Emotional intelligence, not grades, predicts success. Every September, families focus on classrooms, routines, and test scores. However, research shows academic achievement alone is not enough. Emotional intelligence is the real superpower kids need — and games are the lab where they practice it.
In this article, we explore why emotional intelligence matters more than grades, and how games are becoming the new lab for it.
Missed Part 1 of our Chaos to Connection series? Read it here.
The Evidence: Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Works
Yale’s Center for Emotional Intelligence has studied how emotions shape learning for years. Their RULER program has been used in schools across the U.S. and beyond. Results are consistent: classrooms that teach social-emotional learning (SEL) show better behavior, stronger peer relationships, and improved academic performance.
Additionally, a recent meta-analysis led by Yale researchers (Cipriano et al., 2023, Child Development, DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13968; full text here) reviewed 424 studies from 53 countries, and the findings are powerful. SEL programs improved students’ skills, reduced conduct problems, boosted prosocial behavior, and even raised academic achievement. The benefits lasted well beyond the program year.
The takeaway is clear: when kids practice emotional intelligence, schools become healthier places to learn.
Beyond School: SEL Predicts Life Outcomes
Research also shows that social-emotional competence isn’t just about childhood. Instead, it predicts the kind of adults children become.
For example, a review by Domitrovich, Durlak, and Weissberg (2017, Child Development, DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12739; open PDF here) found that higher levels of social-emotional competence in early school years are linked to better jobs, healthier relationships, and lower risks of crime or substance use later in life.
Economists agree on the impact. Analyses estimate that for every $1 invested in SEL programs, society gains $11 in long-term benefits. These returns come through higher earnings, better health, and fewer social costs.
As a result, the stakes are high. Emotional intelligence is not just a classroom skill. It is one of the strongest predictors of lifelong success.
Where Games Come In
Traditionally, kids practiced social-emotional skills at recess. On the playground, they learned to wait their turn, negotiate rules, and bounce back from losing. That still exists. However, kids today are born into the internet. Online spaces act like new playgrounds, but often without guidance or guardrails. As a result, they can feel more like Lord of the Flies than healthy socialization.
That’s where intentional play spaces matter.
Our studio has spent the past decade building serious games for education and training. Muffin Fight was the first time we saw those same design principles spark something powerful in kids. We saw teamwork, resilience, and connection. From that moment, we saw the potential for games as natural SEL labs.
Let’s reframe for a moment. Researchers call the skills behind resilience and cooperation “social-emotional learning” (SEL). At Red Iron Labs, we call it learning through play. When kids are immersed in joyful, shared play, they practice the same skills research proves are essential.
When kids play, they practice emotional regulation. For example, they negotiate and compromise. They fail, reset, and try again. As a result, playful moments become the foundation for resilience, empathy, and cooperation.
When we first showcased Muffin Fight in 2022, it looked like a silly VR game: gather, bake, throw. But the reactions told a deeper story. Parents noticed shy kids coming alive. Kids who lost still laughed and rejoined. Audiences gathered to cheer, not just watch. In those playful moments, we saw the social-emotional “lab” in action.
That’s why Muffin Fight 2.0 is focused on learning through play. By designing mechanics around teamwork, giving-to-get, and frustration tolerance, we are creating a digital playground. In it, kids practice the same skills decades of research have proven essential.
The Future of Emotional Intelligence in Gaming
The research tells us:
- SEL programs improve behavior, relationships, and academics (Yale RULER; Cipriano et al., 2023).
- SEL predicts lifelong outcomes — jobs, health, and resilience (Domitrovich et al., 2017).
- Kids already practice these skills through play. Games are simply the next evolution of the playground.
That’s why we believe emotional intelligence in gaming is not just a possibility. It’s the future.