Survey: Nearly 20 percent of social game fans are brand new gamers

And you claim to "dabble" in FarmVille and the like--we're onto you. A new survey by Bejeweled Blitz maker PopCap and Information Solutions Group found that 68 percent of social gamers play said games at least once daily. That amounts to 81 million players, while a still-impressive 49 million (41 percent) report playing social games multiple times daily.

The survey was completed by 1,201 people (801 in the U.S. and 400 in the UK) who reported playing social games more than 15 minutes a week. All in all, according to this survey, social games are on the rise, but you already knew that. What's important to note is that 17 percent of all social gamers have never played a video game before. (According to the survey, they're mostly 50 plus women.) While much smaller than you might have imagined, it's without a doubt that the genre has literally created a new breed of gamer.

As these new social gamers continue to invest themselves in their favorite Facebook games more traditional companies will undoubtedly attempt to garner their attention. Of course, these folks will have different expectations of what a video game actually is, and therefore change how games are made ... perhaps across the board.

And, according to the survey, more folks between 18 and 29 years old are playing social games, who have more likely than not played video games before. When new demographics crop up in any industry, they're almost immediately targeted. The social games movement will be no different, and color us intrigued to see the results. Click here to see the full survey.

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?

PopCap chills out, brings the zen to Xbox Live Arcade in Bejeweled 3

Say it with me, people: "Om". PopCap has announced that Bejeweled 3 is now available for Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) , Zen Mode and all. The Seattle, Wash.-based developer's hit puzzler is ready for download now for 1,200 Microsoft Points, or $15. Sure, that might sound a little steep compared to how much it costs on iPhone, not to mention that it's (kind of) playable for free online.

But hey, it's definitely cheaper than when the game first released to PC and Mac last year, and consider what you're getting in that (digital) package. Bejeweled 3 sports twice the game modes as Bejeweled 2, and comes packed with "leaderboards for Classic, Lightning, Poker, Butterflies, Ice Storm and Diamond Mine, plus four special gems, five elite badges, and 15 achievements," according to PopCap.

The third numbered release of Bejeweled will hit retail shelves for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo DS on Nov. 15, but this is far from the first time a console has seen the exploding gems, lightning bolts and trippy level transitions. PopCap released an Xbox Live-optimized version of Bejeweled Blitz, called Bejeweled Blitz LIVE, to XBLA earlier this year.

According to the company, about 9 billion hours have been spent collectively playing Bejeweled. Aside from the numbers, PopCap has been on a roll lately. The casual game creator just announced Popcorn Dragon for iPhone, its first mobile game surrounding a new property since the company was acquired by EA earlier this year. Soon, we expect to see PopCap's take on the growing casino genre on Facebook, but not before Zynga tries to beat it to the punch. Until then, let's wait and see if the studio can finally chill out the trigger-happy Call of Duty fans.

Do you plan on picking up Bejeweled 3 on your Xbox 360? What do you hope or expect PopCap to do next with the Bejeweled franchise?