For Immediate Release: 22 September 2011 Contact: Colleen Brady International Communication Association 202.955.1444 cbrady@icahdq.

org Scott Caplans article is the top-cited article of the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication Washington, D.C. Scott Caplan, PhD, of the University of Delaware, recently had his article ranked as the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communications top-cited article of 2010. Caplans article, titled Who plays, how much, and why? Debunking the stereotypical gamer profile, was published in the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 13:4 in 2008. It was cited 12 times in 2010 and has been cited 22 times to date. Caplan coauthored the article with Dmitri Williams, of the University of Southern California, and Nick Yee, of the Palo Alto Research Center. Their abstract follows: Online games have exploded in popularity, but for many researchers access to players has been difficult. The study reported here is the first to collect a combination of survey and behavioral data with the cooperation of a major virtual world operator. In the current study, 7,000 players of the massively multiplayer online game (MMO) EverQuest 2 were surveyed about their offline characteristics, their motivations and their physical and mental health. These self-report data were then combined with data on participants actual in-game play behaviors, as collected by the game operator. Most of the results defy common stereotypes in surprising and interesting ways and have implications for communication theory and for future investigations of games. About the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication The Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication is a web-based journal that publishes scholarship on computer-mediated communication. It is ranked third in ISI Journal Citation Reports. About ICA The International Communication Association is an academic association for scholars interested in the study, teaching, and application of all aspects of human and mediated communication. With more than 4,300 members in 80 countries, ICA includes 26 divisions and interest groups and publishes the Communication Yearbook and five major, peer-reviewed journals: Journal of Communication, Communication Theory, Human Communication Research, Communication, Culture & Critique, and the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication. For more information, visit www.icahdq.org. ###