The NPD Group's steady stream of gaming industry studies continues today with a fascinating look at the game purchasing community. Here's the most surprising statistic to come from the study -- in a poll asking what methods gaming enthusiasts used to gather information about new titles, 41 percent of participants chose the "word of mouth" response. This far outweighs the ratio of gamers who draw information from advertisements, social networking sites and hands-on time with games at a friend or relatives' house.