Playing 'StarCraft' may enhance people's cognitive abilities
THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 2013 10:32 AM

Unless individuals are avid video game players, they may not be familiar with the Zerg and Protoss, two of the hostile alien races featured in the real-time strategy game "StarCraft." According to the game's website, the two races are at war. However, what the popular title's website does not tell people is that joining this conflict could make them smarter.

This is the conclusion researchers from Queen Mary University of London and University College London arrived at in a recent study. A total of 72 volunteers - all of which were female - were divided into three groups and told to play two games for a set period of time.

One group played "The Sims," a life simulation game, while the remaining two groups played two different versions of "StarCraft." The study participants played for 40 hours over a six-to-eight-week period, and underwent psychological testing before and after.

The researchers found that "StarCraft" players were better at performing cognitive flexibility tasks than players of "The Sims."

Based on the results of this study, players of "StarCraft" or similar games may want to take an IQ test and see what effects it has had on them.