Here is an interesting article about the results of a survey done by PopCap:
Casual Games Survey Results Surprise Publisher
Among the most interesting findings of the survey were responses to questions regarding the location, duration and reasons for playing casual computer games, defined for survey purposes as "puzzle, word, simple action/arcade and other family-friendly, non-violent games which can be played on computers and mobile devices." Survey findings included: motives For Playing: 88% of players indicated they experienced stress relief from playing casual games and 74% cited mental exercise as a benefit; when asked to choose the most important reasons for playing, 41% picked "stress relief/relaxation," more than twice the number (19%) who chose "entertainment"; 27% said the games provided distraction from chronic pain and/or fatigue, and fully 8% said they derived actual relief from chronic pain and/or fatigue.
The results you posted seem interesting, but I wonder how many of the respondents have thought about the reasons they have for playing before they took the survey.
Posted by: GBGames | September 15, 2006 at 01:02 PM
Bizarre...no results posted for those who use casual games as "time killers". I'd be willing to bet that the bulk of the "distraction/relief from stress" should be better classifed as "distration (period)", ditching the imagined/insisted benefits...
-David
Posted by: DavidRM | September 15, 2006 at 03:46 PM