Google on gamers - how we search

Of course, they know what you search for - but as seen in a new white paper, Google also takes a deep interest in the trends and habits of people searching for the next hot thing.

you search for - but as seen in a new white paper, Google also takes a deep interest in the trends and habits of people searching for the next hot thing. In this case, games. The highlight is that success in search appears to have a strong correlation with sales figures, giving Google a heads-up on what's going to sell, and what's going to be the next Syndicate...

It's not the easiest paper to read, thanks to Google not having run 'is light grey on white a good idea?' through its own search engine, but there's a solid chunk of info embedded below. Do its trends describe how you're searching at the moment? Some of it shouldn't be a surprise, like the rapid drop-off of searches for 'release date', but it's interesting to see how DLC quickly climbs the rankings afterwards, how demos immediately become obsolete in favour of reviews, and how tips end up being the biggest draw. Unless that's just dyslexic Tomb Raider fans skewing the results, of course.

Here's the full paper. Click the button on the top right to blow it up to full screen.