While Twitter's founders are struggling to figure out exactly how to cash in on their creation, others may have found a way.

Lolplaying, a gaming company, seems to have found a new way to make some cash with their new role-playing game called 140Mafia (a reference to how many characters you use to tweet). The company is trying to harness Twitter's ability to make money by teaming with Super Rewards, which is a "virtual currency" service that makes a great deal of cash from various forms of online recreation.

With all the gloom in the global economy, I got to wondering whether there is anything else going on in the world of business. I'm looking for growth because I think that's what will ultimately bring the economy out of the doldrums. Not surprisingly, that growth is coming from technology companies. In Growth Matters, I look at consumer technology companies that point the way to growth trends -- and in the process introduce services and products you may want to explore.

If you like playing games on your PC, then you should know Jagex -- or its popular RuneScape game. To learn more, I interviewed Adam Tuckwell, Jagex's head of public relations, who said, "Jagex is one of the world's leading developers of browser-based games. We specialize in the development of online games that can be played on almost any PC in the world. Our flagship title, RuneScape, is a massively multiplayer online role playing game that has been played by over 150 million people."

The9 (NASDAQ: NCTY) implied volatility elevated into 8/29 EPS.

NCTY, an online game operator headquartered in Shanghai, is recently down $0.10 to $38.65. NCTY is expected to report EPS on 8/29/07. NCTY has a market cap of $996 million. NCTY September option implied volatility of 79 is above its 26-week average of 59 according to Track Data, suggesting larger risk.

Shanda Interactive (NASDAQ: SNDA) September implied volatility elevated into EPS.

SNDA, an interactive entertainment media company and operator of on line games in China, is recently up $1.56 to $30.68. SNDA has a market cap of $2.2 billion. SNDA is expected to report second quarter EPS on 8/28. SNDA September option implied volatility of 70 is above its 26-week average of 46 according to Track Data, suggesting larger risk.

NetEase (NASDAQ: NTES) implied volatility of 43 above 26-week average of 36.

NTES, an interactive online community in China, is recently down .10 to $16.33. NTES over all option implied volatility of 43 is above its 26-week average of 36 according to Track Data, suggesting larger price fluctuations.

Daily options Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com.

A report from IDC shows that Perfect World is the most popular online game developer in China. In light of the growth in that market, it's a nice place to be.

It also helps attract investors. So, Perfect World has filed to go public in the US markets.

The firm's games are in 3D and are powered by a highly sophisticated proprietary engine -- called Angelica.

As of the first quarter, Perfect World's games have averaged about 237,000 concurrent users.

Perfect World has experimented with several business models. One approach is to charge based on time played and the other is to charge for items used in a game (known as "in-game items).

Last year, the company posted revenues of $12.9 million. And, for Q1 of 2007, revenues hit $11.9 million.

So how big is the market opportunity in China? IDC pegs the market at $816 million in 2006, which represents a 73.5% increase over 2005. The market is expected to surge to $3 billion by 2011.

The lead underwriters for Perfect World include Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) and Credit Suisse.

You can find the prospectus at the SEC web site. And, if you want to see some recent IPO filings, you can click here.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including the Complete M&A Handbook and the EDGAR-Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements.

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) is spending about $167 million for a 15% share in The9 (NASDAQ: NCTY), one of China's largest online game operators. In March, Electronic Arts bought 19% of NeoWiz, a Korean company, for about $105 million.

While these moves into Asia are part of a strategic initiative to develop a stronger distribution network in the region, it got me wondering: If Electronic Arts is in a buying mood, what about Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO)? The company has been plagued by just about every scandal imaginable: options backdating, overstated earnings, porn in video games, etc. But after major institutional investors ousted the company's slimy management, things could be in store for a turnaround. and investors who are fed-up with the company's underperformance may want it to explore a sale.

The prices paid for The9 and NeoWiz might make Take-Two look inexpensive, with its market cap of $1.4 billion, and strong brands, mainly the Grand Theft Auto series (I don't normally play video games, but Grand Theft Auto is amazing).

The shares were up almost 3% today, so maybe investors think Take-Two is a takeover candidate, too. I wouldn't be buying the stock here, given all the problems that are still dogging the company, but there's no arguing that its brands have a lot of value.