A new study shows that gaming can improve literacy and overall wellbeing in children. The survey of 4,626 young people ages 11 to 16 in the UK revealed that games encourage reading and writing, according to the National Literacy Trust.
Children reported that playing video games helped them deal with anxiety and stress with 73% saying that gaming helped them feel part of a story and 65% saying that games helped them relate to others. Many parents also stated that gaming helped their kids deal with loneliness during the coronavirus lockdown by keeping them connected to their friends.
In general, 56% of parents said their kids chatted with family and friends while gaming during the lockdown, and 60% believed this connection had enhanced their children’s sense of wellbeing while self-isolating. Jonathan Douglas, chief executive of the National Literacy Trust, stated that gaming is a way for young people to embrace reading and writing.
“It’s exciting to uncover the opportunities that video game playing can provide for young people to engage in reading, stimulate creativity through writing, enhance communication with friends and family, and support empathy and wellbeing,” he added.
Gaming journalist Andy Robertson said gaming helped his son bond with others, noting that playing video games is more than entertainment, it is also a way to broaden children’s horizons. Overall, the study revealed that boys and reluctant readers benefitted most from gaming with nearly twice as many boys as girls saying they communicated with family and friends while gaming.
Rhianna Pratchett, a video game writer who has worked on Heavenly Sword, Overlord, Mirror’s Edge, and Tomb Raider, says wasn’t surprised by the results, adding that games, more than any other form of entertainment, allow players to be transported and feel involved in the story.
The Center on Media and Child Health has previously reported that 66% of children ages 8 to 12 play video games for an average of 2 hours per day, while 56% of teens ages 13 to 17 play video games for an average of 2.5 hours per day. Gaming, the center says, has been shown to encourage kids to be helpful, cooperative, and altruistic, and can improve visual processing, information filtering, and problem-solving.
The new study was conducted as part of a new campaign from the National Literacy Trust, the Association of UK Interactive Entertainment (UKIE) and Penguin Random House Children’s to examine the relationship between gaming and active reading among children.
Source: Sky News
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