The average video game has a shelf life of less than two years. However, one game continues to grow in users over a decade after its release. Minecraft is not only the most popular video game in the world, with an average of 140 million monthly players – it is also the best-selling video game of all time, with over 238 million copies bought worldwide. (Prefer table-top entertainment? These are the best selling board games in America.)
Minecraft is a so-called open-world sandbox game – one in which players can explore an infinite terrain for resources with complete freedom of movement then create their own worlds. There are no set objectives besides what the player determines, and the game encourages creativity, resourcefulness, and exploration. Its lack of gore or extreme violence makes it suitable for children, but its complexity can keep adults of all ages engaged.
Although there are Minecraft players in every country, Americans are the most active. The U.S. accounts for over 21% of daily users – about 3.5 times the number of users in the next highest playing country, Brazil – but the game is substantially more popular in some states than others. (These are the most followed video game franchises in the U.S.)
To determine the states most obsessed with Minecraft, 24/7 Tempo reviewed research conducted by autoclicker.io, a site owned by the developer of software that automates mouse clicks. The site analyzed all 50 states and the District of Columbia, ranking them based on the number of times people in each state Googled terms related to an interest in Minecraft over the past 12 months. A total of 47 relevant search terms were used in the study, including “Minecraft”, “Minecraft pocket edition”, “Minecraft classic”, “Minecraft dungeons”, and “Minecraft movie.” The sum of the number of searches for each term was compared to each state’s population to calculate the number of searches per 100,000 people.
51. Mississippi
> Searches per 100,000 people: 873
> Total search volume: 25,680 – 15th lowest
> Population: 2,940,057
50. Louisiana
> Searches per 100,000 people: 984
> Total search volume: 45,168 – 22nd lowest
> Population: 4,590,241
49. Alabama
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,012
> Total search volume: 51,372 – 25th lowest
> Population: 5,074,296
48. Delaware
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,030
> Total search volume: 10,493 – 6th lowest
> Population: 1,018,396
47. Montana
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,031
> Total search volume: 11,577 – 8th lowest
> Population: 1,122,867
46. South Carolina
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,072
> Total search volume: 56,613 – 25th highest
> Population: 5,282,634
45. Arkansas
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,090
> Total search volume: 33,202 – 18th lowest
> Population: 3,045,637
44. Rhode Island
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,106
> Total search volume: 12,093 – 9th lowest
> Population: 1,093,734
43. South Dakota
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,107
> Total search volume: 10,071 – 5th lowest
> Population: 909,824
42. Wyoming
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,110
> Total search volume: 6,455 – the lowest
> Population: 581,381
41. Vermont
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,134
> Total search volume: 7,337 – 2nd lowest
> Population: 647,064
40. Iowa
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,169
> Total search volume: 37,405 – 19th lowest
> Population: 3,200,517
39. Wisconsin
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,169
> Total search volume: 68,909 – 22nd highest
> Population: 5,892,539
38. Pennsylvania
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,175
> Total search volume: 152,413 – 7th highest
> Population: 12,972,008
37. Tennessee
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,191
> Total search volume: 83,999 – 16th highest
> Population: 7,051,339
36. Maine
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,194
> Total search volume: 16,537 – 10th lowest
> Population: 1,385,340
35. Ohio
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,196
> Total search volume: 140,548 – 8th highest
> Population: 11,756,058
34. Connecticut
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,196
> Total search volume: 43,357 – 21st lowest
> Population: 3,626,205
33. Missouri
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,197
> Total search volume: 73,927 – 20th highest
> Population: 6,177,957
32. Hawaii
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,202
> Total search volume: 17,315 – 12th lowest
> Population: 1,440,196
31. Indiana
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,207
> Total search volume: 82,469 – 17th highest
> Population: 6,833,037
30. New Jersey
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,211
> Total search volume: 112,199 – 13th highest
> Population: 9,261,699
29. Minnesota
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,218
> Total search volume: 69,630 – 21st highest
> Population: 5,717,184
28. New Mexico
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,220
> Total search volume: 25,783 – 16th lowest
> Population: 2,113,344
27. New Hampshire
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,227
> Total search volume: 17,123 – 11th lowest
> Population: 1,395,231
26. Kentucky
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,235
> Total search volume: 55,712 – 26th highest
> Population: 4,512,310
25. Michigan
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,244
> Total search volume: 124,868 – 12th highest
> Population: 10,034,113
24. Illinois
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,248
> Total search volume: 157,006 – 5th highest
> Population: 12,582,032
23. North Dakota
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,258
> Total search volume: 9,807 – 3rd lowest
> Population: 779,261
22. Massachusetts
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,259
> Total search volume: 87,910 – 15th highest
> Population: 6,981,974
21. Nebraska
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,266
> Total search volume: 24,904 – 14th lowest
> Population: 1,967,923
20. Oklahoma
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,269
> Total search volume: 50,999 – 24th lowest
> Population: 4,019,800
19. Kansas
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,278
> Total search volume: 37,538 – 20th lowest
> Population: 2,937,150
18. North Carolina
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,291
> Total search volume: 138,134 – 9th highest
> Population: 10,698,973
17. West Virginia
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,307
> Total search volume: 23,203 – 13th lowest
> Population: 1,775,156
16. Maryland
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,334
> Total search volume: 82,224 – 18th highest
> Population: 6,164,660
15. Idaho
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,347
> Total search volume: 26,117 – 17th lowest
> Population: 1,939,033
14. Alaska
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,356
> Total search volume: 9,950 – 4th lowest
> Population: 733,583
13. New York
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,370
> Total search volume: 269,672 – 4th highest
> Population: 19,677,151
12. Colorado
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,380
> Total search volume: 80,613 – 19th highest
> Population: 5,839,926
11. Arizona
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,415
> Total search volume: 104,140 – 14th highest
> Population: 7,359,197
10. Georgia
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,433
> Total search volume: 156,343 – 6th highest
> Population: 10,912,876
9. California
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,454
> Total search volume: 567,381 – the highest
> Population: 39,029,342
8. Virginia
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,463
> Total search volume: 127,013 – 11th highest
> Population: 8,683,619
7. Nevada
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,527
> Total search volume: 48,540 – 23rd lowest
> Population: 3,177,772
6. Texas
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,575
> Total search volume: 473,081 – 2nd highest
> Population: 30,029,572
5. Oregon
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,586
> Total search volume: 67,249 – 23rd highest
> Population: 4,240,137
4. Florida
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,596
> Total search volume: 355,049 – 3rd highest
> Population: 22,244,823
3. District of Columbia
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,600
> Total search volume: 10,748 – 7th lowest
> Population: 671,803
2. Washington
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,744
> Total search volume: 135,752 – 10th highest
> Population: 7,785,786
1. Utah
> Searches per 100,000 people: 1,839
> Total search volume: 62,179 – 24th highest
> Population: 3,380,800