Study Ranks Most Gaming-Obsessed States in America

California is the most gaming-obsessed state, with the highest esports earnings at $21M.

Role-playing games are the most preferred, favored in almost half of the US states.

Washington has the highest rate of computer ownership among the top 10.

California is leading the list with a score of 9.8 out of 10. It’s the go-to state for role-playing game enthusiasts, with the highest esports earnings at $21M. Here, almost all households have a computer, with an impressive average internet speed of 235.2 Mbps.

Texas comes in second with a score of 8.1. Adventure games are the mass favorites here. The Lone Star State favors adventure games and is also the esports second biggest player in the list, earning $12M.

New York secures the third spot with a score of 7.7, with its love of role-playing games. It has $8 million in esports earnings. 88% of New Yorkers have a computer at home and internet access, with a good average speed of 238.8 Mbps, which is higher than in California.

New Jersey ranks fourth with a 7.2 score, joining New York in its preference for role-playing games. Though smaller in esports with earnings of $3 million, 90.1% of households here own a computer and have internet access.

Florida rounds out the top five with a 7.0 score. Adventure Games are popular here, with esports earnings of $5M. Although the state is slightly behind New Jersey in terms of the percentage of households having computers and internet access, it leads with the highest average internet speed among the top five at 246.5 Mbps.

Nevada claims the sixth place with a score of 6.5, preferring role-playing games. With esports earnings totaling $2.41M, 91.2% of Nevadan households own a computer enjoying a high average internet speed of 242.4 Mbps, which is one of the best among the states listed.

Washington takes the seventh position with a score of 6.2. Strategy games are a favorite here, contributing to its eSports earnings of $2.96M. It has the highest percentage of households owning a computer, although the average internet speed of 197.6 Mbps, which is the slowest among the top ten.

Virginia is eighth with a score of 5.9 out of 10, joining Nevada in its preference for role-playing games. The state has made $2.84M from esports. Around 89.9% of Virginian homes are equipped with computers, and the average internet speed here is a competitive 225.3 Mbps.

Oregon ranks ninth, scoring 5.0. Like Washington, Oregonians prefer strategy games, contributing to the state’s esports earnings of $2.72M. 91.8% of households own a computer and have an average internet speed of 201.3 Mbps.

Delaware rounds out the top ten with a score of 4.2, setting itself apart with a preference for action games. Despite the lower score, Delaware boasts the highest average internet speed among these states at 249.1 Mbps, but its eSports earnings stand at just $976,248.

Methodology: The research includes factors such as the popularity of different game genres, esports earnings, computer ownership, internet access, and average internet speed in each state as of 2024. Each state was scored on a scale from 0 to 10 based on these criteria, where higher game search counts, esports earnings, percentages of households with computers and internet, and faster internet speeds all contributed to a higher overall score for a state. The preferred game type in each state was determined based on the highest search count among different gaming genres.