BISMARCK, ND ( KXNET ) — Video games tend to be a polarizing topic. Some people argue they distract kids and young adults from tasks they have to do and promote violence, while others argue they provide a mental health break for people under a lot of stress and encourage creativity.

Video games, like anything else, have different genres, and some may have more benefits for people who play, while others may be detrimental in some way. Violent games are perhaps the most obvious example of a genre that people tend to think could have negative effects on people and their behavior.

Sept. 12 is National Video Game Day, and Cloudwards , an online security software information hub, decided to take a look at which states are the most obsessed with violent video games. The study analyzed Google searches for more than 90 of the most violent video games, to see which states search for them the most.

North Dakota came in last on the list, with only 25 searches per 100,000 residents per month. Wyoming, South Dakota, and Montana are next on the list from the bottom, all with fewer than 80 searches, indicating people in the entire region might be indifferent about this genre of games.

Topping the list were states with major tech cities, such as California, New York, and Maryland. California leads with more than 52,000 searches per 100,000 people per month, while New York has just over 27,200, and Maryland, which is third, has more than 9,300.

States with younger populations, like Texas and Georgia, are also close to the top of the list. Many southern states, like Alabama and South Carolina, also rank highly on the list.

More research is needed to determine if there is a link between these video games and violent behavior, as experts tend to disagree about whether the video games influence the way people act.

To see the full list of states and read the full study, click here .

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