New Research Reveals UK Commuters' Biggest Bugbears (After Eyjafjallajokull, That is)

PopCap.com Study Advises You Mind the Gap, Your Own Business and Your Personal Hygiene

LONDON, May 19, 2010 - While volcanic ash continues to cause travel chaos, PopCap.com
research highlights some of the more banal annoyances that commuters deal
with day to day. A sidebar to a wider study, to be released next month, the
findings may not take your mind off whether your flight will be cancelled
last minute due to volcanic action - but it lends some entertaining commuter
trivia to distract you while you wait at the airport:

    - The single most irritating thing about commuting is people who smell.
      Scottish commuters are most bothered by it. And women find it more
      offensive than men.

    - People talking loudly on their mobile phones was a close second with
      over half of those surveyed finding this annoying. Commuters in
      Leeds and Newcastle are the chattiest, with one in four admitting to
      calling people during their commute to work.

    - Almost half of commuters surveyed listen to other people's
      conversations. Over half read newspapers, text messages, books and
      confidential work documents over passengers' shoulders.

    - Surprisingly, women are LESS tolerant of children and babies than men -
      and are more likely to read a book, text and play mobile games. Men
      prefer crosswords, listening to music or simply do nothing.

    - Mobile gaming is stealing time from traditional books and newspapers
      with over a quarter of Brits aged 16-24 playing games on a mobile
      device to pass the time on journeys. That's compared to just 11% ten
      years ago.

    - London commuters finding slow-moving crowds the most irritating - four
      times more annoying than those in Sheffield.

    - While many commuters are content to chat on the phone, just 7% are
      willing to chat to fellow commuters. Those who believe that it's
      friendlier "up North" are proved wrong - people in Sheffield, Leeds
      and Liverpool are just as unlikely to engage in conversation as those
      in London. Bristol and Cardiff commuters are most willing to chat.

And if you are still looking for further distraction, you can
log onto www.popcap.com to play for free. With games said to help
relieve stress and aid mental cognition, it could be time well spent.

Notes to editors

Source: PopCap.com

1,564 UK adults were surveyed. They all resided in Great Britain and
were aged 18+.

PopCap Games (www.popcap.com) is the leading
multi-platform provider of casual video games: fun, easy-to-learn,
captivating games that appeal to everyone from age 6 to 106 and are available
anytime, anywhere. Based in Seattle, Washington, PopCap was founded in 2000
and has a worldwide staff of more than 275 people in Seattle, San Francisco,
Chicago, Vancouver, B.C., Dublin, Seoul, and Shanghai. Its games have been
downloaded over 1.5 billion times by consumers worldwide, and its flagship
title, Bejeweled, has sold more than 50 million units across all platforms.
Constantly acclaimed by consumers and critics, PopCap's games are played on
the Web, social platforms, desktop computers, myriad mobile devices (cell
phones, smartphones, PDAs, Pocket PCs, iPod, iPhone, iPad and more), popular
game consoles (such as Xbox and DS), and in-flight entertainment systems.
PopCap has been one of the most innovative companies in the video industry
since its inception a decade ago. Pioneering new game mechanics, sales
models, and platforms ranging from mobile devices to online and
location-based games of chance, PopCap is the only video game provider in the
world with leading market share across the entire spectrum.

    PR Contact:

    International:

    Cathy Orr
    corr@popcap.com
    +353-1-646-8107

    Ember Wardrop
    ember@popcap.com
    +353-1-646-8164

PR Contact: International: Cathy Orr, corr at popcap.com, +353-1-646-8107; Ember Wardrop, ember at popcap.com, +353-1-646-8164