Researchers from the University Of York report that they have discovered a connection between the scores of gamers and their intelligence level. According to the report, exploring the relationship between video game expertise and fluid intelligence, the research revealed that gamers who scored better on a specific type of PC game also did well on traditional IQ tests.
This doesn’t apply to any PC game
Researchers at the University of York Digital Creativity Labs said the correlation between game scores and intelligence is only seen in Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas (MOBAs).
They do not see the same correlation between first person shooter (FPS) games and intelligence scores. The scientists also said the research only shows a relationship between intelligence scores and game playing. They aren’t saying that PC gaming will make you smarter, though there is some research that seems to show that people can learn skills from gaming.
Some PC games are similar to Chess
The researchers, led by Professor Alex Wade, of University of York’s Department of Psychology, studied the gaming scores of a group of experienced "League of Legends" players. They then administered pencil and paper IQ tests. They found that those players with higher scores in the game also scored higher on the intelligence tests.
The scientists conducted a second study of experienced players of "League of Legends" and "DOTA 2," as well as players of FPS games "Battlefield 3" and "Destiny." They discovered that even when studying large groups of players, people with higher intelligence had higher scores.
They found a similar relationship with older gamers and strategy-based games, such as MOBAs.
The older players got, the higher their scores. Scientists said they have found a similar relationship between Chess and older people. However, scores for FPS games actually declined as players got older. The scientists think the drop is a result of players’ timing and accuracy dropping as they age. For some gamers, their FPS scores begin to drop as early as 20 years old.
They were not surprised by the increase in MOBA scores for older players. MOBA games involve social interaction and they make you think. Older people tend to succeed at these games.
What this means for your future
Don’t be surprised if you go to a job interview and you end up playing a PC game as part of the hiring process. Researchers believe games could be developed to assess potential employees. However, right now researchers are excited about the prospect of having a new tool to gauge the intelligence level of a large population by examining their game scores.
