, at the time, consisted of John Vechey, Brian Fiete, and Jason Kapalka. Originally titled Diamond Mine and released in 2000 as a browser game on the team's official website, Bejeweled was later licensed to be hosted on MSN Gaming Zone under its current name. PopCap released a retail version titled Bejeweled Deluxe in May 2001.

Bejeweled has since been ported to many platforms, particularly mobile platforms. Bejeweled has been commercially successful, having sold over 10 million copies and downloaded more than 150 million times, and is credited with launching the casual games industry, which grew to be worth $3 billion within a decade. In particular, Bejeweled is credited for popularizing match-three video games, with such games often being considered Bejeweled clones. The game was followed by a commercially successful series of sequels and spin-offs.

Gameplay

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In Bejeweled, the player has to swap and align an array of multicolored gems.

Bejeweled is a match-three video game. Gameplay centers around gaining points by swapping two adjacent gems within a tile-based grid to create lines of three or more matching gems,[1][2] which will disappear and allow gems from above to fall and occupy the vacant space.[3] If neither of the gems swapped create a line of three or more of the same gem, the two gems will revert to their original positions.[4] Versions such as Bejeweled Deluxe have two game modes: untimed and timed. Untimed mode revolves around attempting to reach a high score and ends when no further matches are possible; timed mode involves trying to gain points to prevent a timer bar from reaching the end.[5][3][6] JAMDAT's Bejeweled Multiplayer includes an additional multiplayer mode, in which opponents compete in timed one-on-one matches. During these matches, players can use special gems, such as bomb gems, to affect their opponent's gameplay.[4][7]

Development

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John Vechey, Brian Fiete, and Jason Kapalka (left to right; pictured in 2008) founded PopCap Games.

After a failed venture into online pornography with Foxy Poker (2000), the video game developer Sexy Action Cool shifted to developing simple video games to license to other companies.[1][8] At the time, the company consisted of its three cofounders: business manager John Vechey, programmer Brian Fiete, and designer Jason Kapalka.[9] In April 2000, Vechey discovered a match-three browser game titled Colors Game, which was reportedly primitive.[10] It used squares as graphics, required the webpage to be refreshed between moves to update the game, and did not have animation or sound effects.[1][11] Finding the match-three mechanic addictive, the team was inspired to develop a more polished version of the game.[1]

Though Kapalka considered using fruits or geometric shapes for the graphics, he ultimately picked gems, as the fruits lacked visual diversity and the shapes lacked visual appeal. The game, originally titled Diamond Mine after a song by the Canadian country rock band Blue Rodeo, had a cave mining theme before it was renamed to Bejeweled.[8] It was initially time-based by default at the suggestion of other game developers such as Pogo.com, with the goal being to maximize one's score before the timer ran out.[11][12] Though an untimed mode was only included as an afterthought to serve as a tutorial, it would become the main mode associated with Bejeweled upon positive feedback from players.[1][8]

Release

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Diamond Mine was released for browsers in 2000, first appearing on Sexy Action Cool's website.[9] The team offered Diamond Mine to Microsoft for $50,000 but were rejected and instead offered to lease the game for $15,000 per month for their online gaming portal MSN Gaming Zone.[8][13] Microsoft requested that they rename the game to Bejeweled, due to Diamond Mine sounding similar to another game titled Diamond Mines. Kapalka conceded to the naming despite disliking its similarity to the 2000 film Bedazzled. As part of their deal, the team was able to maintain ownership of Bejeweled and host it on their site, while Microsoft could create versions sponsored by other companies, which would ultimately include Tyson Foods and the National Pork Board.[8][14] After the deal, Sexy Action Cool was renamed to PopCap Games to make their brand more reflective of their new family-oriented target audience.[1][13][15]

Though Bejeweled was successful on MSN Gaming Zone, PopCap did not experience significant monetary revenue from that success. To remedy this, PopCap considered selling a cheap retail version of Bejeweled. Astraware executive Howard Tomlison suggested selling the game as shareware for $20, with the rationale that, for consumers, a cheap price would imply an inferior product.[16][17] Around this time, Astraware ported Bejeweled to Palm personal digital assistants on March 1, 2001.[18][17] A retail version with graphical enhancements, titled Bejeweled Deluxe, was released for Microsoft Windows in May 30, 2001.[16][5] The business model surrounding Bejeweled Deluxe and subsequent PopCap games was to provide both a free version to play online and a downloadable retail version with the option of a limited trial run before requiring payment to continue.[1]

As PopCap became more successful, they decided to start releasing their games to as many platforms as possible,[16] including newly developing platforms such as mobile phones.[19] Bejeweled was packaged with another PopCap game, Alchemy by MacPlay, for the Mac OS X on June 28, 2002.[20] Astraware ported Bejeweled to Pocket PC on August 8, 2003,[21] and Windows Mobile on May 3, 2004.[22] JAMDAT Mobile released a multiplayer version of Bejeweled, titled Bejeweled Multiplayer, for Java ME and BREW on May 13, 2003.[23][24] Bejeweled was released as a launch title for Xbox Live Arcade on the original Xbox on November 6, 2004,[25] and for the iTunes store on the fifth generation iPod on September 12, 2006.[26] In the lead-up to the release of the Apple App Store, PopCap created a version of Bejeweled compatible with iPhones to be played through the Safari on July 30, 2007.[27]

In February 2006, Electronic Arts (EA) acquired JAMDAT, granting EA's subsidiary EA Mobile the rights to Bejeweled on mobile platforms,[28][29] a license that would be extended through 2010,[30] before EA acquired PopCap in July 2011.[31][32] EA Mobile updated JAMDAT's version of Bejeweled with graphical enhancements, releasing it on May 18, 2007 in North America.[33][34] On August 12, 2008, EA Mobile announced a deal with Handango to distribute ports of EA Mobile's games, including Bejeweled, on Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, and Symbian phones.[35][36] EA Mobile added Bejeweled to BlackBerry App World on August 21, 2009.[37]

Reception

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Bejeweled achieved success on MSN Gaming Zone, becoming the number one game by traffic on the site within a month and maintaining that position until July 2002.[16][38] Vechey estimated that Bejeweled peaked at 50,000 to 60,000 users on MSN Gaming Zone.[15] Bejeweled Deluxe was commercially successful, netting PopCap $30,000 to $40,000 a month after its release.[15] By 2008, Bejeweled had been downloaded 150 million times, with Bejeweled Deluxe selling 10 million copies.[39]

Because of the lack of skill required to play Bejeweled, it was generally ignored by reviewers. However, according to gaming journalist Harold Goldberg, the reviewers who appreciated Bejeweled "could feel a Zen peacefulness when playing", an experience comparable to Tetris.[17] Regarding Bejeweled Deluxe, David Manning of Computer Gaming World wrote of the staff becoming transfixed with the game, threatening the magazine's production.[40] Bejeweled Multiplayer was praised by both IGN and GameSpot for its additions to the original Bejeweled, which they felt contributed to its entertainment value.[4][7] IGN considered the Xbox Live port of Bejeweled fun but criticized its lack of multiplayer function.[3] The iPod port of Bejeweled was criticized by IGN and Pocket Gamer for its controls, with the usage of the iPod's click wheel being seen as unintuitive for an otherwise fun game.[6][41]

Computer Gaming World selected Bejeweled as the best puzzle game of 2001,[42] and they would later include the game in their Hall of Fame in 2005,[43] becoming the only puzzle game alongside Tetris to do so.[44] At the 2004 G-Phoria, hosted by G4techTV, Bejeweled Multiplayer won "Best Mobile Phone Game" among 500,000 online votes.[45] Polygon ranked Bejeweled as the 428th best video game of all time,[46] and Gameswelt ranked Bejeweled as the 96th best video game of all time.[47] In 2020, The Strong National Museum of Play inducted Bejeweled into the World Video Game Hall of Fame.[48][49]

Legacy

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Bejeweled launched the casual games industry and popularized the match-three genre of puzzle games.[11][50][51] According to Kapalka, casual gaming arose from the exclusion of a default timer in Bejeweled, allowing for gaming that did not require skill, which they called "Games for Moms".[1][11] The commercial success of Bejeweled allowed PopCap to develop small casual games with high-production values to be ported on a wide-range of platforms, as games such as Bookworm, Peggle, and entries of the Bejeweled series were developed for multiple years.[1][11] The success and simplicity of Bejeweled and other games developed by PopCap influenced independent video game studios to invest in developing low-cost video games for high profits. As a result, within a decade, the casual games industry grew to be worth $3 billion.[52] Bejeweled's influence led to it becoming the first mobile game inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame.[48][49]

Due to Bejeweled's influence, over 2,200 match-three games have been released on the Apple App Store. Often, video games in this genre are called Bejeweled clones and accused of lacking innovation.[51] Developers such as King, Playrix, and Demiurge have created popular mobile games that tweaked Bejeweled's match-three formula. For example, Demiurge's Puzzle Quest (2007) fuses match-three gameplay with role-playing game conventions, King's Candy Crush Saga (2012) includes power-ups and stylized levels, and Playrix's Gardenscapes (2016) involves renovating a garden through successful match-three rounds.[2]

The Bejeweled series consists of two direct sequels and several spin-offs. According to Kapalka, many of the entries took years to develop and focused on adding new features to the classic formula.[8] Of the direct sequels, Bejeweled 2 released in 2004 to mixed reviews,[53][54] while Bejeweled 3 released in 2010 to positive reviews.[55][56] Of the spin-offs, Bejeweled Twist released in 2008 and Bejeweled Blitz released in 2009 to positive reviews,[57][58][59][60] while Bejeweled Stars released in 2016 to mixed reviews.[61][62] The game series overall has been commercially successful; by 2010, Bejeweled, Bejeweled Twist, and Bejeweled Blitz collectively reached 50 million sales.[63][64]

References

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