When did the image of the chessplayer become synonymous with Machiavellian scheming and cunning? We don’t bestow the same reverence to talented Risk players, or to Bridge champions, even those are (arguably) more intricate games. Scientists have even shown that the only thing that being good at chess signifies is that you’re good at chess. Videogames, however, can teach transferable skills, with scientists focusing their attention to Starcraft 2. 

Players play a god-like role over a cluster of creatures, leading them to develop their economy and prepare them for skirmishes with a neighboring society.

“I can’t think of a cognitive process that’s not involved in StarCraft,” says Mark Blair, a cognitive scientist at Simon Fraser University. “It’s working memory. It’s decision making. It involves very precise motor skills. Everything is important and everything needs to work together.”

There’s a chance that players of Starcraft 2 can learn to be better multi-taskers. Unlike chess, however, those skills aren’t just applicable to the game. You can read more of here.

– Filipe Salgado