• by Tameka Kee , September 5, 2007

Seattle-based game developer and publisher PopCap Games, in a survey of more than 7,100 consumers, found that nearly a quarter (24%) of all "white collar" workers played casual games on the job--for reasons varying from "improving their mental state" to "entertainment."

Senior executives were even more likely to play at the office--with just more than a third (34%) of CEOs, CFOs and other upper-management types admitting they played casual online games on company time. While playing puzzle, word or other casual online games at work could be categorized as a distraction, the effects actually seemed to be beneficial to productivity, according to the survey. Some 84% of white-collar workers who admitted to playing at the office said they felt "more relaxed and less stressed out" after a short game break, and 52% reported feeling more confident, more energetic, more productive and/or more mentally focused.

PopCap commissioned Bellevue, WA-based Information Solutions Group to conduct the research via online surveys for two weeks in June. Of the initial respondents, more than 2,800 were determined to be "white collar," including professionals like accountants and architects, clerical and support staff, sales and tech staff, as well as middle and upper-management executives.

While a majority (61%) of the respondents said they played a causal game during lunch or official break periods, just over half (52%) said they played if they needed a short break while on the clock, 11% at the beginning of the day before they got started, and some 14% (or almost 400 workers) said during a business meeting or conference call. Casual gamers at the office also played frequently, with more than half (53%) saying they played at least once a day, and 84% saying that on average, they played for 15 minutes to an hour daily.

According to Carly Drum, managing director of Drum Associates, an 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." She added: "It's natural that some business executives would also look to casual video games 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 study also highlighted an advantage that B2B advertisers may gain in incorporating casual games into their online media plans: these ad-supported games reach their targets on an unexpected, but increasingly popular medium.