Learning to Read through Video Games

Increasingly, books for children and young adults are being released with related video games. Since 97 percent of children ages 12 to 17 play computer and video games, this seems like a surefire to draw at least some reluctant readers into books. But when libraries host gaming tournaments and elementary
schools incorporate video games into English lessons, you have to
wonder, “Is this still reading?”

A large number of writers, publicists, and educators believe
it is–and that, in the age of digital media, computer skills may be more important
than proficiency with print media.

PJ Haarsma is a former advertising consultant who now designs
online games about his science fiction novels for preteens. He argues that pairing video games with young adult literature “brings the book into their world, as opposed to going the
other way around.”

But, as I pointed out in my tribute to Roald Dahl,
the mark of a good book is precisely the ability to get lost in it, to live
inside a world of which one has no experiential knowledge. This is particularly
important for children, who largely learn empathy, respect for the imagination,
and the value of introspection through reading. When one is being tested about a
book’s plot in order to advance in a video game, the quiet, self-forgetful pleasure
of being lost in a good book gets obliterated completely. Children learn that
the only character who matters is the one holding the controller.

Photo: New York Times