Video Games Deserve a Place in School Curriculums
New research shows games can boost literacy rates, especially among reluctant readers
GamesIndustry.biz has reported on a study by the UK’s National Literary Trust that links video games to “improved literacy, creativity, positive communication, empathy, and mental wellbeing in young people.”
To me, this kind of research is long overdue. It has baffled me for some time why there still seems to be apprehension around considering the literary benefits of video games, especially when the medium has pumped out countless role-playing titles filled with enough text to bust open a library.
Far from the assumption that playing a game is something to be done exclusively to kill some time, I believe that playing a game also has the potential to teach new aspects of a language and literary techniques to a player. Rather than shaming children (and adults) for playing games, this fascination should be encouraged and grown through titles that educate and stimulate a hungry mind.
Inevitably there will be some people who will rush to the fore and proclaim that there is nothing that will improve literacy more than reading a book, and I happen to agree. It would be asinine to disregard the written word when literary history showcases the development of how to tell a story and how to portray a character. At the same time, reading is not the only vessel through which a story can be delivered, and games are rushing to fill the demand for story-driven adventures.
In this way, it is not hard to come to conclusions similar to the ones found by the UKNLA. Some games are overwhelmingly text-based not only in their story but also through their gameplay mechanics, allowing players to expand their vocabulary in differing ways. For instance, in World of Warcraft, this may be the difference between reading a quest’s story text and reading the combat log of the fight where that undead rogue in Stranglethorn Vale killed your character in five seconds.
It also allows for the inclusion of player choice — something I have written about already in my article on The Stanley Parable — which allows greater narrative scope through the agency of differing story options. It allows players not only to understand a story but also to align themselves with choices that they think makes sense to them or the character that they have created.
Aside from the use of language and communication in games, there is also the obvious programming font of knowledge that can be gained from analyzing how games are made. Even the simplest games include several core concepts of programming in their source code and present challenges for novice programmers to learn and overcome. I would argue that there already exists an innate awareness of programming knowledge in young people who have grown up with technology and video games. While they would not be considered programmers, they would recognize what an IF statement is from their time playing RPGs with different conversational outcomes, for example.
The original article breaks down the analysis into how literacy improves not just by playing games themselves, but also consuming material and information related to the titles that are being played:
79% of young people who play video games also read material related to the medium. This includes in-game communications for 40% of the respondents, reviews and blogs for 31%, books for 22%, and fan fiction for 19%.
Very good news for the players who hoarded Skyrim books in their houses. Interestingly, almost a third of the players surveyed read reviews and blogs like SUPERJUMP to better understand the medium, which is also pretty significant. Alongside the industry, game journalism has also developed to the point where articles and reviews are concise, well-written, and (usually) analyzed well. These articles are good examples of how to write for a website or newspaper, and it is a good springboard for players to write their own material related to games.
This effect is explored in the study:
63% of young people playing games also write about them. That includes video game scripts for 28% of them, advice to help others for 22% of them, fan fiction for 11%, and blogs or reviews for 8%.
58% of the respondents expressed an interest in writing or designing games, while 31% said they would like to read and write more about games in school.
Predictably some people wish to blog or review games through playing them, but interestingly the study also includes ‘advice to help others’ — whether this means Reddit posts on community subreddits or entire guides on GameFAQs, I am not sure, but it is an interesting inclusion that deviates from the well-known path from a game player to a game reviewer.
Most significantly of all, 73% of the respondents said that playing a game helped them feel “more part of a story” than reading a book. Reluctant readers are at an increased risk of falling behind when it comes to literacy, and games are an alternative choice for these people to develop their communication skills and empathy. This statistic is mindblowing. When there is already such a drive to encourage children to read, why aren’t we also encouraging them to play games when that is what they identify with more?
Consider first of all that literary publishing already has a representation problem. To become a professional writer (enough so to become reasonably successful) is something that is often afforded to people who are able to go to university, or who can sustain themselves financially while they dedicate themselves to a craft that will not pay the bills for a while. It is totally understandable to me to hear that some people may feel that books simply are not for them because they can often be written from a position of privilege.
When presented with a choice between a story that they do not identify with and cannot shape, or a story that they can mold and create with their own experiences, what do you think they will choose?
The UKNLT answers this question for us:
Games as a medium is more discussed than books among young people, with 76% of the respondents saying they talk about what they play with their friends, versus only 29% discussing the books they read. The studio also highlighted a link between playing games and an ability to build social connections both online and in real life.
The numbers speak for themselves, and children are voting with their feet: there is a clear bias towards playing games over reading stories, and we need to talk more about why this is the case.
To me, this is the clearest sign yet that the video game medium is an opportunity to teach literacy and STEM skills to children already emotionally invested in the subject. Whole syllabuses can be built on different genres of games, depending on what teaching outcomes need to be attained — whether the focus is on narrative design, team working, or computing skills, video games are a vital tool — but the education system needs to learn how to use this tool well.
