SEATTLE, Washington - September 4, 2007 - PopCap Games, the
leading developer and publisher of casual games, today unveiled
the results of a survey targeting "white collar"
workers who play casual video games. While white collar
workers' consumption of casual games at home mirrored the
overall casual gamer audience fairly closely, the survey
revealed some surprising facts about the playing of casual
games in the workplace - and the motives behind the activity.
Among the 7,102 consumers who answered the survey, 40% were
identified as "white collar" workers. With conservative
estimates pegging the casual games market at over 200 million
people, this representative sample suggests that as many as 80
million white collar workers play casual games. Of those white
collar workers surveyed, nearly a quarter (24%) said they play
"at work" - with fully 35% of CEOs, CFOs and other senior
executives saying they play at work.
"It's not surprising that today's business professionals are casual video game users," said Carly Drum, a recognized expert on workplace issues and Managing Director of Drum Associates, a leading executive recruitment firm. "The face of today's executive workforce is definitely changing: we're seeing employees who are much more technologically savvy and familiar with all forms of new media from social networking to blogging and beyond. So, it's natural that some business executives would also look to casual videogames that they can play on their PC, mobile phone or BlackBerry during a work break, as a way to quickly relax and recharge their batteries, so to speak."
The survey identified 2,842 of the respondents as white collar workers - employed in management, executive management, sales, accounting, medical, technical, consulting or administrative capacities. Of all 2,842 white collar workers surveyed, 98% said they played casual games at home and 24% said they played during work hours. Of all white collar casual gamers, 65% indicated they earn $50,000 or more in annual income (compared to 53% of casual game players overall), 22% said they earned $100,000 or more per year, and 58% indicated they had a college degree (compared to 46%). 91% of white collar gamers are age 30 or older, 68% are 40 or older, and 39% are 50 or older.
Playing At Work
Of those who said they played during work hours,
14% admitted they had played casual games during business
meetings or conference calls, with two thirds (65%) of those
saying they did so at least once a month.
61% said they play during lunch or other official break
periods.
52% said they play "during my work day, when I need a short
break."
19% said they play "at the end of my work day, to unwind."
11% said they play "at the beginning of my work day before I
get started."
In addition, those who said they played during work hours said
they do so with considerable frequency:
53% said they play at work at least once a day.
79% said they play at work several times a week or more.
84% said they play casual games at work for between 15 and 60
minutes each day, on average.
11% said they played casual games at work for an hour or more
each day
As to the effects of playing casual games at work, those who do
so acknowledged the following effects after taking a short game
break at work:
84% said they felt "more relaxed and less stressed out."
52% said they felt more confident, more energetic, more
productive and/or more mentally focused.
Senior Executives Have More Fun
Of all white collar gamers who participated in the survey, 241
(slightly more than 8%) were identified as "senior executives"
- CEOs, CFOs, presidents and other C-level executives. Compared
to white collar gamers overall, these senior executives
indicated a considerably higher frequency of play, including
playing at work:
35% of senior executives said they play casual games at work,
vs. 23% of other white collar gamers.
70% said they play "during work, when I need a short break" -
vs. 49% of other white collar gamers.
61% said they play once a day or more frequently during each
work day, vs. 51% of other white collar gamers.
71% said their typical game-play session at work lasts 15
minutes or longer, vs. 62% of other white collar gamers.
