Casual games from Venus, others from Mars?

Ok, so are casual games `feminine` games, where retro/hardcore/mainstream games are `masculine`?

Did the casual industry rise up to cater for a female audience as an antithesis to contemporary games?

I don't think the intent was females solely, but just a generally wider audience than what retro/hardcore/mainstream games. Females make up a lot of that demographic.

I don't think they intended to hit any particular market either, but there's no denying that the games that are popular are the sort which have traditionally been more popular with women.

Well no. I think generally speaking casual games are "fun" and/or "challenging", while more mainstream games tend to be more "juvenile". That one appeals more to a certain demographic than another is simply down to human nature, rather than (I think) any deliberate effort to market towards said demographics.

I wouldn't say jouvenile. Casual are simple to play, original ones that succeed are engaging and sometimes fun. They basicly rely on simplicity to anyone with a smidgen of intelligence can play them without instructions after a couple of trys. They also appeal to non gamers that just want to do something to waste a couple of minutes of their time without getting bored.

Mainstream games are more involved, often story based and designed to immerse you in some other fantasy situation with a fairly high level of control and interaction that requires skill and training of some kind, often through familiarity with other games and controllers. Someone not familiar with them may struggle to get around and probably wouldn't be able to get the whole thing within a couple of minutes.