Game over? examining associations between video game play and visual and auditory spatial ability

Spatial ability is a strong predictor of entry into STEM fields and broader academic achievement and may relate to environmental experiences. Video games have been proposed as one such experience; however, findings remain mixed, particularly across action and non-action genres. The present study aims to investigate this relationship, specifically whether self-reported video game frequency predicts visual and auditory spatial ability. Participants (N = 53, n = 23 female) completed three spatial assessments: the Mental Rotation Test (MRT), and two ecologically valid tasks, one visual, the Brick-Building Task (BBT), and one audio spatial task, the Audio-Corsi. Gaming experience was assessed by genre, using a list of 13 categories encompassing both action and non-action games. Regression analyses revealed no significant associations between action or non-action video games and the visual or auditory tasks [βs ranged from -0.01 to 1.39; 95% CIs ranged from (-1.68, 1.98)]; all ps > 0.1. The results are discussed in relation to the importance of examining both, visual and auditory spatial processes using ecologically valid measures, that can contribute to a more nuanced understanding of how gaming experience may relate to spatial cognition.