Being Good at League of Legends May Mean You Have A High IQ

Research indicates similarities between IQ and League of Legends ability

Just how good are you at League of Legends? Apparently, a recent study has found that if you are good at it, you likely have a high IQ.

For those of you, presumably living in a cave, League of Legends is a MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena). This type of game is designed where teams of characters with particular skill sets compete against another team.

Sounds simple right? Well, you wouldn’t think so if you’ve ever seen it played competitively.

Originally inspired by the character control in Warcraft 3, League of Legends (along with DOTA 2) is one of the most highly played competitive online games. The competitiveness is actually at times disturbingly. This includes a player who rammed his head through his monitor when he lost.

Now while that individual person may not qualify, most ‘good’ League of Legends players would also apparently do very well on an IQ test.

Why would the two be so similar?

IQ tests are generally based on 3 factors, spatial awareness, problem-solving and quick decision making. Within that one sentence, I could have pretty much summed up League of Legends as well.

There are always exceptions, and in addition to our monitor headbutting friend, there are also those who recently got baited into being banned. By and large, however, the similarities are undeniable.

In a report via PCGamesN, the research carried out at the University of York has concluded that the quick decision making, teamwork and data retention makes League of Legends an excellent benchmark for intelligence. He did incidentally add that if they were talking about chess, no one would bat an eye at this.

This does not necessarily mean, however, that all people with high IQ scores would necessarily be good at LoL. I, for example, tested as an IQ of 132. I know this because I did a MENSA test many years ago. Anyone who has played with or against me would both agree and attest that I am crap at it.

What do you think? Are you any good at League of Legends? Think that indicates you have a high IQ rating? – Let us know in the comments smarty pants!