Effects of Different Genres of Electronic Games on Spatial Skills and Intelligence Quotient of Undergraduate Students: A Cross Sectional Study

A BSTRACT Introduction: Spatial quotient and intelligence quotient are attributes of personality and follow the theory of use disuse atrophy. Thus, any attribute can be enhanced by exercising it. In India, there is a dearth of studies exploring the influence of gaming on skills like spatial quotient and intelligence quotient. Aims: The present study implies to find the relationship of different genres of electronic gaming (simulation, action, strategy, role-playing) on spatial abilities and intelligence quotient and determine the correlation between spatial and intelligence quotients. Materials and Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted for 6 months on undergraduate students of medical colleges across Rajasthan after obtaining ethics approval. An online IQ and spatial quotient test were conducted through Google Forms. The SQ test also tested different subdomains (Spatial perception, mental rotation, and spatiotemporal ability) of SQ. The participants were divided into two groups, 100 gamers and non-gamers. The gamers were categorized on the types of games they played like strategy, action, simulation, and role-playing. Results: Maximum (67%) of the gamers were males and the majority (83%) had an urban background. More male gamers 42 (62.68%) than female gamers19 (57.57%) had resorted to playing electronic games during the COVID-19 pandemic. 55.2% of males played action games whereas 48.48% of females played strategy games. More participants were found to be playing electronic games with friends (53%) than with family or alone. The difference between the IQ scores of gamers (77.515 ± 14.41) and non-gamers (76.37 ± 16.48) was not significant. Mean spatial quotient scores for all genres’ gamers were 18.64 ± 2.53 as compared to non-gamers 14.25 ± 3.67, this was statistically significant. A moderate positive correlation was recorded between IQ and SQ (R = 0.5711). As compared to other genre players, action gamers had high mental rotation skills (Mean SQ = 9 ± 0.59) while strategy players had enhanced spatiotemporal abilities. (Mean SQ = 9 ± 0.68) Conclusions: The study recognizes the association between spatial quotient, intelligence quotient, and electronic gaming. The findings suggest that, while gamers exhibit high spatial skills, the influence on overall intelligence is not as pronounced. These insights can facilitate future research and interventions aimed at promoting desirable cognitive patterns in individuals engaged in electronic gaming.