Mac Games

I believe this to be true. At the end of 2009, I played Bejeweled Blitz for hours — something I rarely do. We had a family crisis and there wasn’t anything I could do about it. Playing the game gave me purpose (trying to top my friends’ high scores) and helped me relax a little. Games also come to the rescue when my brain won’t focus.

It’s like those times when you don’t feel like going to a party or another social event. Once you get there, smile and chat… you feel better. Casual games (non-violent, family-friendly) do that for me and I can get on with my day. Here are the details of the study:

East Carolina University’s Psychophysiology Lab and Biofeedback Clinic completed a year-long randomized, controlled clinical study to look at the efficiency of casual video games for reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety. Almost 60 subjects that met the criteria of clinical depression participated in the study. Half of the subjects were part of the control group. The participants played three family-friendly, non-violent puzzle games: Bejeweled 2, Peggle and Bookworm Adventures. (All of the games are made by PopCap Games, underwriter of the study.)

The result was a 57 percent reduction of depression symptoms along with improved moods.

“The results of this study clearly demonstrate the intrinsic value of certain casual games in terms of significant, positive effects on the moods and anxiety levels of people suffering from any level of depression,” stated Dr. Carmen Russoniello, Director of the Psychophysiology Lab and Biofeedback Clinic at ECU and the professor who oversaw the study (as well as previous studies involving the same games’ effects on stress levels). “In my opinion the findings support the possibility of using prescribed casual video games for treating depression and anxiety as an adjunct to, or perhaps even a replacement for, standard therapies including medication.”

Ehh… I’m not sure I’d recommend games as a replacement to standard therapies and medicine. But at least, it’s an option that might work with all the therapies or for those who are just feeling down, but haven’t been diagnosed with depression. Depression is a real problem, a real illness. But some don’t see it as a real illness without physical symptoms. Nonetheless, games do affect the mood and chase the doldrums away.

Russoniello said that the games had both short term (after 30 minutes of game play) and long term (after one month) effects when compared to the control group.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Meryl Evans

PC and Mac Catch of the Week: G.H.O.S.T. Chronicles: Phantom of the Renaissance Faire finds you hot on the trail of a menacing and terrifying ghost. This vengeful ghost has damaged attractions, vandalized shops and has driven away the park patrons. Inspect the park and determine if this is indeed ghostly activity or just a cruel and disastrous hoax. It is up to you to find out who is behind the haunting at the Renaissance Faire in this exciting (almost every single one claims to be exciting…) hidden object adventure game.

Catch the deal for your PC! Use coupon code CATCH299

Catch the deal for your Mac! Use coupon code CATCH299.

This $2.99 Catch of the Week runs through Sunday, February 20 at 11:59pm.

Remember Big Fish Games has a Daily Deal offering a different game for $2.99 every day. (Look to the right.)

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Meryl Evans

Just discovered Edgar Allan Poe’s birthday is the day before mine. Looked it up because not only does shirt.woot.com feature a cool shirt with ravens creating his likeness, but also it’s this week’s catch. I have the older Edgar Allan Poe Woot shirt: Nevermore.

PC and Mac Catch of the Week: Dark Tales: Edgar Allan Poe’s Murders in the Rue Morgue: A dreadful murder and kidnapping has occurred in the Rue Morgue and only you can solve the dark crime! Follow the clues to find the killer and the missing family. Become the apprentice of the famed C. Auguste Dupin and solve the devious puzzles to find the hidden clues that will lead you to the monstrous murderer. Based on Edgar Allan Poe’s most acclaimed murder mystery, Dark Tales: Edgar Allan Poe’s Murder in the Rue Morgue is a hidden object game full of suspense (when have you NOT heard of “suspense” associated with Poe?) and excitement.

Catch the deal for your PC! Use coupon code CATCH299

Catch the deal for your Mac! Use coupon code CATCH299.

This $2.99 Catch of the Week runs through Sunday, February 13 at 11:59pm.

Remember Big Fish Games has a Daily Deal offering a different game for $2.99 every day. (Look to the right.)

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Meryl Evans

I love Playfirst games. Flo, Diner Dash, Wedding Dash, Dream Chronicles and on and on. Over 60 of its original, non-Collector’s Edition games are available for $4.99 at Big Fish Games through February 7, 2011 at 11:59pm. Use code: Playfirst. With the wintery weather hitting a lot of places in the US, playing games is a great cure for cabin fever.

My recommendations:

• Diner Dash series
• Wedding Dash series
• Dream Chronicles series
• Chocolatier series
• Wandering Willows
• Cooking Dash series
• Emerald City Confidential

Check out the Playfirst games sale. As always, you can try the game before you buy it. Just make sure you try it in time to buy the game before the sale ends.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Meryl Evans

PC and Mac Catch of the Week: The Dark Hills of Cherai: After hearing the story of a great adventurer named Wyatt, and the treasure hidden in his home, a young boy named Arjun decides to find it for himself. Little does he know, however, that an evil magician is waiting to kidnap him! Save your cousin from Digambar, and find the legendary treasure of Cherai! Explore a mysterious palace with three cousins in The Dark Hills of Cherai, using your hidden object talents, to track down the treasure and save your family.

Catch the deal for your PC! Use coupon code CATCH299

Catch the deal for your Mac! Use coupon code CATCH299.

This $2.99 Catch of the Week runs through Sunday, February 6 at 11:59pm.

Remember Big Fish Games has a Daily Deal offering a different game for $2.99 every day. (Look to the right.)

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Meryl Evans

Big Fish extends its sale on the Big Fish Games’ Customer Favorites Awards for 2010! Get any of the standard version winners for only $4.99. Just use the coupon code GAMEOFTHEYEAR during checkout for any standard version game. Coupon code will not work for Collector Edition titles.

You can apply your coupon code in the shopping cart during checkout as follows:

1. Sign in or create a free Big Fish Games account.
2. Find any standard version game and click Buy It.
3. From the shopping cart, enter your coupon code underneath the question, Have a coupon code?, and click Apply Code.

The sale runs through Monday, January 31, 2011.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Meryl Evans

PC and Mac Catch of the Week: Cassandra’s Journey 2: The Fifth Sun of Nostradamus: Cassandra finally has her magical ring back, and must now find and banish a mysterious demon that has come to our world! Along the way, you’ll learn new magical spells and help Violet find her missing brother, Michael. Cassandra’s Journey 2: The Fifth Sun of Nostradamus will test all of your hidden object talents with unique gameplay and magical minigames! Banish the demon and save the world from evil!

I wonder if Nostradamus predicted there’d be a game with his name? This is the sequel to Cassandra’s Journey: The Legacy of Nostradamus.

Catch the deal for your PC! Use coupon code CATCH299

Catch the deal for your Mac! Use coupon code CATCH299.

This $2.99 Catch of the Week runs through Sunday, January 30 at 11:59pm.

Remember Big Fish Games has a Daily Deal offering a different game for $2.99 every day. (Look to the right.)

PC Catch of the Week: Haunted Hotel II: Believe the Lies: A year has passed since the first encounter with the Haunted Hotel. Since then, a lone FBI agent has taken the case and discovered that the mystery is deeper than originally suspected. His investigation leads him to the Lonely Star, a Hotel with an intriguing mystery surrounding it. Can our hero find out who is behind the disappearances and close the case once and for all? Help the agent seek out the answers in his thrilling investigation of Haunted Hotel 2!

Catch the deal for your PC! Use coupon code CATCH299

Mac Catch of the Week: The Mystery of the Crystal Portal: Beyond the Horizon: Join Nicole, and her sidekick Igor, as they trek across the globe in search of her missing father! Discover a secret so big that it could threaten the very course of human history. Solve puzzles from her home in New York City, to distant lands on the other side of the world to find her beloved father and save human kind. Solve interactive puzzles and find many Hidden Object scenes in Mystery of the Crystal Portal – Beyond the Horizon.

Catch the deal for your Mac! Use coupon code CATCH299.

This $2.99 Catch of the Week runs through Sunday, January 23 at 11:59pm.

Remember Big Fish Games has a Daily Deal offering a different game for $2.99 every day.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Meryl Evans

You’ve met Flo, haven’t ya? What do you mean “Flo who?” Ah, you need to meet one of PlayFirst’s stars, Flo of the Diner Dash series and this week’s catch is a great place to start because it goes back to the beginning — her first Diner Dash game.

PC and Mac Catch of the Week: Diner Dash: This action-puzzler serves up a build-your-restaurant-empire theme and FUN is the special of the day! Serve your way from a two-table diner to the top of the restaurant ladder, starting with a run-of-the-mill greasy spoon. Work your way up to the top and earn your dream restaurant. With more than 40 levels, a variety of customers, and two modes of play, you’ll feast on pure fun the whole way through. Order up! Try this popular puzzler today!

Catch the deal for your PC! Use coupon code CATCH299

Catch the deal for your Mac! Use coupon code CATCH299.

This $2.99 Catch of the Week runs through Sunday, January 16 at 11:59pm.

If you like Diner Dash, check out:

• Diner Dash 5: Boom
• Cooking Dash
• Wedding Dash

Remember Big Fish Games has a Daily Deal offering a different game for $2.99 every day. (Look to the right.)

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Meryl Evans

Awakening: Moonfell Wood follows Awakening: The Dreamless Castle. After awaking from a century long slumber, Princess Sophia finds an empty world where not a single soul can be found anywhere. Search for helpful clues and discover Sophia’s destiny in Awakening: Moonfell Wood, a hidden object puzzle adventure game. You’ll follow your fairy friend while exploring beautiful magical world to help Sophia find her people.

Where Awakening: Moonfell Wood succeeds most is in its vibrant graphics that make you feel like you’ve walked into a fairytale. Its puzzles don’t have anything special as you’ll find many of the same things — find 15 of X objects, for example — in other games.

Download and try Awakening: Moonfell Wood.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Meryl Evans