Use Video Games to Boost These 5 types of Intelligence
Kimberley Sanson
Use Video Games to Develop these Five Types of Intelligence
Video games can sometimes have a bad reputation. They are often considered too violent, unsuitable for young people, or even mind-numbing, and it's thought impossible to attribute to them the virtues of books and cultural documentaries, especially if one wishes to maintain their intelligence. But is this really the case ?
Video games, an educational tool like any other ?
Is gaming a marginal practice? Not at all! According to a Médiamétrie study, France has many gamers. 38.3 million people, or 73% of the population, are occasional gamers when considering video games on all platforms, including mobile devices.
In recent years, numerous experts have specialized in the question of learning and video games. This includes Sandra Schamroth Abrams, a professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at St. John's University in New York, who was interviewed by The Journal.
According to her, gaming helps to develop a willingness to try and fail in order to improve. Additionally, it can make historical lessons more entertaining by helping students to immerse themselves in historical settings. Some games, focused on cooperation, also help students learn to collaborate with each other for better success.
The European Commission itself also funds the #gaming4skills project and has already published several booklets, including a practical guide on using video games in the classroom.
Malika Alouani, Deputy to the Digital Academic Delegate of Versailles, confirms that e-sport workshops are being experimented with in some middle schools and that programs to help students create their own games are also being implemented. The Versailles Academy participated in the Hauts-en-Seine Video Game Festival and currently seeks new experiments in the field of education and video games.
Indeed, video games have numerous virtues, one of which is helping to enhance children's cognitive abilities. Beyond recreational video games, serious games—video games developed solely for educational purposes in various fields, are also being developed.
Video games can also help treat certain cognitive issues. The game EndeavorRX, which involves capturing aliens, can now be prescribed to children with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). The game is recognized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States, the public agency that regulates the presence of medications and food products on the American market.
Video games for various types of intelligence
According to Howard Gardner, there are several types of intelligence. While other theorists have enriched or modified the psychologist's findings over the years, this theory is often used for educational purposes, particularly to encourage students to improve and gain confidence in themselves. Despite the differences in various existing classifications, several types of intelligence can be associated with video games.
Logical-mathematical intelligence
What is logical-mathematical intelligence?
Logical-mathematical intelligence, as its name suggests, involves mobilizing one's ability to think in order to solve problems, and also involves using numbers and mathematical calculations.
Various games to train your logical-mathematical intelligence
When it comes to mathematics, logic, or even memory, one might immediately think of the famous Brain Training Program by Dr. Kawashima. However, many other licenses and games allow you to work on your logical-mathematical intelligence in more entertaining and colorful universes.
This is the case with Kerbal Space Program, where the goal is to assemble a rocket and launch it without causing any accidents. Also, games like Phoenix Wright put players in the shoes of a lawyer who must untangle the knots of numerous criminal cases by questioning witnesses and presenting the right evidence at the right time during trials.
Professor Layton is also there to train the player's logic with numerous puzzles. In the same vein, we have the Another Code series or the recent Jenny LeClue, for example.
For independent games, there is no shortage of puzzle games as varied as reflection games like Unpacking, the organization game A Little To The Left, the storage game with multiple puzzles and different gameplay Looks Good, or the repair and assembly game Assemble with Care.
We can also cite the various innovative puzzles such as the adventure game based on stickers A Tiny Sticker Tale, the animated and colorful puzzles of the narrative game Lost in Play, but also the very pretty A star named EOS.
Also worth mentioning are the cartographic video game Carto, the canvas puzzle Please Touch the Artwork, the reality manipulation game Viewfinder, the paper-folding puzzle Paper Trail, and finally Sizeable, the miniature and relaxing puzzle.
Storyteller requires the player to rearrange a story by placing the narrative panels in the correct order. We can also mention video game adaptations of board games like the cute Quilts and Cats of Calico or the bird-themed board game Wingspan.
Verbal-linguistic intelligence
What is verbal-linguistic intelligence?
Verbal-linguistic intelligence is the ability to use words and phrases to express ideas and understand others.
Various games to train your verbal-linguistic intelligence
When it comes to games that train your verbal-linguistic intelligence, we can mention Cryptmaster or Epistory. The first involves finding the right words to solve puzzles, while the second trains you to quickly type words on a keyboard to launch attacks or defend yourself against monsters.
Telltale games, on the other hand, are choice-based games that allow the player to follow a story whose outcome they influence, while the short game for aspiring writers Everyletter prompts you to write letters on a given theme.
But it is also possible to learn real languages ! Learn Japanese to Survive or Learn Japanese RPG: Hiragana Forbidden Speech are two of the many games who can help you to learn japanese.
Lost Broad Café puts you in the role of a café owner abroad and offers you the opportunity to learn vocabulary words from the several countries where you open your establishment. Linguist FPS is a first-person shooter game that also allows you to learn a new language.
Noun Town offers you the opportunity to explore a map in order to find the residents with whom you can converse in multiple languages and solve puzzles. Newcomer is an RPG that requires you to learn another language to save your village.
Earthlingo has up to 28 languages available, while the game Influent offers 23. Chants of Sennaar is a bit different, as it involves translating fictional languages using deduction or clues
As for the language of computer programming, several games have been created around it. For example, while True: learn() and 7 Billion Humans introduce the principles of programming in a fun way.
Musical-rhythmic intelligence
What is musical-rhythmic intelligence?
As strange as it may seem, yes, there is a musical and rhythmic intelligence that can be nurtured and developed through rhythm games, for example. Musical-rhythmic intelligence is the ability to be in tune with sound, rhythm, and musical structures. In other words: having a sense of rhythm and flourishing in music and sounds.
Various games to train your musical-rhythmic intelligence
In addition to the iconic Guitar Hero, which allows you to pick up your guitar and play the greatest classics of music, the recent Headbangers offers a rhythm game in Battle Royale mode.
Other games like Osu!, the VR game Beatsabbers, or even God of Rock, not to mention the less serious Trombone Champ, help train your reflexes and sense of rhythm.
All karaoke and singing games are also related to this form of intelligence!
Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence
What is bodily-kinesthetic intelligence?
Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence is related to the ability to correctly use the body’s functions to engage in any type of physical activity or sport.
Various games to train your bodily-kinesthetic intelligence
Many video games don't force players to sit while playing. The mobile game Pokémon Go has gotten many young people out into the streets, and Just Dance has been getting players moving for fifteen years now. Nintendo, in particular, is pioneering in its consoles and games that help you to get active.
The advent of the Wii and its classic Wii Sports games have now made way for the Nintendo Switch, which allows you to play alone or with others without sitting in a chair or on a couch. Its Ring Fit accessory is specialized in sports games, the game Ring Fit Adventure being the best example of how it can help players staying in shape.
Interpersonal intelligence
What is interpersonal intelligence?
Interpersonal intelligence is related to sociability and a person's ability to have empathy for others, understand them, and generally act appropriately in society.
Various games to train your interpersonal intelligence
Role-playing games are developed on many platforms (there are even some on Fortnite !). From MMORPGs to the classic GTA V RP on FiveM, many servers offer gaming sessions in which the goal is to embody a character and develop them by creating stories that evolve based on the relationships forged with other players' characters.
Many video games also allow players to step into the shoes of characters who are not like them. By embodying these characters, it then becomes easier for the player to show empathy towards them.
Cute graphics and cozy atmospheres can sometimes give way to a deeper story, exploring themes as engaged and diverse as: Corruption in Tulip Tax Invasion, medical desertion and accessibility to care in Fall of Porcupine, and also addressing unionism and exploited employees in Magical Girl Union.
The theme of war and its refugees is explored in Bury Me My Love. Meanwhile, the game Night In The Woods delves into various themes such as mental health issues, grief, poverty, abuse, and miscarriages.
Visual novels are interactive and auditory novels in which the characters come to life. These visual novels celebrate diversity as a whole. Monster Prom XXL immerses the player in a world where their crushes are both male and female monsters.
One Night Hot Springs follows the story of a transgender woman facing the dilemma of Japanese baths, If Found... explores personal identity broadly, A Normal Lost Phone deals with coming out, and Dream Daddy follows a young girl trying to find a new lover for her father.
There are also many games that explore stories and cultures often underrepresented in the world of video games. From Ukrainian tales in Tokuni, Tamil cuisine in Venba, the island-inspired Summer in Mara. Lastly, Tchia offers an environment inspired by New Caledonia.
Other types of video games
Sandbox and creative games
Other types of games can also develop different qualities, such as creativity. This is the case with sandbox games, which have no defined goal and can therefore be played infinitely, with an additional emphasis on creation, either solo or multiplayer, reinforcing the principle of cooperation. Examples include the popular Minecraft, the vintage Garry's Mod, and the more recent Roblox.
Painting games like Été, the canvas creation game The Starving Artist, or SuchArt allow players to unleash their inner Van Gogh.
Photographic adventure games like TOEM or sticker selling games like Sticky Business are also original ways to train creativity. Just like city-building games such as Animal Crossing or Gourdlets, for example.
Historical and strategic games
Many historical games, although they may sometimes deviate from historical reality, can help students become interested in this subject, even try to discern the truth from the false: Assassin's Creed immerses us in various aspects of history (including the French Revolution with Assassin's Creed Unity). Ghost of Tsushima focuses on a specific period of Japanese history, the Kamakura era.
Europa Universalis or Crusader Kings are two strategy games, one focusing on a period from the Renaissance to the Revolution, and the other from 1066 to 1453 in medieval Europe.
Video games and education, a balance to find
While it is obvious that video games should be used in moderation, like any hobby, we are now far from the idea of addictive video games that make people violent. Science, along with various studies and experiments conducted in recent years, proves that, while it is not the only solution, the use of video games can be beneficial and improve various types of intelligence valuable for students, as well as for the young and the not so young!
(Originally written and published in French)
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Posted Mar 24, 2025
Video games sometimes get a bad rap, and it might not be possible to find any cultural benefits in them. But is that really the case?
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