I have wondered many times what makes someone a better gamer than the rest. I thought it was basically down to good reflexes and practice but, according to a recent study, it might all be in your head.

The study, published by the Cerebral Cortex Journal, was conducted in the US by the University of Illinois, the University of Pittsburgh and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Scientists from these universities found a relation between the size and development of a certain part of the brain and a person’s ability to perform at video games.

There is a general relation between brain size and intelligence in the animal kingdom so, the larger the animal, the smarter it is. There are notable exceptions as in the case of humans, though. Even though a whale’s brain is bigger than ours, humans are thought to be smarter because the part of the brain that controls cognitive abilities is proportionally larger. In a similar fashion, a person’s ability at certain tasks can be identified from the size of the regions in the brain responsible for those tasks.

Although Sixaxis or the WiiMote may seem like the latest trend in game controllers, scientists are researching what would seem like the ultimate controller: the human brain. Researchers have been studying BCIs or brain-computer interfaces as a way for people with disabilities to interact with their environment through a computer. By measuring the electrical activity in the brain, sensors attached to the head can amplify the signals and input the information into a computer where it gets translated into commands that can control a game or move stuff, like a robot arm or a wheelchair.