Bejeweled neon diamond lamp lights up PopCap's Week 3 charity auction

Easily recognizable from anywhere, the iconic Bejeweled diamond has been transformed into a neon lamp by Seattle artist Jeremy Bert. That glowy blue is just mesmerizing, isn't it?

Other eyecandy highlights for this week are canvas and sketches for Plants vs. Zombies, Zuma, and Peggle.

For the ceramic dishware fans (hey, that's me!) and the Facebook gamers out there, Erin Middendorf -- who's "PopCap's lead artist for Zuma Blitz by day, and master potter by night" -- has created a Zuma Blitz tea set. What an awesome follow-up to the Peggle sake set and the Plants vs. Zombies ceramic mug and bowl set!

Lastly, there's a Plants vs. Zombies outfit of the ubiquitous Zombie (see it in the video below) to complement last week's Peashooter costume. But it's not limited to Halloween, cause this is the same official costume that's been paraded around by PopCap's staff at major video games conventions, such as E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) and PAX (Penny Arcade Expo).
Zuma Blitz ceramic tea set

PopCap study: Play games with your kids, they'll be better for it

Man, there's nothing like a feel-good study to cheer you up on a Friday. PopCap Games, creator of Bejeweled and Zuma Blitz for Facebook, has helped in a study by Goldsmiths University that finds some comforting results for gamer parents, at least. According to the study, one in five parents said that playing computer games has helped their children develop a better understanding of technology.

While the organization does not reveal the exact number of participants, it goes on to report on findings that a third of parents believe gaming has increased their kids' concentration and that 53 percent believe that casual video games have improved their kids' problem solving skills. And the kids want more, apparently, as 27 percent of parents reported that their children attempt to borrow their smartphones to play casual games on.

"These findings are important because they highlight the social benefits of playing videogames," said Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Reader in Psychology at Goldsmiths in a release. "Previous research has tended to look only at the individual effects of video games, but in the era of social networking games appear to play a vital role in enhancing social relationships. The fact that both parents and grandparents are using games to connect with their children and grandchildren, and quite successfully, suggests that video games can improve social skills and make a key contribution to both effective parenting and child development."

Well, there's your educated, scientific opinion, so take it or leave it. Keep in mind, however, this survey comes from the help of a company that may have interest in this particular market (with all due respect, of course). For those of you who hand the toddler the iPad or the Wii remote every once in a while, more power to ya. (Besides, a two-year-old with an iPad is YouTube gold.)