How fast do you type, and has playing MMOs improved your typing in any way?

Terminally Online is PC Gamer's MMO column, where I share my thoughts on the genre, interview fellow MMO enthusiasts, dive into game mechanics, and occasionally introduce guest writers. Recently, Final Fantasy 14 introduced a typing minigame where players compete in teams of four to defeat waves of enemies using the power of typing. As someone who types for a living, I spent time in the Gold Saucer, testing my typing speed and observing others.

Typing abilities among MMO players vary significantly, even though typing is the primary means of communication. During my testing, I found that some players were much faster than me, while others seemed to have exceptional fingerwork skills. This inspired me to wonder how other MMO players compare in terms of typing speed and if their MMO experiences have improved their typing abilities and grammar.

To get a better sense of the situation, I encourage fellow MMO players to take a typing speed test and share their results. For reference, the average keyboard typist tends to reach speeds of 40-60 words per minute (WPM). As someone who types professionally, I average around 130-140 WPM on typing tests that don't require capitalization or uncommon words, and 110-120 WPM when proper punctuation and spelling are factored in.

My extensive gaming background, particularly in MMOs, provided ample practice and contributed to my typing skills.

I'm curious to hear about your typing speeds and whether your MMO experience has positively impacted your typing abilities or grammar. Please share your experiences in the comments below.