Can Playing MMOs Improve Your Typing Speed? Final Fantasy 14 Raises the Question

Playing online games is usually associated with entertainment, teamwork, and competition. However, spending years communicating with other players through in-game chat may also help develop an everyday computer skill: typing.

A recent discussion from PC Gamer highlights this connection following the introduction of a new typing minigame in Final Fantasy 14. The activity has encouraged players to compete using their typing speed, raising an interesting question: can spending time in MMORPGs actually make someone a faster and more confident typist?

Final Fantasy 14 Introduces a New Typing Challenge

The latest typing activity in Final Fantasy 14 takes place at the Gold Saucer, the game's popular entertainment destination.

Players can form a group of four and compete against each other by completing waves of typing challenges. The objective is to use the keyboard quickly and accurately to progress through the activity.

Although it is designed as a fun minigame, it also highlights something familiar to regular MMO players: communication through text is an important part of the online gaming experience.

Whether players are coordinating dungeon runs, organizing raids, trading items, or simply chatting with friends, typing is a regular part of their time in these virtual worlds.

How Fast Do MMO Players Actually Type?

Typing speeds can vary significantly between players.

Many typing-test websites place the average keyboard user's speed somewhere around 40 to 60 words per minute (WPM). However, experienced typists can achieve considerably higher results.

PC Gamer's Harvey Randall shared his own experience, reporting speeds of approximately 130 to 140 WPM on Monkeytype when using simpler typing settings.

When punctuation, capitalization, and less familiar words are included, his speed drops to around 110 to 120 WPM. He also reported maintaining accuracy levels of approximately 95% to 98%.

These figures demonstrate how much typing performance can depend on the difficulty and format of a test. A high score on a simple typing challenge does not necessarily translate into the same speed when writing complete sentences.

Can Playing MMORPGs Make You a Better Typist?

MMORPGs often encourage players to communicate regularly, especially when participating in group activities.

Players may need to send quick messages while exploring the game world, explaining strategies, asking questions, or coordinating with teammates. Repeating these activities over several years could provide additional keyboard practice.

There are several ways MMO gameplay may encourage typing development:

1. Frequent Communication

Regular conversations through in-game chat give players opportunities to practice entering words and sentences quickly.

2. Faster Responses During Group Activities

Raids, dungeons, and competitive encounters sometimes require players to communicate quickly. This can encourage them to become more comfortable using the keyboard.

3. Learning New Words and Gaming Terminology

Online games introduce players to specialized vocabulary, abbreviations, character names, and technical terms. Communicating with international players may also expose them to different writing styles.

4. Developing Better Keyboard Familiarity

Players who spend many hours at a computer may become more comfortable using keyboard shortcuts and navigating between different keys.

However, these are possible benefits rather than scientifically established results showing that MMO players automatically type faster than other computer users.

Does Gaming Also Improve Grammar and Spelling?

Typing speed is only one part of effective communication.

MMO players regularly interact with people from different countries and language backgrounds. These conversations can expose them to new vocabulary, common expressions, and different ways of communicating.

Some players may become more confident writing messages in English through regular online interaction.

However, faster typing does not automatically mean better grammar or spelling. The quality of improvement depends on how players communicate and whether they pay attention to accuracy.

Final Fantasy 14 Players Are Being Asked to Share Their Typing Speeds

The new minigame has also created an opportunity for MMO players to compare their keyboard skills.

Players can use online typing tests such as Monkeytype to measure their words-per-minute performance and compare their results with other gamers.

The discussion raises several interesting questions. Do players who regularly participate in MMORPGs type faster than people who rarely use online chat? Has years of communicating with guild members improved their spelling? And does gaming make someone more comfortable using a keyboard?

There is no simple answer, but the discussion offers an interesting look at how gaming habits can overlap with everyday computer skills.

Final Thoughts

MMORPGs are designed primarily for entertainment, but their communication systems encourage players to spend considerable time using a keyboard.

Final Fantasy 14's new typing minigame brings that familiar activity into a competitive format, allowing players to test their speed while enjoying the game.

Although there is no definitive evidence that playing MMOs directly improves typing ability, regular communication can provide plenty of opportunities to practice.

For longtime MMO fans, it may be worth taking a typing test and discovering whether all those years of chatting, raiding, and coordinating with teammates have made a difference.