They used to be considered a low art form.'
John Vechey, PopCap's director, indicated that this did seem to be a departure from the previous model, noting that 'A couple years ago, the prevailing wisdom was that it took three guys six months and $100,000 to make a casual game. Although the direct sales model used by the company avoids various distribution and retail fees, this still represents one of the most expensive investments in the genre to date. In contrast to the lower production budgets typical of most «casual games», PopCap Games spent over two and a half years and US$700,000 developing Bookworm Adventures.
