Some video game publishers have stopped charging for their games in the hope that once hooked - players will pay for special features.
For all the hype about Microsoft's Halo 3 video game, 10 times as many people have played the hit online game Diner Dash.
Unlike Halo 3, which is played on Microsoft's Xbox 360 game console and targets hard-core gamers willing to part with $60, Diner Dash is a so-called casual game - an inexpensive, easy-to-learn online game that appeals to a wider audience.
Casual games are played on a Web site or downloaded and, due to the cheaper format, they don't bring in the kind of money that traditional video games generate. While Halo 3 took in $170 million in the first 24 hours after its release last week, the casual game industry struggles to get players, particularly young ones, to pay up.
Source: Money CNN