What Was #1 Google Search in Washington State in 2014?

2014 was a busy year for Google, obviously.  The world's #1 search engine was kept hopping as people searched for quick answers to questions, and definitions.   What was the #1 search in Washington state?

Some states had searches that made sense.  The top search in Texas was Ebola.   In California, it was the financial payment system Bitcoin.   New Yorkers?   What exactly is a 'selfie?'   Apparently people in South Dakota wanted to know a whole bunch about the Dr. Oz TV show.

But in Washington state,  we lived up to our "tech" or computer geek image.   The number one Google search was "gamergate."  Huh?

Because like most of you, we don't spend our lives on a couch in somebody's basement, watching our skin turn pasty as we video game away our lives.

We had to Google 'Gamergate.'

Gamergate is the name of a controversy that had been brewing in the on-line gaming community for some time, but in August 2014 apparently became a huge topic of discussion, argument and even threats.    It was a debate about sexism in video game culture, especially targeting women in the community.

Much of Gamergate centers around pushback by those who are deeply immersed in it's culture against those on the 'outside' in society who criticize gamers as social rejects, losers and slackers.

Lets' face it.  Most of us (even those who play games) view serious couch-surfing gamers as outcasts.  The 30-year-old overweight, smelly dude who spends his entire day eating Cheetos while playing Call of Duty or World of Warcraft from his (or his parent's) basement.   Gamergate was a pushback from these people, and in 2014 it turned it's anger on several female critics, and even game developers.

It became serious when gamers hacked these women's personal information,  issued threats against them, and posted their addresses and phone numbers online.  One of the women,  Zoe Quinn, even had to leave her home,  stay with friends, and she hasn't been home since August.

Apparently, there is an entire sub-culture in "regular" society, made up of this uber-serious gaming community.  It's like a whole different world, and they take themselves VERY seriously.

So folks, that's the #1 Google search for Washington state.  We are STILL shaking our heads...Here's hoping in 2015 we join the rest of the normal world when it comes to Google searches.