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NVision’s Elf Bowling has
greatest reach among non-bundled PC games
NEW YORK, March 7, 2000 – Media Metrix (NASDAQ: MMXI),
the pioneer and leader in Internet and Digital Media measurement
worldwide, reports that sixty-one percent of all U.S. home PC users,
or 54.1 million people, played a PC game in the month of December
1999. Among game players overall, Solitaire and other Windows-bundled
games ranked in the top five with 36.5 million people total. NVision
Elf Bowling achieved the highest rating of any non-bundled game with
7.6 million users, making it the sixth most popular PC game. Another
NVision game, Elf Frogapult, came close, ranking number 11 with 1.6
million users.
“In
the four years that Media Metrix has tracked game usage, it is
unprecedented for non-traditional or unbundled games like Elf
Bowling to reach a number-six ranking,” said Bruce Ryon, Senior Vice
President and General Manager of the New Media Group, Media Metrix.
“For Elf Bowling to generate usage of 7.6 million users would have
to be described as a phenomenon. Other popular nontraditional or
non-bundled PC games, such as Myst, Doom, Deer Hunter, and Quake,
have never reached more than two million users in any given month.”
Dallas-based NVision Design, Inc., a contract-engineering firm,
launched Elf Bowling in mid-November as a promotional tool. The game
is set on an ice-bowling lane at the North Pole and the user must
guide Santa in knocking down antagonizing elf “bowling pins.”
NVision was acquired by Vectrix.com in December; its games can be
found at Nstorm.com.
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MEDIA
METRIX, INC.
Top 50 PC Games Played
U.S. Home PC Users
December 1999
|
|
|
Game Title
|
Unique Users (000s)
|
PC User
Share (%)
|
Game User
Share (%)
|
|
|
Total PC
Game Users
|
54,094
|
61.4
|
100.0
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
Interplay Solitaire
|
20,762
|
23.6
|
38.4
|
|
2
|
Microsoft Freecell
|
17,114
|
19.4
|
31.6
|
|
3
|
Microsoft Entertainment Pack
|
12,490
|
14.2
|
23.1
|
|
4
|
Microsoft Hearts Network
|
9,184
|
10.4
|
17.0
|
|
5
|
Microsoft Minesweeper
|
7,960
|
9.0
|
14.7
|
|
6
|
NVision
Design Elf Bowling
|
7,624
|
8.7
|
14.1
|
|
7
|
Microsoft Solitaire
|
3,263
|
3.7
|
6.0
|
|
8
|
Microsoft Golf
|
2,614
|
3.0
|
4.8
|
|
9
|
Slingo
|
1,998
|
2.3
|
3.7
|
|
10
|
NVision
Design Elf Frogapult
|
1,639
|
1.9
|
3.0
|
|
11
|
Sunstorm
Interactive Deer Hunter
|
1,395
|
1.6
|
2.6
|
|
12
|
Cinematronics 3d Pinball
|
1,380
|
1.6
|
2.6
|
|
13
|
Ron
Belewski Mah Jongg
|
1,311
|
1.5
|
2.4
|
|
14
|
Maxis
Simcity 2000
|
1,310
|
1.5
|
2.4
|
|
15
|
Swfte
Bicycle Solitaire
|
1,142
|
1.3
|
2.1
|
|
16
|
Microstar 200 Great Games
|
1,003
|
1.1
|
1.9
|
|
17
|
Nova
Logic Delta Force
|
925
|
1.1
|
1.7
|
|
18
|
Sierra
Online Hoyle Classic Board Games
|
907
|
1.0
|
1.7
|
|
19
|
Hasbro
Rollercoaster Tycoon
|
858
|
1.0
|
1.6
|
|
20
|
Blizzard
Entertainment Starcraft
|
828
|
0.9
|
1.5
|
|
21
|
Sierra
Online Hoyle Classic Card Games
|
819
|
0.9
|
1.5
|
|
22
|
Virgin
Monopoly
|
815
|
0.9
|
1.5
|
|
23
|
Microsoft Network Gaming Zone
|
803
|
0.9
|
1.5
|
|
24
|
Mindscape Lego Island
|
734
|
0.8
|
1.4
|
|
25
|
Moraffware Morejongg!
|
698
|
0.8
|
1.3
|
|
26
|
Wizardworks Fun Pack
|
663
|
0.8
|
1.2
|
|
27
|
Dave
Lemke Spider Solitaire
|
648
|
0.7
|
1.2
|
|
28
|
Microsoft Age Of Empires
|
646
|
0.7
|
1.2
|
|
29
|
Hasbro
Frogger
|
641
|
0.7
|
1.2
|
|
30
|
Microsoft Return Of Arcade
|
563
|
0.6
|
1.0
|
|
31
|
Hasbro
Tonka Search And Rescue
|
562
|
0.6
|
1.0
|
|
32
|
Microsoft Flight Simulator
|
518
|
0.6
|
1.0
|
|
33
|
Blizzard
Diablo
|
505
|
0.6
|
0.9
|
|
34
|
Freeware
Shoot Me Elmo
|
503
|
0.6
|
0.9
|
|
35
|
Fukumoto
& Yoshioka Same Game
|
502
|
0.6
|
0.9
|
|
36
|
Sierra
Online 3D Ultra Minigolf
|
493
|
0.6
|
0.9
|
|
37
|
Activision Battlezone
|
478
|
0.5
|
0.9
|
|
38
|
Hasbro
Scrabble
|
463
|
0.5
|
0.9
|
|
39
|
Mplayer.Com Games
|
458
|
0.5
|
0.8
|
|
40
|
Oska
Deskmate
|
453
|
0.5
|
0.8
|
|
41
|
Segasoft
Lose Your Marbles Lite
|
449
|
0.5
|
0.8
|
|
42
|
Microsoft Monster Truck Madness
|
444
|
0.5
|
0.8
|
|
43
|
Activision Shanghai 2: Dragon's Eye
|
439
|
0.5
|
0.8
|
|
44
|
Sierra
Online Hoyle Book Of Games 1
|
435
|
0.5
|
0.8
|
|
45
|
Virgin
Command & Conquer: Red Alert
|
425
|
0.5
|
0.8
|
|
46
|
Berkeley
Systems You Don't Know Jack V2
|
423
|
0.5
|
0.8
|
|
47
|
Sierra
Online 3d Ultra Pinball 2: Creep Nigh
|
415
|
0.5
|
0.8
|
|
48
|
Sierra
Online Hoyle Casino
|
414
|
0.5
|
0.8
|
|
49
|
Broderbund Myst
|
411
|
0.5
|
0.8
|
|
50
|
Village
Center Screen Mate Poo
|
398
|
0.5
|
0.7
|
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