Zynga is poised to present its multi-billion dollar IPO in a matter of days, PopCap is looking to do the same (much later), and countless developers are being bought, sold and invested in daily. Frankly, it's crazy town in the social games business these days.
For instance, as Zynga prepares to become at least the second most valuable game company globally compared to EA and Activision Blizzard (if not the most valuable), Google leads an $85 million investment in Kabam, creator of 'hardcore' social games like most recently Global Warfare, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
All the while, Finnish developer Supercell has raised $12 million using a similar strategy, VentureBeat reports. If that wasn't enough, Turkish developer Peak Games just raised a cool $5 million to make more games for the Turkish, Middle Eastern and North African market, according to the Wall Street Journal. Crazy town, we say, but will things ever calm down?
With estimates that social gaming will soar to become a $5 billion industry by 2015, probably not anytime soon. Though, as history has told us, it has to happen at some point. Social games have become a major component to what I call the "Internet Bubble 2.0" with the likes of Facebook, Google and Twitter gobbling up companies and raking in the dough. You'd think with this many investments and buyouts flying around, the social games industry would have to reach a breaking point soon, but nay.
Zynga IPO
These companies are just getting started. Most social game developers haven't even used Facebook to its full potential, as we've heard many designers cry out. Not to mention even Zynga hasn't achieved its long-term goals like mobile dominance, and Google's rumored social games service isn't here yet. Until another company can effectively compete on Zynga's level--and truly over-saturate the space--expect your favorite social games companies to be around for a long time. Well, at least until 2015, if we all make it that far.
[Image Credits: All Things D, Richard Heeks]
When do you think the social games money madness will cease? Will it take a company to compete with Zynga head on for that to happen, or will something else like, say, public disinterest bring Zynga and the like down from Cloud 9?
Great Site to Earn From Home
Showing posts with label popcap. Show all posts
Showing posts with label popcap. Show all posts
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Survey: Bejeweled Blitz could sharpen old noggin in baby boomers
For the young, and now the old, it looks like PopCap games are good for everyone. In a survey of over 10,000 U.S. residents conducted by researcher Susan K. Whitbourne, Ph.D., 47 percent of older adults who play Bejeweled Blitz regularly reported feeling sharper while performing tasks.
Whitbourne, a psychology researcher at University of Massachusetts Amherst, presented her findings at this year's American Psychological Association's (APA) convention in Washington D.C. According to PopCap, Whitbourne believes that Bejeweled Blitz could be a viable platform for improving cognitive skills in older adults because it involves several of the skills that have been shown the be improved after playing video games.
Designed to see whether Whitbourne's inklings checked out, the survey found that 22.4 percent of participants aged 65 and over found their ability to see patterns improved. A small 23.9 percent of the same group reported that they could perform timed tasks more quickly after playing the game regularly. While the survey consisted of 10,331 adults aged 18 to 80-years-old, 41 percent of those were 50-years-old and over (and 83 percent total were women). And it's worth nothing that over 78 percent of participants reported to have a college degree.
Nearly half (47.5 percent) of adults aged 50 and older said that they paid no attention to the 60-second countdown timer in Bejeweled Blitz, and 52.9 percent of those 65-years-old and over reported the same reaction. Both groups of older folks were less likely than those 18 to 24-years-old to report feeling anxious because of the timer. Overall, a whopping 66.4 percent said that the game's multiplier gems were positively motivating.
Whitbourne's findings were well-received by some at the convention, like Dr. Walter Boot, director of the Attention and Training Lab of the Department of Psychology at Florida State University. "I believe the work Dr. Whitbourne and her colleagues are doing, using Bejeweled Blitz, is both critical and exciting, and that more research like this needs to be done exploring not only the types of games that bring about cognitive benefits, but also the types of games older adults are willing to play and why," Boot said. "The best cognitive aging intervention in the world is useless if older adults aren't willing and able to engage in it."
Of course, PopCap has a vested interested in the various applications of its hit games. But these findings are interesting, nevertheless. Well, there you have it: It looks like PopCap games like Bejeweled have become the proverbial Coca-Cola of the games industry--not only are they delicious fun, but they're good for you, too!
Do you believe that games like Bejeweled could be good for your cognitive health? What games do you or older folks in your life play to keep the brain in tip-top shape? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
Whitbourne, a psychology researcher at University of Massachusetts Amherst, presented her findings at this year's American Psychological Association's (APA) convention in Washington D.C. According to PopCap, Whitbourne believes that Bejeweled Blitz could be a viable platform for improving cognitive skills in older adults because it involves several of the skills that have been shown the be improved after playing video games.
Designed to see whether Whitbourne's inklings checked out, the survey found that 22.4 percent of participants aged 65 and over found their ability to see patterns improved. A small 23.9 percent of the same group reported that they could perform timed tasks more quickly after playing the game regularly. While the survey consisted of 10,331 adults aged 18 to 80-years-old, 41 percent of those were 50-years-old and over (and 83 percent total were women). And it's worth nothing that over 78 percent of participants reported to have a college degree.
Nearly half (47.5 percent) of adults aged 50 and older said that they paid no attention to the 60-second countdown timer in Bejeweled Blitz, and 52.9 percent of those 65-years-old and over reported the same reaction. Both groups of older folks were less likely than those 18 to 24-years-old to report feeling anxious because of the timer. Overall, a whopping 66.4 percent said that the game's multiplier gems were positively motivating.
Whitbourne's findings were well-received by some at the convention, like Dr. Walter Boot, director of the Attention and Training Lab of the Department of Psychology at Florida State University. "I believe the work Dr. Whitbourne and her colleagues are doing, using Bejeweled Blitz, is both critical and exciting, and that more research like this needs to be done exploring not only the types of games that bring about cognitive benefits, but also the types of games older adults are willing to play and why," Boot said. "The best cognitive aging intervention in the world is useless if older adults aren't willing and able to engage in it."
Of course, PopCap has a vested interested in the various applications of its hit games. But these findings are interesting, nevertheless. Well, there you have it: It looks like PopCap games like Bejeweled have become the proverbial Coca-Cola of the games industry--not only are they delicious fun, but they're good for you, too!
Do you believe that games like Bejeweled could be good for your cognitive health? What games do you or older folks in your life play to keep the brain in tip-top shape? Sound off in the comments. Add Comment
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