82% of PC gamers feel that games are "just as enjoyable with ads as without," according to a new study from research group Nielsen. After viewing an in-game ad, an average of 61% of consumer opinions regarding the brand were favorably increased.

Commissioned by in-game advertising firm IGA Worldwide, which just recently partnered with Sony for in-game PlayStation 3 ads, the study was performed across 1,300 PC gamers. Surprisingly, those "most opinionated about in-game ads" reported that the ads had a higher-than-average positive effect on brand opinion.

Those 1,300 were provided with games from Electronic Arts and Activision. While specifics were not revealed, it is likely that these games included Enemy Territory: Quake Wars and Battlefield 2142, both first-person shooters that feature in-game ads. Advertisers included Taco Bell, Jeep and Wrigley.

"The consumer insights we've gleaned from this data will help drive the industry's first research-based in-game advertising measurement standards as well as strengthen IGA's position as an effective in-game ad network brands can trust to efficiently deliver their message to target audiences," noted IGA CEO Justin Townsend.

Other bullet points from the accompanying press release follow... Read more

A new study published in the journal Cyberpsychology and Behavior found that red teams triumph over blue teams more than half of the time in online multiplayer shooters, reports the Associated Press.

Researchers studied the outcomes of 1,347 matches in Epic Games' Unreal Tournament 2004 (PC), in which players were allowed to choose between joining the red or blue team. The study found that the red team won 55% of the time.

University of Copenhagen neuroscientist Mihai Moldovan suggested that one possible explanation for the skew in results could be the color red's role as a psychological distractor for men. Results were collected by Moldovan from public ... Read more

More than 20% of those that play casual games like Peggle and Bejeweled have some sort of "physical, mental or developmental disability," according to an Information Solutions Group survey commissioned by casual game developer PopCap Games.

The survey encompassed a total of 13,296 casual gamers--a market that, mostly driven by web-based applications, is estimated to have between 300 and 400 million players worldwide. The latest U.S. Census states 15.1% of the American population is disabled.

Depression, ADD / ADHA and Rheumatoid Arthritis / Osteoarthritis respectively ranked as the most common types of mental, developmental and physical conditions. Only 26% of disabled casual gamers were said to play traditional video games.

The study notes that those with disabilities typically play casual games more frequently and longer than the non-disabled, and find the benefits to include stress... Read more

Data compiled by consumer research group Nielsen and discovered by IGN found that both younger and older console gamers spent most of their time playing the Xbox 360, followed by the Wii, with the PlayStation 3 coming in third.

The data reflects console play time between April, 2007 and February, 2008. In that time, gamers aged 10 to 26 spent almost 63% of their game time with the Xbox 360, followed by the Wii at nearly 25% and the PlayStation 3 at 12.3%. Gamers aged 27 and above played the Xbox 360 for roughly 52% of their time, followed by 28.4% and roughly 20% for the Wii and PS3, respectively.

Nielsen also found that while older gamers played shorter session lengths than their younger counterparts, they tended to play more sessions in a given day. Also of note is the average usage days per month: younger gamers played their Xbox ... Read more

More than $2 million in grants will be awarded to 12 research teams across the United States to research the health benefits of gaming.

Awarded from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's health games research program, the grants are aimed at strengthening the evidence base that supports the use of gaming as a means of improving players' health behaviors and outcomes.

The studies will explore topics such as how motion-based gaming can hasten the progress of recovering stroke patients, as well as how substance abuse patients can practice skills and behaviors in virtual worlds to prevent real-world relapses.

The foundation intends to announce the recipients of the grants at a press conference this coming Thursday.

Game Developer Magazine has released the results of its seventh annual Game Developer Salary Survey, which figures the average American game industry salary in 2007 as $73,600.

The data, which was partially posted by Gamasutra, notes that the average salary was slightly up from 2006 figure of $73,316.

Business and marketing positions remained top of the heap, with average salaries figured at $101,848. Programmers, which were among the most educated of the groups surveyed, raked in an average of $83,383.

Art and animation employees were compensated an average of $66,594 in 2007, with 66% reporting at least a bachelor's degree. Game designers clocked in at $63,649, while producers claimed an average of $78,716. Sound designers reported $73,409.

As expected, quality assurance brought up the rear, averaging $39,063, though QA leads with more than six years experience averaged $70,658. The report noted that testers with less than three years experience made up the largest percentage of the group.

A study presented at last week's MI6 game marketing conference indicates that games promoted by advance trailers sold better than those prefaced by playable demos, MTV Multiplayer reports.

The study, conducted by the Electronic Entertainment Design and Research Group, found that a majority of the highest selling titles on Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 were promoted by trailers alone. Games accompanied with trailers as well as playable demos sold significantly less on average.

The findings of the study are consistent across both platforms with one exception: games without trailers or demos available sold better on PlayStation 3 than Xbox 360, indicating that games on Microsoft's console are better off with some sort of promotional material on Xbox Live.

In light of the research, EEDAR heads Gregory Short and Geoffery Zatkin recommended that publishers make playable demos available only after release of a game.

A study commissioned by organizers at the MI6 game marketing conference has found that of the 75 million people who buy games in the United States, some 49 million also purchase used games.

The study, performed by consultancy firm OTX and reported on by Gamasutra, showed that only 28% of gamers exclusively buy new games, with 60% buying both new and used.

OTX also found that of the 26 million who sell games, 16 million are what they call "New Game Gluttons." These "gluttons" are gamers who finish their games as quickly as possible, with the goal of selling a title at its highest possible value in order to better fund new game purchases.

The firm has projected an increase in used games sales due to the ailing economy, with one in four gamers polled reporting that they will purchase a used game for the first time in the next 12 months.

GameStop is by far the most popular used game hub, pulling in two out of three of every used game purchase. Many analysts have pointed to GameStop's hold on the used game market as an indicator of its resiliency in the face of a US economic recession.

A study published by the British Psychological Society suggests that people who are addicted to games display similar personality traits as those with Asperger's syndrome.

The study was conducted by Dr. John Charlton of the University of Bolton and Ian Danforth of Whitman College. The researchers polled 391 gamers and found that the more addicted they were to video games, the more likely they were to exhibit "negative personality traits".

Moreover, signs of addiction were also found to complement personality traits such as neuroticism, introversion and an agreeable nature. These traits are commonly associated with Asperger's syndrome, a form of high functioning autism.

"Our research supports the idea that people who are heavily involved in game playing may be nearer to autistic spectrum disorders than people who... Read more

A recently published study suggests that people who play violent games online actually feel more relaxed and less angry after they've played.

The study was conducted by Jane Barnett and her colleagues at Middlesex University, who recruited 292 male and female gamers aged 12 to 83 to play World of Warcraft. The players were asked to complete a questionnaire on anger, aggression and personality before playing the game for two hours, after which they took the test again.

In their results, the psychologists found that participants were more likely to feel calm or tired after playing, though there were differences depending on age, sex and personality.

"There were actually higher levels of relaxation before and after playing the game as opposed to experiencing anger but this did very much depend on personality type," said Barnett. "This will help us to develop a emotion and gaming questionnaire to help distinguish the type of gamer who is likely to transfer their online aggression into everyday life."

The press release published by the British Psychological Society did not disclose which tasks players were made to do in their two hours of play. In addition to PVP and PVE combat, World of Warcraft also features exploratory elements, crafting, and numerous other activities.

Many previous studies on the subject of violent video games have focused on games such as id's Quake II and other arguably more violent titles than World of Warcraft, which is rated rated T for Teen by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board.

Do we really enjoy the deaths of our digital opponents?

A new study by a team of researchers from Helsinki, Finland has made the news lately due to its tentative answer.

The team's surprising findings: Video game players from its test group were angered and anxious after shooting their enemies, while their own deaths elicited a response of joy.

The study--titled "The Psychophysiology of James Bond: Phasic Emotional Responses to Violent Video Game Events"--recorded the psychophysiological responses of 36 young adults while playing James Bond 007: NightFire.

Previous studies have postulated that pairing violent actions with positive rewards is a recipe for desensitization. Though the Helsinki researchers expected their subjects to enjoy the act of killing, the subjects' responses were... Read more

A recent study shows that the addiction and obsession centers of the male brain are more reactant to video game play than those in women, the Detroit News reports.

Scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine studied brain imagery of 22 young adults—11 women and 11 men—while subjects were playing a simple computer game in which gaining territory was the objective.

Published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, the research found that while the entirety of the group experienced activity in parts of the brain associated with addiction and reward, this activity was much greater in men than in women. Additionally, levels of activity increased in men's brains proportional to the amount of territory that was gained in-game—an increase not experienced by female participants.

The study also noted that males were more aggressive than their counterparts, and quicker to gain more territory in the game. "These gender differences in the brain may help explain why males are more attracted to, and more likely to become hooked on video games than females," said lead author Dr. Allan Reiss.

A new report by the industry watchers at the NPD Group found 63% of the U.S. population plays video games in some form. This includes players of consoles, handhelds, PC games, games on kid-oriented systems, and mobile games.

Titled "Expanding the Games Market," the report also found that a majority of the respondents claimed to play games an equal amount or more than they did last year. Further, most of those surveyed said they play games at least partially to alleviate stress.

Unsurprisingly, hardcore gamers are more likely to play games alone than casual gamers, but both groups of gamers enjoy group play and "value gaming as a way to bring their families closer together." The study was conducted online with 5,039 members of NPD's online consumer panel, with responses from children given with help from a parent or guardian.

An unsurprising study funded by the Entertainment Software Association found that the industry is performing relatively phenomenally, with 17% annual growth from 2003 to 2006. The ESA boasts that this rate trumps the 4% annual growth of the overall economy, basically saying "in your face" to less fortunate industries.

"Computer and video game companies play an ever increasing role in our nation's growing economy," said ESA CEO Michael Gallagher. "These companies and their colleagues across the nation are making entertainment software one of the fastest growing industries in the United States."

The study by Economists Incorporated for the Entertainment Software Association found that the industry directly employed 24,000 individuals as of 2006 with an average salary of $92,300. In that year, the industry added $3.8 billion to the U.S. GDP.

California, a hotbed for the gaming industry, employed 40% of the industry's workers last year. The state's gaming industry grew by 12.4 percent and added $1.7 billion to California's economy, the study found.

Has a game's Achievement list ever impacted your decision to make a purchase? A new study by a Californian research firm says that it probably has.

The Electronic Entertainment Design and Research (EEDAR) recently released the first results of a study on Xbox 360 Achievements, coming to the conclusion that games with more Xbox 360 Achievements tend to generate both greater sales and higher Metacritic review scores.

The diversity of Achievements is also noted as having an effect on sell-through, with the study suggesting that games with online-based Achievements sell up to 50% more copies than those without them on.

Of course, these trends may have simpler explanations: higher profile games are more likely to have larger Achievement lists based on the quality... Read more

A survey by Frank N. Magid Associates found 30% of 149 Xbox 360 owners did not know Xbox Live Arcade existed. Of the remaining 70% who were aware of XBLA, 42% had downloaded trial games using the service and 28% had purchased titles.

A rough estimate places the margin of error for the sample at about 10%, fairly high relative to most reputable studies. The surveyors actually polled 1800 U.S. households, with 149 confirming their ownership of an Xbox 360.

Despite the high margin of error, the data correlates with another survey detailing console owners' cluelessness about their gaming system's capabilities. According to the report, 70% of homes with movie-playback-capable consoles did not realize their gaming systems had this functionality.

This reminds me of a conversation I overheard in a large retail outlet before the Xbox 360 launch. A customer said she owned an Xbox, and excitedly detailed her plans to purchase an Xbox 360. Later, she asked a retail associate if the 360 would actually have any enhanced capabilities over the original Xbox, or even play different games.

It looks like MMORPG experience points may have some real-world implications after all. A new report from IBM and software developer Seriosity suggests that many of the traits displayed by dedicated MMORPG players are key to successful leadership in business.

Specifically, the report, which can be read in its entirety at Seriosity's official site, claims that MMORPG players exhibit proficiency in, "collaboration, self-organization, risk taking, openness, influence, how to earn incentives linked to performance and be flexible in the way they communicate."

"The research proves that online games have valuable lessons for success in business," said Seriosity CEO Ken Ross.

IBM and Seriosity go so far as to suggest that businesses ... Read more

Technology news site DailyTech has published the results of its extensive three-month investigation examining the prevalence in pay-to-play content among the online tech coverage industry. With its reporters posing as representatives for fictitious advertisers, DailyTech attempted to secure favorable or more in-depth coverage at 35 leading tech sites in exchange for the promise of more money spent on ad placement. Of the 35 sites, seven accepted arrangements influencing editorial decisions, while 23 refused.

Unsurprisingly, sites employing independent, non-editorial sales teams universally refused such offers, while the sites which agreed to participate make use of sales teams that do editorial work. Sites more than eight years ... Read more

A recent study indicates that while violent video games can indeed result in more aggressive real-life behavior, they only do so in those with a pre-existing conditions towards such behavior, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Performed by Australia's Swinburne University of Technology across schools in Melbourne, the project analyzed behavior of 120 children aged 11 to 15 before and after a 20 minute session of id Software's Quake II. Following their time with the violent first person shooter, a majority of the test subjects displayed no evidence of the game affecting their mood or behavior. However, those with a tendency for worry, neurotic behavior and or violence did show an increase in aggressive behavior.

The children that experienced a shift in behavior "were a little bit more aggressive anyway in their interaction with life," noted Swinburne professor Grant Devilly. "For the rest of kids, the vast majority, it [violent game play] makes no difference at all in their general aggression rate."

Devilly's statements and findings challenge a 2006 study from the Radiological Society of North America, which found that violent video games cause more "emotional arousal" than nonviolent interactive experiences.

A team of students and staff at the Human-Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University have released their results for the second wave of study in their Project Massive. The project takes a look at how gamers communicate and organize themselves within massively multiplayer online games. They also take a look at the games' impact on their real life activities, perceptions, and experiences.

Some of the more interesting results (to me) are the fact that over 40% said they would retain their account with an old MMO as they migrate to another. Roughly 57% surveyed play between 9 and 23 hours a week. And about 25% of the respondents said they are at least occasionally using mood/mind altering substances while playing.