Zynga's “Friends” Have Benefits

Can you spell H-O-O-K-U-P?

Zynga is having a good time time with this one -- its popular game, "Words With Friends," is being used by players to score -- in more ways than one.

The San Francisco gaming company released statistics on this Valentine's Day, showing that people are getting more out of WWF than just improved grammar skills.  Out of 100,000 WWF players surveyed, one in 10 say playing the game has led directly to a hookup.  Really.  Nearly half of the players admit to having a crush on the person they're playing with right now.  And, 44 percent of WWF-ers say they've flirted with someone via the game.

Social gaming, indeed.

If you're single on this Valentine's Day, maybe you should be playing:  Four out of 10 respondents say they would date someone they met through the game, while 25 percent say they've exchanged their WWF name with potential mates, instead of a phone number.

And, amid all that lovey-dovey stuff, a reason for home among us writers:  One out of three in the Zynga survey say they would be "more willing to hook up with someone" if that someone was good at the game.

Now, that's what I call a reason to get good with words.

Scott, who plays WWF, is on Twitter: @scottbudman.

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