1）《Frontiers in Cognition》杂志近日发表了一篇由佛罗里达州立大学副教授Walter Boot、心理学博士生Daniel Blakely、伊利诺伊大学研究人员Daniel Simons共同撰写的论文，文章指出目前业内关于玩游戏能够提高人们认知能力的调查研究方法并不科学。

Brain_improvement(from gamertell.com)

该文作者认为，虽然这些研究结果表明，游戏玩家在实验中比非游戏用户的认知能力更高，但这可能只能说明认知能力更高的人更容易成为游戏玩家，而不能证实游戏本身就具有这种积极作用。

文章称许多研究项目总是找一些“骨灰级”玩家参与实验，这实际上只增强了自选择偏差（游戏邦注：self-selection bias，统计学术语）的程度，而且也向这些实验者释放了一个“你们需要参与具有挑战性，关于认知能力的电脑游戏测试”这种强烈的暗示信号。

除此之外，参与实验的玩家往往事先就知道研究人员对其预期很高，他们会因此而更有动力在测试中发挥出色表现，而非游戏玩家则不存在这种动机。

文章作者并不完全否认游戏具有提高人们认知能力的可能性，但提出目前尚无科学依据可证明玩游戏与认知能力之间存在关系。他们建议研究人员做实验时要秘密选择受访者，而且只能将电子游戏作为测试的环节之一，同时要兼顾更多可能影响研究结果的其他变量。

在2009年曾有一项法国调查研究指出，玩《Brain Age》系列游戏并不像任天堂和日本神经系统科学家Ryuta Kawashima声称具有提高认知能力的作用。

2）据Google+平台博客信息显示，谷歌将向开发者发布Google+API，但仅限于访问公开数据（不可访问Circles功能）。

Google APIs Explorer(from insidesocialgames)

但观察者称，由于Circles功能涉及用户隐私数据，这个问题比较棘手，因此谷歌可能要再过一段时间才会推出功能较齐全的Google+API。

3）据韩国网游戏公司Nexon报告，有2万6983对在《MapleStory》游戏中结成连理的“夫妻”，最后有75%（2万344对“夫妻”）的婚姻都会无疾而终。值得注意的是，这种在游戏中结婚的成本不低，玩家每次“结婚”需支付价值25美元的Nexon Cash。

MapleStory(from games)

至于这类MMO游戏的“离婚率”为何如此之高，Nexon公司找不到具体原因。但一名19岁的游戏玩家Seth的解释也许可以反映出一种普遍现象：他称自己与之前的游戏伴侣进展顺利，一起跑任务，升级打怪，然后就成了游戏中的“夫妻”，但后来发现对方“结婚”动机不纯，纯粹只是为了从他身上获得免费道具，所以两人就中止了这段“婚姻”。

4）据FarmVille Freak报道，社交游戏开发商Zynga将通过《FarmVille》交叉推广其波士顿工作室作品《Adventure World》（游戏邦注：该游戏尚未获得其他Zynga游戏的交叉推广支持），据AppData数据显示，这款Zynga新作发布首周的表现并不是很理想。

adventure_world_billboard(from farmvillefreak)

《Adventure World》在上周仅收获41.9万MAU，DAU最高峰时也仅达20.3万，而且其用户数量正在下滑，近日的DAU只有19万左右。观察者称，尽管该游戏发布仅一周左右，现在判断其未来情况为时尚早，但对比《like Empires & Allies》和《CityVille》这两者亮相之初的叫好叫座（这两者在Facebook发布头两周就收获数百万用户），《Adventure World》的情况不免令人担忧。

5）网页及社交游戏公司King.com最近宣布向Facebook发布新游戏《Bubble Witch Saga》，并准备在今年底发布其手机版本。该游戏是King.com热门游戏《Bubble Witch》的扩展内容，含有70多个关卡。

King.com--MAU & DAU(from insidesocialgames)

King.com宣称在过去一年中，其Facebook、手机及平板电脑平台的200多款游戏MAU已双倍增长至9亿以上。据AppData数据显示，King.com在Facebook平台MAU已超越PopCap，以下是该公司Facebook游戏的相关数据：

·MAU：1648万900

·在过去一周新增17万6.76的MAU

·DAU：235万8526

·在过去一周减少27万1032的DAU

·King.com的头号热门游戏《Bubble Saga》最近MAU是669万9588

·第五大热门游戏《Miner Speed》最近MAU是156万2962（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

1）Google+ Opens First APIs: Read-Only And No Circle Access For Now

MG Siegler

A week ago, we noted the talk amongst developers that a Google+ API could be months away. The next day, we learned that Google was reaching out to “trusted” developers — among them, Google Ventures-backed startups — to try out their early stab at the API. Google was not happy we found this out (and went on a witch hunt to find the leaker) — so it shouldn’t be too surprising that today they’re announcing some initial APIs for everyone to use.

As they post on the Google+ Platform Blog, the initial API is ready to go, but it’s limited. The focus right now is only on publicly-shared data (so no Circles) and it’s read-only.

Still, this initial release should placate many of the developers who have been asking for any access to Google+ data since day one.

But the main focus of Google+ is clearly on the Circles sharing concept. The API for that is probably one that everyone is really waiting for. And that one could be a ways off since it involves complex connections and tricky privacy implications. Even more important will be the write API. But again, with the Circles element, it’s complicated.

Google’s Chris Chabot talks a bit more about this initial API on, where else, Google+.

“These APIs allow you to retrieve the public profile information and public posts of the Google+ users, and they lay the foundation for us to build on together – Nothing great is ever built in a vacuum so I’m excited to start the conversation about what the Google+ platform should look like,” he writes.（source:techcrunch）

2）Psychology Researchers Argue Gamer ‘Improvement’ Studies Are Flawed

by Kyle Orland

A new article from a number of psychology researchers attempts to throw cold water on studies that claim to show that playing games leads to important cognitive benefits.

A number of studies have shown that playing a wide variety of video games can lead to improvements in visual acuity, hand-eye coordination, cognition and memory.

But in a new piece written for Frontiers in Cognition magazine (and thoroughly summarized in this Gamasutra blog post), FSU assistant professor Walter Boot, psychology doctoral student Daniel Blakely and University of Illinois collaborator Daniel Simons point out methodological flaws in many of these studies that they say throw the results into question.

Though these studies routinely show gamers have higher cognitive abilities than non-gamers, the authors argue that this could simply mean that those with higher cognitive abilities are more likely to become gamers, rather than that the games themselves are imparting any specific benefit.

Fliers seeking study participants that are “expert” gamers are could heighten this self-selection bias, the authors argue, by signaling that participants should be able to “perform on challenging, often game-like computer tests of cognition.”

In addition, gamers may be more motivated to perform well in these tests because they “come into the lab knowing exactly how they are expected to perform,” as Blakely puts it, while the novices have no such motivation.

While the authors don’t entirely discount the possibility that games could have positive cognitive effects, they say no study yet has met the methodological “gold standard” required to help prove the relationship.

In future studies, the authors suggest researchers select participants covertly, using surveys in which video game experience is just one of a number of evaluated metrics, and account more for other possible confounding variables that could lead to observed differences.

In 2009, a French research study found that playing the popular Brain Age series of titles did not lead to the cognitive improvements suggested by publisher Nintendo and Japanese neuroscientist Ryuta Kawashima. （source:gamasutra）

3）A sad 75 percent of (expensive) MapleStory marriages end in divorce

by Joe Osborne

And you thought the 50 percent divorce rate of real marriages in the U.S. was bad. Nexon reports that, of the 26,982 in-game MapleStory marriages, 20,344 (or 75 percent) end in annulment.

And those in-game betrothals aren’t cheap–each union in the free-to-play MMO (massively multiplayer online game) costs $25 in Nexon Cash, the South Korean developer’s paid currency.

After seeing the massive (and kind of depressing) divorce rate, the Nexon community team turned to its players to find out just what was up. And while the company didn’t find out much, it did uncover some hilarious somber stories. Take Seth, a 19-year-old MapleStory player from Colorado Springs, Colo:

My former Maple spouse and I started off great; going on party quests together, boss runs, training, helping each other become better Maplers. Then I realized after a while that she was only out there to get free things off of me and we got in this conversation where she admitted to this accusation, so I decided I would have to annul our Maple marriage.（source:games）

4）Will Zynga finally promote Adventure World in FarmVille and elsewhere?

by Joe Osborne

According to the numbers, it just might have to. FarmVille Freak has found an unreleased piece of Adventure World in Zynga’s first big time Facebook game, FarmVille. The website discovered that soon (if not already), Zynga might cross promote the first Facebook game by its Boston studio through the familiar billboard method that players are used to seeing.

This might come in addition to a neighbor card featuring the Adventure World logo that will likely take players directly to the brand new game. Adventure World, Zynga’s largest, most ambitious (and different) Facebook game to date isn’t doing so hot after its first week of existence, according to AppData.

The game has only managed to garner just over 419,000 monthly players since its launch last week, and just a maximum of over 203,000 daily players. What’s worse is that number is already on the decline, as today it reads just over 190,000. This news may seem premature, as the game has only been on Facebook publicly for a week. However, consider games like Empires & Allies and CityVille, which soared within their first two weeks on Facebook to tens of millions of players.

Adventure World doesn’t seem like it will enjoy that astronomical growth, judging from what the first seven days have shown us. In the game’s defense, Adventure World hasn’t enjoyed much cross promotion between Zynga’s existing games, if any at all. Based on the differences from my early look at the game and playing it since, there are some features to the game I could do without, such as the Base Camp (let’s just focus on the adventures, hm?).

Nevertheless, if there is one Zynga game that deserves at least the same growth Empires & Allies earned in the first few weeks after its release, it’s Adventure World. While it includes a few of the common trappings that many believe hold Facebook games back today, it’s also treading new ground with its interactive environments and huge scope. So, here’s to hoping Zynga Boston’s debut finds its second wind–and fast.（source:games）

5）King.com Prepares To Launch Bubble Witch Saga for Facebook

By Azam Khan

Competitive social gaming giant King.com announced today the launch of Bubble Witch Saga, a game available on Facebook.  While the initial launch is only available on Facebook, King.com intends cross-platform portability on mobile devices later this year. More after the jump.

King.com has experienced quite a success with their earlier title, Miner Speed, available on Facebook, iOS, and Android devices. King.com announced that over the past year, they have doubled monthly gameplays and have reached over 900 million MAU over its 200 games available on multiple platforms – Facebook, mobile, and tablet.

Bubble Witch Saga, an expansion to King.com’s popular title, Bubble Witch, features rich story telling, new content, boosters, and over 70 levels within a unique and magical world. Bubble Witch’s concept involves the player assuming the role of a 4th witch in a circle, bursting bubbles to keep the cauldron from overflowing.

“We are very excited to have more than doubled our monthly game plays since launching our cross-platform games initiatives. We appreciate the dedication of our players and look forward to continue delivering more great games,” said Riccardo Zacconi, CEO, King.com.  “Our gamers have been really enjoying our ‘Saga’ games so we decided to ‘Saga-fy’ one of our most popular games, Bubble Witch, to give them a little more of what they love from King.com.”

I think we are going to see a rapid emergence of cross-platform competitive gaming.  Appdata reported that King.com surpassed Popcap in MAU on Facebook. These statistics warrant serious consideration for companies in entering the multi-platform space, although the exact mechanisms King.com is using to create the impression of ‘cross-platform’ play is unknown. Most likely it is some sort of Facebook authentication that spans out to the open mobile web.

The following are some recent numbers about King.com:

MAU of 16,480,900

Over last 7 days, MAU has increased by 176,076

DAU of 2,358,526

Over last 7 days, DAU has decreased by 271,032

Bubble Saga is King.com’s top ranked app with MAU of 6,699,588

Miner Speeds is ranked 5th with MAU of 1,562,962 （source:socialtimes）