Popcap Games, developers of titles such as Peggle and Bejeweled, has announced the results to an interesting survey they have conducted into the habits of social gaming cheats.
In the survey, more that 1,200 gamers answered questions regarding their gaming behaviour. Of those who participated, 48% of people who admitted to cheating on social games, said that they would also cheat in real life.
Social gaming is more popular with women (55% to 45%), but Popcap reveals that men are the bigger cheats (54% to 46%). Professor Clay Routledge of North Dakota State University's Department of Psychology said: "How we behave in virtual space and interact with others in social games often mirrors how we act in the real world."
He later added: "With more than 100 million people playing social games regularly, we can expect to see the full range of psychological characteristics represented in the social gaming population - even cheating."
Their report revealed that:
-53% of people who cheat in social games report cheating on tests at school.
-U.K. cheaters are significantly more likely to cheat on their taxes than U.S. cheaters (58% versus 33%).
-Overall 51% of people who cheat at social games report stealing towels, cups or other items from hotels (compared to just 14% of those who said they don't cheat at social games). In the UK that rises to 60%.
-51% of people who cheat at social games report parking in handicap spaces despite not being eligible (compared to only 12% of those who don't cheat in social games). In the UK, 48% of cheating respondents would take the handicapped space.
-Overall 49% of people who cheat at social games report cheating on a committed relationship. In the UK, that figure increases to 51%.
-47% of people who cheat at social games report stealing packets of sugar, butter or jam from a restaurant
43% of people who cheat at social games report stealing magazines from a waiting room.
To Download the full report, click here.
<bild>You can't cheat at Peggle. It's against the law.</bild>