Study researches gamer IQs; how smart are Elden Ring players?

A viral survey claims Dark Souls and Elden Ring players rank among the smartest gamers in terms of raw IQ.

One of the longest-running jokes within the gaming community is about its intelligence; or lack thereof. While many parents are more than happy to say video games rot the brain, gamers have said similar things to fellow gamers, with varying degrees of malice. Sometimes, those accusations are self-inflicted, as is the case with Soulslikes.

The difficult-to-memorize patterns of boss fights, subtle lore, and complex builds can leave some players feeling a bit lost. Fortunately for Soulslike fans, a survey claims they may have a higher IQ than they feel.

What is the average IQ of Elden Ring players?

A survey states that Elden Ring and Dark Souls players are, on average, among the smartest gamers overall.

WhichBingo.co.uk states it teamed with a group of psychologists and then surveyed 1,0002 gamers to test their intelligence. Dark Souls players ended up in 6th place with an IQ of 114.2. Elden Ring players edged out Dark Souls players with an average IQ of 114.6. 

For context, the average IQ sits around 100, according to VeryWellMind.com. Before gamers celebrate, they must remember the same survey claimed League of Legends players are the smartest. Many League players will passionately dispute that notion with their pub matches. 

As for IQ tests, they are very controversial these days. IQ tests don’t quantify “intelligence” so much as they show how good people are at IQ tests. People of different educational backgrounds can inherently be better equipped to perform in an IQ test, even if they’re not actually more intelligent. That said, do video games actually impact someone’s intelligence?

Can Dark Souls make me smarter?

Multiple studies revealed that children who played video games performed better on cognitive tests. The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study found that children excelled at cognitive tasks in a way children who didn’t play video games did not. 

Though studies are still ongoing, the findings are “encouraging,” according to assistant professor Bader Chaarani. Anecdotally, Dark Souls and Elden Ring players bought into the idea of being smarter than other gamers. Many agreed, with others jokingly saying they’ve become bored of other “easy” games.

Regardless, IQ scores don’t matter as much as having fun, even if “fun” means dying a hundred times in the same boss fight.