Online Casual Gaming Anything but Casual, MTV Networks Study Finds

'An Exploration of Online Casual Gaming' Finds Strong Emotional and Physical
Engagement with Online Games Across Nearly Every Age Group

NEW YORK, July 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Online casual gaming holds an exclusive
place in the lives of gamers' of nearly all ages because it is both
emotionally and physically engaging, according to MTV Networks' new study: "An
Exploration of Online Casual Gaming."

As part of the study, 3,520 interviews were conducted among gamers from ages 8
to 60 in five different demographic groups: Kids and Tweens; Teens; Young
Adults; Adults; and Boomers. While all of the groups were actively involved
with gaming, they had different reasons for being strongly connected to online
casual games. Younger gamers participated to do things they can't do in real
life. Among adults, moms used games as "my time" to relax and escape, while
dads used games to recharge themselves and compete. Boomers said they felt
physically transformed after playing online because the games kept their minds
sharp and refreshed.

"Whether it's competition, aspiration or relaxation, online casual games often
serve necessary emotional and physical functions for gamers, making these
games more 'crucial' than 'casual' for those who play most," said Colleen
Fahey Rush, MTVN's Executive Vice President of Research. "While the reasons
for playing vary among age groups, it's clear that online casual games play an
important and often essential part in the lives of gamers."

Among the entire study, seven in 10 surveyed were frequent visitors to casual
gaming sites, visiting at least once a week. The field spent an average of 12
days per month on the sites and 92 minutes per visit. Gamers treat casual
gaming sites in a far from casual way, as three in four surveyed spent at
least a half hour on each visit to gaming sites. Adults and Boomers were the
most likely to visit casual gaming sites every day, as nearly half of the
group visited regularly, according to the study.

Segmenting the Casual Gaming Market
MTVN's casual gaming study found six different segments of casual gamers: Time
Fillers; Rechargers; Virtual Me; Gaming Enthusiasts; Guilty Pleasurists; and
Average Joe Wannabees. The Time Fillers came from all age groups, but were
most likely to include stay-at-home moms who said that gaming was the perfect
way to kill time when there was "nothing better to do." Rechargers spent 92
minutes playing games every other day, which was the highest among all of the
groups, and consisted largely of adults and boomers who rewarded themselves
with games that left them refreshed and energized. The Virtual Me segment --
mostly Kids and Tweens -- used the games as an opportunity to do things they
couldn't do in real life, from flying to caring for a pet. The Gaming
Enthusiasts, which mostly included Kids, Tweens and Boomers, appreciated the
adventure and accomplishment that accompanied casual games and spent 88
minutes every other day engaged with them online.

Guilty Pleasurists love the fact that gaming is a great way to "blow off some
steam," however they do have some associated guilt as it can often take them
away from other things they feel they should be doing. Despite their
hesitation, the group -- consisting mostly of students -- still averaged 75
minutes of gaming two times per week. The Average Joe Wannabees spent an
average of 80 minutes playing every other day, but they didn't want to tell
anyone about their gaming obsessions. The majority of the group was
constructed of Teens, Kids and Tweens.

"This study proves that the conventional wisdom around who plays online casual
games doesn't match the new reality," said Dave Williams, Senior Vice
President and General Manager, Nickelodeon Kids and Family Games Group.
"Casual games continue to gain broader appeal across demos and, as a result,
the opportunity to serve more audiences and capture more value from these
games is greater than ever before."

Where and What They Play
The study found that online gamers talk about and share their favorite games,
with 49 percent of those surveyed claiming they find gaming sites through
friends. Search also plays a big role, with 40 percent of respondents
utilizing search engines to find games sites. No single site dominated the
casual gaming category, but there was high satisfaction among all of the sites
that were used. The most popular gaming destinations listed by the surveyed
group were gaming-specific sites and included MTVN's Shockwave.com
(http://www.shockwave.com) and AddictingGames.com
(http://www.addictinggames.com), both of which recently introduced new
site-wide community features. Action and adventure games were most popular
with Kids and Tweens, while puzzle games were the favorite among Adults and
Boomers preferred card and casino games.

The Role of Advertising
Of those surveyed, 90 percent preferred having advertising on gaming sites to
paying a fee for games and many were open to branded games. Surprisingly, dads
were the group most willing to pay for games, which was echoed by the fact
that overall, males were more likely to pay for games than females.

Dads also had the best reaction to branded games, as 34 percent of them held a
better impression of a product or brand after playing a sponsored game.
Overall, the study concluded that consumers react positively to branded games
in which the product and message are integrated and game is fun.

The complete results of the study are available upon request.

MTVN's Nickelodeon Kids and Family Group is home to Addicting Games and
Shockwave, the preeminent social gaming sites on the Web. AddictingGames is
the number one independent gaming site, coming off its best month ever in June
2008 with 10.7 million unique visitors, who spent on average of 30.5 minutes
on the site during each visit (comScore Media Metrix). Shockwave, the original
casual gaming site, hosts more than 400 games, including more than 100
exclusive self published titles.

About MTV Networks
MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is one of the world's
leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. MTV
Networks, with more than 150 channels worldwide, owns and operates the
following television programming services -- MTV: MUSIC TELEVISION, MTV2, VH1,
mtvU, NICKELODEON, NICK at NITE, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV LAND, SPIKE TV, CMT, LOGO,
NOGGIN, THE N, VH1 CLASSIC, MTVN INTERNATIONAL and THE DIGITAL SUITE FROM MTV
NETWORKS, a package of 13 digital services, all of these networks trademarks
of MTV Networks. MTV Networks connects with its audiences through its robust
consumer products businesses and its more than 300 interactive properties
worldwide, including online, broadband, wireless and interactive television
services and also has licensing agreements, joint ventures, and syndication
deals whereby all of its programming services can be seen worldwide.

SOURCE MTV Networks

Mark Jafar of MTV Networks, +1-212-846-8961, mark.jafar@mtvstaff.com