Tag Archives: farmville

MU Researchers Identify Risk-Factors for Addictive Video-Game Use among Adults

By Science, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Escapism, social interaction and rewards fuel problematic gaming behaviors

COLUMBIA, Mo. – New research from the University of Missouri indicates escapism, social interaction and rewards fuel problematic video-game use among “very casual” to “hardcore” adult gamers. Understanding individual motives that contribute to unhealthy game play could help counselors identify and treat individuals addicted to video games.

“The biggest risk factor for pathological video game use seems to be playing games to escape from daily life,” said Joe Hilgard, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Psychological Sciences in the MU College of Arts and Science. “Individuals who play games to get away from their lives or to pretend to be other people seem to be those most at-risk for becoming part of a vicious cycle. These gamers avoid their problems by playing games, which in turn interferes with their lives because they’re so busy playing games.” (more…)

Read More

UMD Study Finds Facebook Applications Create More Than 182,000 New U.S. Jobs Worth $12.19B+

By 3 commentsTechnology, , , , , , , , , , ,

College Park, Md. – While the U.S. jobs picture may be bleak, the proliferation of Facebook and mobile technology applications has spawned an entirely new industry dubbed the “App Economy” – that has added at least 182,000 new jobs and contributed more than $12.19 billion in wages and benefits to the U.S. economy this year, according to new research from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. Using more aggressive estimates, the Facebook App Economy created a total of 235,644 jobs, adding a value of $15.71 billion to the economy. (more…)

Read More

Social Network Games Even Help Grown-ups With Their Relationships

By Culture, Technology, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Think social network games are just for kids? A recent Michigan State University study found that many adults are playing games such as Facebook’s “Farmville” to help initiate, develop and maintain relationships.

The MSU team of researchers interviewed a number of Facebook users between the ages of 25 and 55, said Yvette Wohn, a doctoral student in the Department of Telecommunication, Information Studies and Media who led the study.

“The interesting thing is that we were asking people how they use Facebook to manage their different relationships,” she said. “Surprisingly, all but one person talked about playing games as one of their relationship-management strategies.” (more…)

Read More

Online Habits: Where Are We Going?

By Culture, Technology, , , , , , , , , , ,

A study by Nielsen into the habits of Internet users in the United States of America might provide a guideline as to future Internet user habits round the globe, since the USA sets the trend in virtual reality. What were the findings of this study? For a start, a huge disparity in Internet access via PC and mobile means. And by 2014, the video will dominate nearly 100% of web-use?

(more…)

Read More