Are gamers smarter?

[fusangite]

If we're scrambling around for a definition of "intelligence," why not use the one in the Players' Handbook?

By the way, I'm stunned by the lack of argument with my post demonstrating that gamers are of above-average intelligence. pfisteria, Scarbonac, Pseudonym, Umbran, Wormwood, Oni, Dark Jezter, do any of you dispute my attraction argument or my barriers to entry argument?

 

[ssampier]

Not bread mold!

Strange as it may be I consider myself fairly average. I was never in the honors courses in high school, I will probably never attend an Ivy-league school, and I didn't get a 1600 on my SATs (not to mention I never took the SATs). I am, however, attending university and I'm almost finished.

You know what's really fun to do?

Pretend that the original question was "are gamers smarter than bread-mold?"

Go back and reread. giggle.

Well, it's bread mold, it's blue. After all, what's more intelligent than blue (besides green and grey, of course)?

 

[barsoomcore]

By the way, I'm stunned by the lack of argument with my post demonstrating that gamers are of above-average intelligence. pfisteria, Scarbonac, Pseudonym, Umbran, Wormwood, Oni, Dark Jezter, do any of you dispute my attraction argument or my barriers to entry argument?

Ah, everybody knows us gamers aren't all that smart. Your post went right over our heads, dude.

Use smaller words next time. These are GAMERS you're talking to, for crying out loud. What, do you think they're smarter than average?

 

[Frostmarrow]

My dad is the cleverest person I ever knew (of course). And he doesn't play RPGs. However, Gary hadn't had the idea at the time. Still, I don't think Pa would have cared, had he been born five years later...

Anyhow. I must say; the people I've had the pleasure of gaming with the last twenty years, have been a smart lot so I say: "Gamers are bright. Play with them!".

 

[Ferret]

I am smart, but I get caught out easily. Its a running joke.

 

[Teflon Billy]

...Well, of course you do. You always find whatever you're looking for...

*Starts looking for a big suitcase full of $20.00's*

 

[silentspace]

So are gamers smarter?

What the heck kind of question is this? It's like asking your friends if they're cooler, or have a better sense of style, or whatever. Of course they will think so! And so will you. Otherwise, you would've changed, wouldn't you? So personally, I think it's a silly question.

A better question would be: Are fantasy sports players smarter?

 

[Oni]

If we're scrambling around for a definition of "intelligence," why not use the one in the Players' Handbook?

Because it doesn't work, at least your interpretation a couple of pages ago it seems (correct me if I've misunderstood you). The reason it doesn't work is this, you want to say someone that is deficient in the skills of literacy and numbers is unintelligent. Ignorance of a skill or fact has absolutely no baring on a persons mental capacity.

By the way, I'm stunned by the lack of argument with my post demonstrating that gamers are of above-average intelligence. pfisteria, Scarbonac, Pseudonym, Umbran, Wormwood, Oni, Dark Jezter, do any of you dispute my attraction argument or my barriers to entry argument?

Mostly because it didn't seem worth the effort. My opinion is based on my own personal experience, not some exercise in logic. Maybe if I'm still feeling uppity about it later I'll formulate something argument worthy (that is if my avg intelligence can come up with it).

 

[Wormwood]

By the way, I'm stunned by the lack of argument with my post demonstrating that gamers are of above-average intelligence . . . do any of you dispute my attraction argument or my barriers to entry argument?

I dispute nothing. Your theories appear to be sound and reasonable.

Nevertheless, my personal experience indicates that gamers are no more intelligent on average than anyone else. But since that's purely anecdotal evidence, it's not worth debating.

Good thing this isn't a debate thread, isn't it?

I didn't mention my observation that gamers tend to have an inflated (and dubious) sense of their own intellectual superiority. Check out any 'write yourself in D&D stats' thread.

 

[fusangite]

Because it doesn't work, at least your interpretation a couple of pages ago it seems (correct me if I've misunderstood you). The reason it doesn't work is this, you want to say someone that is deficient in the skills of literacy and numbers is unintelligent. Ignorance of a skill or fact has absolutely no baring on a persons mental capacity.

Let's assume that compulsory education in Australia, the EU and North America is, by and large, a reality. Clearly, everyone in our society is offered the opportunity to develop literacy and numeracy skills (though of course not equally). How and whether they develop them will, of course, vary based both on the quality of training offered and on the individual's interests in addition to innate talent.

Also note: I'm not arguing that intelligence is an innate characteristic; there is an innate component but ultimately, any definition of intelligence is also going to be based on measurable skills. Given that no skills are wholly innate, clearly learning/skill development will always be a component of intelligence.

Let's assume we're having this discussion about strength or dexterity. Clearly, these attributes are also a hybrid of innate talent and some degree of learned skills. We call someone strong based on various skills (e.g. bench pressing), performance of which is based, in part, on innate talent and, in part on training. We call someone dextrous based, let's say, on the ability to catch a thrown ball; obviously innate talent is not the only factor there -- playing catch habitually would be pretty important too.

We have a problem when we discuss intelligence today because we want to find some kind of culturally transcendent measure of mental capacity. Guess what? We won't find one. Our measure of intelligence can only be effective within a culture, not across cultures.

As far as I can tell, the only D&D attribute which one could argue as culturally transcendent is wisdom. Every other attribute is a hybrid of innate talent and skill development. I don't think it's any surprise, then, that wisdom is also the attribute hardest to quantify in any remotely objective way.