Minecraft – easily Yahoo NZ'z most popular search in 2014

Minecraft – easily Yahoo New Zealand’s most popular search in 2014

Auckland, New Zealand: December 9, 2014 – Critically acclaimed online game Minecraft has again topped the list of Yahoo New Zealand’s top 10 most popular searches for 2014[1] – a list which uncovered plenty of interesting results – some thrilling and some sad for us all. Minecraft started from humble beginnings to become one of the most popular games in the world, clearly the passion for building another world far removed from this one holds appeal for the young and old.

Beyond Minecraft, 2014 has been a year largely governed by serious news and sport. Dominating headlines for all the wrong reasons, the next most searched items centred on Malaysia Airlines with both MH370 and MH17 air disasters transfixing the public’s attention. The search still continues for missing Malaysia plane MH370 while crash experts have only recently recovered the wreckage from downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 which killed 298 passengers.

As might be expected and in what may go down in history as the ‘dirtiest’ and more distracted of campaigns, the New Zealand General Election attracted a large amount of online traffic to take out number three on the list.

Louis Niven, Yahoo New Zealand General Manager Sales says, “It’s reassuring that Kiwis were so engaged with the election, searching for updates on how the main players were faring in the race – but not surprising considering the number of unorthodox news stories uncovered during the campaign.”

It was also a big year for sport, with a number of events drawing Kiwis’ attention. The All Blacks remain firm fan favourites at number four; followed by the heart-stopping drama of the FIFA Soccer Football World Cup and Commonwealth Games in Glasgow coming in at number five and six respectively.

And, the juggernaut that is Peppa Pig continued its dominance in the pre-school entertainment and associated merchandising space, proving a highly topical and popular search for long-suffering Kiwi parents.

Celebrities were once again a feature on the list, with Justin Bieber confirming that New Zealanders love a bad boy. In more serious celebrity news, the tragic and unexpected deaths of beloved Hollywood actor Robin Williams and New Zealand model and television personality, Charlotte Dawson also featured in the top 10.

“We have a theory that people like Robin Williams and Charlotte Dawson have a tremendous impact on our lives and through the internet we’re able to reach out, stay in touch and share our feelings like never before,” says Louis.

Yahoo New Zealand top 10 most popular 2014 searches

1. Minecraft

2. Malaysia Airlines (including MH370 and MH17)

3. New Zealand Election

4. All Blacks

5. FIFA World Cup

6. Commonwealth Games

7. Justin Bieber

8. Peppa Pig

9. Robin Williams

10. Charlotte Dawson

– ENDS –

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