Does Call of Duty Increase IQ? Unpacking the Cognitive Impact of Gaming
The short answer is no, Call of Duty doesn’t directly increase your IQ score. IQ is a complex measure of intelligence influenced by genetics, environment, and education over a lifetime. However, Call of Duty, and similar action video games, can significantly improve specific cognitive skills, such as attention, spatial reasoning, multitasking, and decision-making. While these enhanced skills might make you feel smarter and perform better in certain tasks, they don’t translate to a measurable increase in your overall IQ. The relationship is more nuanced: Call of Duty trains specific mental muscles, rather than fundamentally altering your baseline intelligence. This article delves into the fascinating relationship between Call of Duty and cognitive function, examining the potential benefits, drawbacks, and the overall impact on your brain. We’ll also address common questions and misconceptions surrounding gaming and intelligence.
The Cognitive Benefits of Call of Duty and Action Video Games
Call of Duty, as a fast-paced, demanding first-person shooter, requires players to constantly adapt to changing situations, make split-second decisions, and coordinate with teammates. These demands translate into tangible improvements in several cognitive domains:
### Enhanced Attention and Focus
Action games demand sustained attention and the ability to filter out distractions. Research from the University of Rochester, cited in our source article, suggests that playing games like Call of Duty trains the mind to filter out irrelevant information, enabling better focus in real-world scenarios. This is because the brain builds “perceptual templates” to predict future events, sharpening its prediction skills.
### Improved Spatial Reasoning and Awareness
Navigating complex maps, tracking enemy movements, and understanding spatial relationships are crucial for success in Call of Duty. These activities stimulate spatial reasoning abilities, potentially improving skills related to navigation, mental rotation, and understanding visual information.
### Enhanced Multitasking and Task Switching
Call of Duty forces players to juggle multiple tasks simultaneously, such as aiming, moving, communicating with teammates, and monitoring the environment. This constant task switching can improve multitasking abilities and cognitive flexibility, making it easier to manage multiple demands in everyday life.
### Faster Decision-Making and Reaction Time
The fast-paced nature of Call of Duty demands quick reactions and rapid decision-making. Studies have shown that action video game players exhibit faster reaction times and improved decision-making skills compared to non-gamers. This could have real-world implications in situations requiring quick responses, such as driving or sports.
### Potential Benefits to Cognitive Abilities
Dr. Adam Gazzaley, a neuroscientist at the University of California, highlights that first-person shooter games like Call of Duty can positively impact “high cognitive abilities,” including sustained focus and multitasking. This reinforces the idea that these games can act as a form of cognitive training, improving specific mental skills.
The Potential Drawbacks of Gaming
While Call of Duty offers cognitive benefits, it’s important to acknowledge the potential downsides:
Potential Hippocampal Atrophy
A study from the University of Montreal suggests that action video games might lead to atrophy of grey matter in the hippocampus. The hippocampus is crucial for spatial memory and navigation, and its reduction could potentially lead to impairments in these areas. However, this effect might be mitigated by engaging in other activities that stimulate the hippocampus, such as learning new skills or exploring new environments.
Risk of Addiction and Negative Impacts on Mental Health
Excessive gaming can lead to addiction, social isolation, and negative impacts on mental health. It’s crucial to maintain a balanced lifestyle and avoid spending excessive amounts of time gaming at the expense of other important activities.
Violent Content and Aggression
The violent content in Call of Duty has been linked to increased aggression in some individuals. While the link is complex and not universally observed, it’s essential to be mindful of the potential impact of violent content, especially for younger players.
What Really Impacts IQ?
While Call of Duty can enhance specific cognitive skills, true IQ is influenced by many factors over time, including education, environment, and genetics. Education is positively connected to higher intelligence levels. However, increasing cognitive function through education doesn’t necessarily mean going to college. Watching TED talks, listening to podcasts, reading books, or trying to learn a new language also can increase cognitive function.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What types of video games are most likely to improve cognitive skills?
Strategy-based games like Crusader Kings III, Humankind, Phoenix Point, Starcraft, XCom Enemy Unknown, and Civilization are known to improve working memory and reasoning. First-person shooters such as Doom Eternal and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War are also beneficial.
2. Do gamers have faster reflexes than non-gamers?
Yes, studies indicate that gamers, particularly those who play action video games, often have faster reflexes and improved oculomotor reflexes compared to non-gamers.
3. Is it possible to increase IQ after the age of 18?
Yes, while fluid intelligence may decline in your late 20s, crystallized intelligence (accumulated knowledge and experience) continues to grow throughout life.
4. What is the average IQ?
The average IQ score is 100, with most people falling between 85 and 115. Scores above 130 are considered “very superior,” while scores below 70 are considered “borderline impaired.”
5. What does Call of Duty teach you?
Call of Duty can train the mind to filter out noise, predict future tasks, and improve attention span.
6. How does gaming affect the brain?
Gaming can increase activity in brain regions associated with arousal, anxiety, and emotional reaction, while potentially reducing activity in frontal lobes associated with emotion regulation and executive control, particularly with games involving violence. Studies also suggest that regular gaming can increase gray matter in the brain and improve brain connectivity.
7. Are gamers generally introverts?
Introverted individuals may be drawn to solitary activities like gaming as a way to support their well-being, but gaming is not exclusive to introverts.
8. Are gamers more intelligent?
Research suggests that gamers may exhibit higher intelligence due to improvements in perceptual abilities, short-term memory, and focus.
9. What other activities can increase IQ or cognitive function?
Engaging in lifelong learning through education, reading, listening to podcasts, learning new languages, and playing brain-training games like Sudoku and crosswords can boost cognitive abilities. Consider resources from the Games Learning Society, an organization dedicated to the study of games and learning: https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/. You can also explore options listed in the source article like Lumosity, Elevate, Peak, Happy Neuron, Braingle, and Queendom.
10. At what age is IQ typically fully developed?
Intellectual abilities are usually fully developed around the age of 18.
11. Is IQ level primarily genetic?
While genetics play a significant role in intelligence, environmental factors and experiences also contribute.
12. Does playing Call of Duty waste data on mobile devices?
Call of Duty Mobile consumes approximately 35 MB of data per hour when playing online.
13. How can beginners improve their Call of Duty skills?
Beginners can improve by experimenting with different weapons, adjusting sensitivity settings, practicing in various game modes, and understanding map control points.
14. Why do people enjoy playing Call of Duty?
Call of Duty is entertaining due to its fast-paced gameplay, social aspects (playing with friends), and sense of accomplishment.
15. Can violent video games cause aggression?
Some studies suggest a correlation between violent video games and increased aggression, but the link is complex and not universally supported. Individual factors and pre-existing tendencies also play a role.
Conclusion
While Call of Duty won’t magically boost your IQ score, it can be a valuable tool for enhancing specific cognitive skills like attention, spatial reasoning, and multitasking. Like any activity, moderation is key, and it’s important to balance gaming with other activities that promote overall well-being and cognitive development. Explore the field of learning in games and related topics at GamesLearningSociety.org to further enhance your knowledge. By understanding both the benefits and drawbacks of gaming, you can make informed decisions about how to incorporate it into your life in a healthy and productive way.