PopCap Games just revealed results of a recent survey that shows 57 percent of AT&T wireless customers polled play mobile games on their wireless devices. The survey was conducted by Information Solutions Group among more than 1,100 AT&T wireless customers.

The study indicates that mobile gaming serves as a distraction and a source of stress relief for on-the-go consumers, with more than 50 per cent of those polled said they gamed as a distraction from daily life issues, while 40 per cent said they gamed for relaxation and stress relief.

On the boss' nickel, 50 per cent of mobile gamers polled say they play mobile games during work hours, while one in seven mobile gamers say they most often play games on their phone during work when they need a short break.

By "short," 91 per cent of respondents said gaming sessions are 30 minutes or less.

Those same respondents that like wasting the boss' money indicate they do not like spending their own, not on mobile games, anyway. While one-third of mobile gamers surveyed said they were "somewhat or very likely" to purchase a game for their cell phone in 2009, only 26 per cent said they've paid for a mobile game to this point. But, 76 per cent said they have played free games that came pre-installed on their phone, and 33 per cent indicated they have downloaded one or more free games.

Games "most enjoyed," according to the survey, are Tetris (20 per cent), Bejeweled (18 per cent), and Solitaire (17 per cent).