An online performance-based measure of persistence was developed using anagrams and riddles. Persistence was measured by recording the time spent on unsolved anagrams and riddles. Time spent on unsolved problems was correlated to a self-report measure of persistence. Additionally, frequent video game players spent longer times on unsolved problems relative to infrequent video game players. Results are explained in terms of the value of performance-based measures of persistence over self-report measures and how video game use can lead to more persistence across a variety of tasks. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)