Zipie is overflowing with gamers. Our lunch breaks frequently consist of Super Smash Bros, Zelda and Mario Kart. Part of our job description is to effectively strategize. It’s also what we like to do in our free time, just in a different, slightly more fun format. Luckily for us, it’s been proven that strategic video games can increase one’s IQ.
At this point, you’re probably rolling your eyes and thinking “yeah right, the Zipie crew is just trying to justify playing video games during lunch to make it seem productive”. Well, let’s start speaking the language of our digital strategist, Rob- numbers! Multiple studies have been conducted that provide us with data suggesting that one can become smarter after a significant time of playing strategic video games.
Queen Mary University in London conducted a study on strategic gaming and whether or not it made people smarter. Seventy-two participants were split into two groups with one half playing Starcraft and the other half playing The Sims for 140 hours over a six- to eight-week period. They found that the participants who played Starcraft, the strategic game, showed improvements on psychological test scores, as well as their speed and accuracy in cognitive flexibility tests.
That sounded a little like science, right? Well, we’re about to dive even deeper into it. Hold on to your controllers, gamers, we’ve got some even better news. When comparing a control group of non-gamers to a group of gamers that played Super Mario 64, the gamers were increasingly higher in the grey matter of their brain than those who did not regularly play games. Who would’ve thought the video games your mom told you to put down as a kid are actually making you smarter?
Strategic video games can gift the player with the improved ability to quickly adapt, switch tasks, and think about multiple ideas at once. All of these skills Zipponians use on a daily basis. While there are always two sides to one story, we’d like to think this evidence is solid. You know where to find us during lunch!
-Allie, Fall 2018 Intern
Source: https://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/playing-video-games-boost-strategic-thinking-article-1.1433812