What the Study Examined
Researchers at the University of York, led by Athanasios Kokkinakis and colleagues, published a study in 2017 asking a straightforward question: does skill in Multiplayer Online Battle Arena games relate to fluid intelligence, independent of general factors like practice time?
The study focused on League of Legends and Dota II, examining how in-game performance ranked against standardized measures of fluid intelligence assessed under controlled lab conditions. The full reference is: Kokkinakis AV, Cowling PI, Drachen A, Wade AR. “Exploring the relationship between video game expertise and fluid intelligence.” PLoS One. 2017;12(11):e0186621.
What Fluid Intelligence Is
Fluid intelligence is the capacity to reason through novel problems without relying on previously learned knowledge. It is distinct from crystallized intelligence (accumulated facts and skills). Classic measures include matrix reasoning and pattern recognition tasks.
What the Study Found
The study found a significant positive correlation between MOBA rank and fluid intelligence measured under laboratory conditions. Higher-ranked players scored higher on fluid intelligence tests, and the relationship was meaningful, not marginal.
Beyond the correlation itself, the researchers also observed that the age profile of MOBA performance closely mirrors the known age profile of raw fluid intelligence, which peaks in early adulthood and declines gradually thereafter. Experience alone cannot compensate for this trajectory.
Based on these findings, the authors suggested that commercial games like League of Legends could potentially serve as “proxy” tests of cognitive performance at a population scale. This is a hypothesis for further research, not a clinical endorsement.
What the Study Does Not Prove
A correlation between rank and fluid intelligence does not mean:
- Rank equals IQ
- Playing LoL raises your IQ
- Any specific rank maps to a specific IQ score (the study did not produce a rank-to-IQ table)
- MOBA skill is a validated replacement for clinical intelligence testing
The study authors used “proxy” as a population-level concept, not as a tool for scoring individual players.
Why MOBAs Are a Plausible Research Area
League of Legends does place genuine cognitive demands on players:
- Strategic planning across a 30-50 minute match with shifting objectives
- Real-time decision-making under time pressure
- Working memory tracking ability cooldowns, item states, and map information simultaneously
- Pattern recognition identifying opponent tendencies and adapting strategies
- Adaptive problem-solving responding to a team composition you have never faced before
These demands overlap with the kinds of reasoning tasks that fluid intelligence tests probe, which is why the correlation is theoretically coherent.
Limitations to Keep in Mind
The study authors and subsequent reviewers note several important constraints:
- The sample skews toward young males, which is common in competitive gaming research but limits generalization
- Self-selection is a genuine confound: higher-intelligence individuals may be more drawn to strategically complex games
- The study measures correlation, not causation. Playing LoL more may not raise your fluid intelligence
- A single study, however well-designed, requires replication before its conclusions can be treated as established
What This Means for Saiki
Saiki is currently a personality assessment tool. It analyzes your gaming behavior and combines it with a HEXACO questionnaire to surface personality insights. Saiki does not currently provide an IQ score or a cognitive-ability score.
Cognitive-ability assessment is a feature in development. Research like the Kokkinakis 2017 study forms part of the scientific basis for exploring what gameplay patterns might reveal about cognitive performance in the future. We will be transparent about what that feature measures and what its limitations are when it launches.
In the meantime, if you need a clinically recognized measure of cognitive ability, that requires a trained professional using validated instruments such as the WAIS-IV.
Conclusion
The University of York study found a real and significant association between MOBA performance and fluid intelligence. The age trajectory finding adds additional weight to the idea that MOBA skill reflects something cognitively meaningful. The suggestion that such games could serve as population-level proxy tests is an interesting research direction.
What the study does not support is treating rank as a direct IQ score, or treating MOBA performance as a validated clinical intelligence test. The science is encouraging and worth following; it is not yet a finished tool.
