MMOs and Typing Speed: Did Gaming Improve Your WPM
There are some moments in massive multiplayer online role-playing games that manage to pull a genuine laugh out of you. For me, that moment arrived in Final Fantasy XIV’s Gold Saucer, where players compete to defeat waves using nothing but the literal power of words. It was a fun little diversion, and as someone who types for a living, diving into the challenge offered by this minigame was an unexpected treat.
But beyond the fun of the competition, participating in this linguistic showdown immediately brought a fascinating observation to the surface: typing speeds among MMO players vary wildly, despite typing being the primary form of communication in these sprawling worlds. I was quickly made aware of this disparity when I started tip-tapping my way through the mode, and the results were surprisingly illuminating.
Some players were clearly operating on a different level, possessing what I can only describe as divine powers of fingerwork that left me agog. While some players were clearly using bots, others were simply blazing past me, making me wonder about the extent to which the hours spent immersed in MMOs translate into physical dexterity.
If you’re curious about your own speed, I encourage you to take a moment and run a WPM test. The difference is stark when you compare real-world typing to the speeds achieved in the digital arena. For context, most general keyboard typists hover between 40 and 60 WPM. As a professional typist, I average around 130 to 140 WPM, though focusing on accuracy slows me down a bit to the 110 to 120 WPM range.
Yet, the experience of playing MMOs, especially the intense focus required during competitive moments, might subtly influence those numbers. Do you reckon that the endless immersion in these games has sharpened your typing skills or improved your grasp of grammar? I invite fellow players to share their experiences with the wonderful English language in the comments below.
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