On average, the children spent 2.5 hours a day watching TV, half an hour on social media, and 1-hour playing video games. The results showed that those who played more games than the average increased their intelligence between the two measurements by approximately 2.5 IQ points more than the average.
Here is how the major platforms rank in terms of average IQ: PC: 112.3. PlayStation: 110.7. Xbox: 103.8.
It depends on the game. For shooters, the better players have better reaction times, and perception. Tactical awareness helps. For strategy games like 4Xs, smarter is usually better.
MRI brain imaging analyses also found that children who played video games for three or more hours per day showed higher brain activity in regions of the brain associated with attention and memory than did those who never played.
Increases brain matter
Much research has been done to show that video games impact brain plasticity (your brain's ability to change in response to learning) through the use of attentional control and reward processing.
Excessive gaming can have a significant negative impact on relationships, education, career, sleep, mental and physical health, stress, maladaptive coping, and a negative impact on other important life areas.
Gaming is really a workout for your mind disguised as fun. Studies have shown that playing video games regularly may increase gray matter in the brain and boost brain connectivity. (Gray matter is associated with muscle control, memories, perception, and spatial navigation.)
The results showed that those with higher IQ test scores tended to perform better at the game. Our measurements showed that highly ranked League of Legends players have an average IQ of around 115-120, putting them in the top 15% of the population.
"The most important discovery was the observation that the group of gamers, compared to people who played games less often, had more nerve fibres connecting the parietal and occipital areas of the brain. These areas are involved in the processing of visual and spatial information" - explains Dr.
Parents often think of them as a waste of time, but playing video games may actually boost children's intelligence. A study found those who game for three or more hours a day on average performed better in cognitive and memory tests than their peers.
Most people have an average IQ between 85 and 115. Overall, about 98% of people have a score below 130. Only 2% of the population score above that and are considered above average.
Notably, the average IQ score falls between 85 and 115. A score above 140, meanwhile, is considered to be genius level.
Video gamers in the United States 2023, by gender
As of March 2023, 49 percent of video gamer in the United States were female, with the remaining 51 percent of U.S. video gaming audiences were male. Currently, there are approximately 212 million gamers in the United States.
Through ACE modeling techniques, I find that between 25% to 39% of the total variance in time spent playing video games can be attributed to shared genetic traits with the remainder explained by shared environmental factors (e.g., parenting and culture) and environmental attributes unique to individuals.
Not only is play crucial to mental well-being, including enhancing creativity and happiness, but it has also been associated with reduced depression and anxiety (see here, here, and here). Far too often we forget that video games are at their core playful.
The data show that gamers on average improved their combination of speed and accuracy by about 15 percent on their second task and about 11 percent on their first task.
One study based on gaming motivation and personality traits studied the habits of over 140,000 gamers. What did the study find? The three main motivations pulled from this study conclude that gamers are interested in social action, mastery of their game, and creative immersion.
If you'd like to speak with numbers and sound more convincing, then use this research by the Department of Defense that directly says that gamers are more intelligent. The main reason is that video games increase perceptual abilities, improve short-term memory, and help focus longer.
Gaming has also been associated with sleep deprivation, insomnia and circadian rhythm disorders, depression, aggression, and anxiety, though more studies are needed to establish the validity and the strength of these connections.
The screen time recommendation for adults is two hours for entertainment and leisure activities, such as watching videos, social media use, and other passive screen time activities. This recommendation excludes the time you spend on your screen for work or school.