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Scientists Discover Pigs Enjoy Playing Video Games With Their Friends

Ewan Moore

Published 

Scientists Discover Pigs Enjoy Playing Video Games With Their Friends

Featured Image Credit: Pennsylvania State University

Lockdown has impacted all of us in different ways. The intense boredom has led to many of us developing new hobbies that we might never have considered. I got deep into LEGO, for example. A lot of my friends took up jogging. A group of scientists decided to see whether or not pigs could play video games. Like I said, lockdown has hit us all.

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Yes, researchers at Pennsylvania State University recently decided to gather four pigs - Hamlet, Omelette, Ebony, and Ivory - and train them in the ways of the gamer. Rather than have them head to internet message boards and post lengthy rants about video games they've never played, these swine were trained to use an arcade-style joystick to steer an on-screen cursor into walls. Not exactly GOTY material, I grant you.

Credit: Pennsylvania State University
Credit: Pennsylvania State University

As reported by BBC News, researchers confirmed that the pigs understood that moving the joystick would impact what happened in the game, something they described as "no small feat". Incredibly, the pigs even continued to play when the food reward dispenser broke, just for the social contact. That's unbearably cute.

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"This sort of study is important because, as with any sentient beings, how we interact with pigs and what we do to them impacts and matters to them," lead author Dr Candace Croney explained.

The researchers described the pigs' ability to play as "remarkable", given the fact that they're far-sighted animals with no hands or thumbs. But, they added, it wasn't an easy experience for them.

Hamlet, was better at the game than his fellow Yorkshire pig Omelette, but both of them started to struggle as the challenge grew, eventually hitting the target in around half the time. The Panepinto micro pigs Ebony and Ivory demonstrated a larger gulf in skill. The former was only able to hit targets 34% of the time, while the latter managed it with 76% accuracy.

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Credit: Pennsylvania State University
Credit: Pennsylvania State University

Kate Daniels of Willow Farm in Worcestershire, told BBC Radio 4 that this discovery won't come as a shock to anyone who actually works with pigs. She said: "They're not playing Minecraft - but that they can manipulate a situation to get a reward is no surprise at all."

If you'll excuse me, I'm going to see if Ivory wants to join my Call Of Duty: Warzone squad. I've been looking for someone to carry me.

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Topics: News

Ewan Moore
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