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Data Reveals US States With Most Gaming Cheaters: Is Georgia Here?

New data reveals which states are home to the most video game cheaters

Key Findings:

• A new study analyzing Google search data reveals that Wyoming is the state with the most video game cheats

• Wyoming is named the state with the most cheaters, with Alaska and Vermont not far behind. Pennsylvania has the lowest score, just below California

• Gaming expert warns of harmful effects of cheating in multiplayer games, stresses need for fair play to keep gaming communities healthy

From Pac-Man’s warp tunnels to today’s aimbots, cheating in video games is as old as the medium itself. But which US states are home to the most digital scammers?

According to survey data published last year, 57% of gamers admitted to using cheats at some point during their gaming career. “This staggering number shows how widespread this problem is in the community,” says Al Alof from Chick’s Golda virtual marketplace of online gaming products.

With this problem in mind, Alof and his team set out to find out which US state cheats the most at video games. After using Ahrefs to identify search terms used by cheaters, they analyzed Google Ads data to see how many times each search term was searched on Google in each state. After adjusting the numbers to account for population size, they were able to rank the states from highest to lowest number of cheaters.

US states that cheat the most at games

The Chick’s Gold team collected search volume data and adjusted it using population figures from the Google Population Index. This allowed them to calculate the number of queries related to the cheat on 100,000 inhabitantsproviding a fair comparison between states of different sizes.

Table 1: Top 10 US States with the Highest Rate of Game Cheat Searches

Rank	State	The population	Average monthly search volume by state	Queries to 100,000 residents
1	Wyoming	584,057	60	10.27296993
2	Alaska	733,406	70	9.544508771
3	Vermont	647,464	60	9.266924493
4	North Dakota	783,926	70	8.929414256
5	Hawaii	1,435,138	90	6.271173922
6	mountain	1,132,812	70	6.179313072
7	Delaware	1,031,890	60	5.814573259
8	Rhode Island	1,095,962	60	5.474642369
9	South Dakota	919,318	50	5.438814425
10	Tomorrow	1,395,722	70	5.015325401

What the data says

• Wyoming is at the top of the list with a score 10the only state to score in double figures.

• Alaska and Vermont come in second and third, respectively, both note 9.

• 5 is a popular scorewith Delaware, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Maine all scoring similarly in the bottom half of the table.

• Hawaii has the tallest monthly average search volume but lower scores on the table because of it larger number of inhabitants.

• The the first four on the table have significant smaller populationsshowing that density of searches is much higher in these states.

Why is it possible for players in these states to cheat?

High speed Internet access: In rural areas, high-speed Internet access may be limited or inconsistent. Players in these states may experience challenges such as slower download speeds or lag while playing online. “To compensate, some may turn to cheats to level the playing field or progress faster, especially in multiplayer games,” says Alof.

Community and social interaction: In smaller communities, gaming communities can be tighter and more focused on certain games or genres. This could create a culture where sharing tips, tricks and tricks becomes more common as a way to interact with others and improve the game.

Long winter seasons: States like Alaska and Vermont experience long winters that can limit outdoor activities for long periods. Video games can be a popular indoor pastime during these seasons, potentially increasing interest in game optimization through cheats.

States in the US that cheat the least at games

On the other hand, let’s take a look at the states where players apparently prefer to play by the rules.

Table 2: Top 10 US States Ranked by Cheat Game Searches per 100,000 Residents

Rank	State	The population	Average monthly search volume by state	Queries to 100,000 residents
40	Massachusetts	7,001,399	160	2.285257561
41	Texas	30,503,301	690	2.262050261
42	Michigan	10,037,261	220	2.191833011
43	Arizona	7,431,344	160	2.153042572
44	New Jersey	9,290,841	200	2.152657655
45	Illinois	12,549,689	270	2.151447737
46	Florida	22,610,726	480	2.12288628
47	North Carolina	10,835,491	230	2.122654156
48	Ohio	11,785,935	240	2.036325502
49	California	38,965,193	760	1.950458708
50	Pennsylvania	12,961,683	240	1.8516114

What the data says

• Pennsylvania the lowest scores overall, with only 1 search to 100,000. California is the only other state to which score 1only slightly higher than Pennsylvania.

• Scores in the second table there are many more uniformwith no state score above 2.

• The second table shows many of the states with larger populationsinclusive CaliforniaTHE the most populous state in the USA.

• Although average search volumes i am HIGH on this table, when they are spread over larger populations in these statesaverage number of people looking for cheat codes it was below.

Al Alof of Chick’s Gold commented:

“There are a few cheats that players generally consider ‘okay’, often used in single-player games, such as the famous ‘motherlode’ cheat used by The Sims players to generate more money. The community generally accepts them because they don’t put other players at a disadvantage. The real problem comes when players start cheating in multiplayer games like Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto. This cheating undermines the fundamental principles of fair play and integrity essential to creating a healthy gaming environment.

“Cheating can frustrate players who follow the rules, diminish the competitive spirit and damage the reputation of the game. The developers of League of Legends, for example, had to implement several features aimed at reducing the number of cheats in the game, including their new software, Vanguard. Creating a healthy, non-toxic community around your multiplayer game is difficult, but essentially it starts with not tolerating cheating.”