PopCap Games, kings of the casual games web-space and maker’s of the puzzle game hit Bejeweled, conducted a study of some 7,500 adults who play casual games, such as the ones they offer on their web-site, games like the aforementioned Bejeweled, Bookworm Adventures, Chuzzle, Feeding Frenzy 2, Zuma, Mystery P.I. and many others.
In stark contrast to politicians decrying how violent video games warp the minds of children, the results found that 70 percent believed that the games had some educational value, 68 percent believed they helped improve hand-eye coordination and manual dexterity, and 48 percent found positive benefits with cognitive exercise aspects of the games.
Almost a third of the respondents had children or grandchildren who played games in their home, and 80 percent of casually gaming adults with children or grandchildren say that they play with them! And a remarkable 92 percent of those thought that playing casual games together helped them bridge the generation gap and bond with the youngsters.
Psychologist Carl Arinoldo, author of Smart Parenting, commented, “Casual games span generations and genders in ways that traditional ‘hardcore’ video games never have . . . Casual games seem to promote more of a cooperative ‘let’s work on this together’ type of atmosphere, as opposed to an aggressive, interpersonal competitive environment.”