Gaming is the most popular Internet pursuit in US

But it's true. A new report confirms that despite the explosion of web 2.0 social networks and user-generated content sites such as YouTube, it is Internet gaming that is by far the most popular online activity in the US.

Interestingly it is not the teenage nerd that is driving these numbers but adult men and women over the age of 35 that are filling out the rounding figures in the highly specific "casual game" sector.

The "casual game" is defined by the International Game Developers Association (IDGA) as "a category of electronic or computer games targeted at a mass audience with very simple rules or play techniques and a very low degree of strategy, making them easy to learn and play as a pastime." Some examples of casual games are Bejeweled, Super Collapse! 3 and Slingo.

This sector is now valued at about US$2 billion per annum and, according to a study by the research group Parks Associates, entitled the "Casual Gaming Market Update," 34 per cent US adult Internet users play online games on a weekly basis, compared with 29 per cent who watch short online videos and 19 per cent who visit social networking sites with the same frequency.

The author of the report, James Kuai, says, "Despite the growing popularity of YouTube, MySpace, and Facebook, gaming remains the king of online entertainment, driven largely by casual gaming activities. Gaming also has business advantages.