To Play or Not to Play
After a Crazy Day?
How often do you hear this or say it yourself after a hectic day? In the world where most of us would agree to pay for an extra hour in a day, games are considered to be a waste of time by majority of people. We almost never take them seriously and leave a privilege of killing time with video games up to teenagers.
But why not stopping up a little and having a closer look inside the small things that we regularly do in our lives, though almost never pay attention to them? It's all about games. The fun that is as pleasant and stress-relieving as ...say, shopping, but doesn't require as much of your time and money:). In fact, the stuff we never mind often turns out to significantly affect our lifestyle...
Games are more than entertainment. And this fact is proved by the latest surveys of the gamer audience. A recent research conducted by a large-scale casual game developer PopCap Games among 2,191 game purchasers shows that "88% of players indicated they experienced stress relief from playing casual games and 74% cited mental exercise as a benefit; when asked to choose the most important reasons for playing, 41% picked "stress relief/relaxation," more than twice the number (19%) who chose "entertainment"; 27% said the games provided distraction from chronic pain and/or fatigue, and fully 8% said they derived actual relief from chronic pain and/or fatigue."(Gameplanet.co.nz 'Casual games' survey results surprise publisher).
Simple, non-violent computer games are more than source of entertainment. This becomes clear as you read the e-mails game developers receive:
"I sometimes have crazy time at work. Working in the retail store is tough, especially in what we call "rush hours" - when we're getting scores of customers. After such a day I prefer to come home and play through a couple of levels in Diner Dash - it is much fast-paced than my working day. Moreover, I can see there's a way out any sort of tough situation. This thought brings me stress relieve". Virginia, 35 years, South California
"For three years I've had problems with my right hand after I had been operated on it. But eversince I tried some quick game aimed at constant clicking, I've been playing it every day. It's a sort of medical exercise for me. Unlike the exercises my doctor prescribed me, it's fun and entertaining". - Joan, 57 y.o. Leeds, UK
"I often get to solve complicated problems at work. So, after a stressful day I normally come home and get back to my favorite word game. Solving the word puzzles turns out to be stress-relieving for me." Nina, 32 y.o.. Paris, France.
If you're looking for a stress reliever after a crazy day or want to speed up your reaction - try arcade games.
What about a quick practical test with you now? Ask yourself: is it often the case that you stick to Bejeweled, Zuma or Big Kahuna Reef when staying up till late at night in front of your pc? Do you stumble over Sudoku just as well as you would solve a newspaper crossword ten years ago? And last but not least, don't you gaze into the games section in your cellphone menu when the way to the office seems too long? And how about a secret Solitaire party in the heat of the business day?
As you sum up the time spent on games, you'll see that playing games takes a considerable part of your time - up to several hours a week.
Playing casual games means playing occasionally. Once you start and get into the flavor, it gradually becomes one of your everyday habits helping you relieve the stress and entertain... Just like smoking, but less harmful:).
Puzzles and other logic games are a great help in solving problems as they "warm up" you brain and help it stay active.
This is what normally happens with the large percentage of those who have tried: an innocent habit grows into addiction. No surprise, the findings of the survey show that most 
people prefer playing casual games rather than going to the movie theatre, reading a book, or spending time with their families.
It's up to you to decide on your priorities. We have created this website in an effort to help you settle on your priorities when it comes to games and find the answer to the question: TO PLAY OR NOT TO PLAY?
...If you need to unwind and relax, entertain and keep your brain sharp, you're welcome to play them. See yourself that games are not only easy and time-killing. In fact they are healing...
Always addictingly yours,
Gamemile Team
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