Popular Role-Playing Game RuneScape Tops NHL as Canada's Most Searched Online Subject in 2008
Online Obsessions Revealed: Yahoo! Canada 2008 Buzz Index Ranks Canada�s Favourite Stars, Sports, Scandals and More � from UFOs and Miley Cyrus to Britney Spears and the Stock Market
Totonto, ON - December 1, 2008 � Yahoo! Canada today released its annual list of the most popular online searches of 2008 - The Yahoo! Canada 2008 Buzz Index. In a stunner, NHL, the top ranked search for the past two years, falls to the number two spot behind newly-crowned RuneScape, an online game where players create avatar adventurers who embark on a series of quests in fantasy worlds ranging from dangerous castle dungeons to rugged mountains filled with monsters.
Now in its fourth year, Yahoo! Canada�s annual compilation of results explores the search habits of millions of Yahoo! Canada users, and provides unique insights into consumers' interests and emerging trends. RuneScape (Rune-Scape) is recognized by Guinness World Records as the world�s most popular, free MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) and has more than 10 million registered users.
�It�s the rise of the mass-market internet hobby,� says Dr. Kim Blank, pop culture expert and professor of literature and cultural studies at the University of Victoria, British Columbia. �Millions of players go online to accumulate powers, develop skills, and trade and barter in a virtual landscape and marketplace in order to continue their fantasy quest in real-time. You can control your own narrative, or even cooperate with other players. RuneScape allows you to be a hero, and this is a big part of its attraction.�
Sports still score with Canadians as UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) makes its debut on the top 10, taking ninth spot overall. A mixed martial arts league now sanctioned in the U.S. and Canada, the one-time fringe sport has gone mainstream. With NHL solidly in the number two spot, WWE takes sixth, with NASCAR coming in eighth.
Stars and scandals rule as top 10 newcomer Miley Cyrus and pop princess Britney Spears place fifth and seventh respectively. This is a demotion for Britney who came in second last year. Not to be left off, the third place winner for the last two years, American Idol, takes tenth spot this year.
Service Canada takes third place � could Canadians be getting passports to check out Britney or Miley�s next concert, or are we just doing our taxes? The TSX comes in fourth � suggesting Canadians may be worried about the economy and keeping an even closer eye on their stocks.
Top 10 Canadian Searches in 2008:
| 1. RuneScape | 6. WWE |
| 2. NHL | 7. Britney Spears |
| 3. Service Canada | 8. NASCAR |
| 4. TSX | 9. UFC |
| 5. Miley Cyrus | 10. American Idol |
�The Yahoo! Canada 2008 Buzz Index reflects what Canadians cared most about in 2008. While Britney and the NHL make solid top 10 appearances, RuneScape and UFC are interesting newcomers,� says Peter Harris, Senior Front Page and Buzz Editor, Yahoo! Canada. �Every year is different, and these terms help to showcase our top trends of the times. In 2007, Perez and Paris Hilton made the list, and in 2006, the FIFA World Cup came in second. It�s also fun to predict what will make it on the list next - is the 2010 World Cup a shoe-in?�
�We are extremely pleased that RuneScape is one of the most searched subjects in both Canada and the U.S.,� says Geoff Iddison, CEO, Jagex Ltd. �After seven years, the game is more popular than ever and we are looking forward to many more people joining RuneScape in 2009.�
Note: RuneScape is the number 5 most searched topic on the U.S. top 10.
Other Canadian Top Tens:
In addition to the overall top 10 search results, The Yahoo! Canada 2008 Buzz Index also compiled the following top tens for 2008. (To access the entire Index, please visit: www.yahoo.ca.)
Top 10 Games and Gadgets:
| 1. RuneScape | 6. iPod |
| 2. World of Warcraft | 7. Blackberry |
| 3. Text Twist | 8. Adventure Quest |
| 4. iPhone | 9. Manhunt |
| 5. Dragon Fable | 10. Gaia |
About Yahoo! Canada
Yahoo! Canada Co. is a leading Internet destination that provides online products and services to meet the needs of Canadians and offers a range of tools and marketing solutions for businesses to connect with Internet users. Yahoo! Canada services Canadians in both English and in French through its sites, www.yahoo.ca and http://qc.yahoo.ca. In Canada, Yahoo! sites were visited by more than 16 million Canadians in October 2008 (comScore Media Metrix, October, 2008). Yahoo! Canada is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario.