Valve are always a sucker for statistics. Whether it's to see what games are being played or what software gamers have installed on their hard drives, they want to know it all. Now that the first dozen Mutation game modes are behind us, Valve have decided to take a moment and discuss just what gamers have been playing.

Prior to Mutations "Versus and Co-op Campaign were tied neck and neck each with around 40% (80-85% total) of the players on any given day. The other 15-20% was split between Survival, Realism and Scavenge".

Each week, a new Mutation has been tested on the servers, offering a new set of rules to mix up the gameplay. Not intended to replace existing game modes, the Mutations have been introduced to encourage players to look at the game in new ways. It's a way of leveling the playing field for casual and hardcore players alike.

Not every Mutation has been a hit and some have certainly proved more popular than others. One Mutation in particular has proved its worth as a permanent addition. Realism Versus is now a staple on the multiplayer scene after it managed to claim 22% of the player minutes in the week it was featured, after being tried by 41% of all players. For comparisons sake, the "similar but different" Survival Versus game mode managed only 4% of the player minutes in its feature week and was played by just 25% of all players.

The breakdown of the most popular game modes is as follows:

The top 3 Mutations based on percentage of players who tried it at least once:
52% Chainsaw Massacre
45% Last Man On Earth
41% Realism Versus

The top 3 Mutations based on percentage of players minutes during featured week:
22% Realism Versus
14% Chainsaw Massacre
12% Last Gnome on Earth

With promises of more Mutations to come, we'll have to wait and see what Valve has in store for us next.

What has been your favorite Mutation so far?