Video games are still perceived to be harmful to children and teenagers. However, a new study from England found that games can actually benefit children during the Corona crisis and even positively impact reading skills and empathy.
What kind of study is this? The non-profit British organization “National Literacy Trust” surveyed nearly 5,000 players aged between 11 and 16 years about games. The focus was primarily on the positive effects of gaming, such as putting oneself in others’ shoes, reading skills, and communication.
Contrary to the often-heard opinion that games make children dumb and aggressive and lead to rampages, the study concluded that gaming is indeed beneficial for children and teenagers during the current times of lockdowns and contact restrictions.
Gaming improves empathy and reading skills in kids
Children who play also read: According to the study, 4 out of 5 kids (79.4 percent) read material related to the games they played at least once a month. This mainly included in-game communication (39.9 percent) as well as reviews and blogs (30.5 percent) about their favorite games. However, 21.8 percent read books and 19.4 percent read fan fiction about games.
Subsequently, 35.3 percent of the children and teenagers stated that they could read better overall because of games.
Games make kids creative: Another interesting finding of the study is that 62.5 percent of the teens who play games also write about them creatively. This includes tips for other players, as well as blog entries and reviews, and fan fiction.
Games help young people with social contacts: Another important point of the study concerns the social behavior of kids. Many of the young people found that they could make social contacts more easily online as well as offline through games.
This is especially important during the Corona crisis and the contact restrictions, as games allow for safe contact with friends or even to meet new people. Other studies have already proven that a lot more gaming occurs during the crisis. Additionally, kids are more likely to discuss and share their experiences in games rather than the stories from books they’ve read (76.3 percent vs. 29.4 percent).
Strengthening empathy through virtual worlds: Another positive aspect found by the study relates to empathy and immersion in literary worlds. A total of 73.1 percent of respondents indicated that they can much more easily immerse themselves in a story in games and feel part of it compared to reading the story alone.
Interestingly, 65 percent of participants stated that they can better empathize with other people thanks to games, which supports the development of empathy.
All in all, the study concludes that games can be meaningfully used to encourage young people to read and write, as expressed by Jonathan Douglas, the Chief of the National Literacy Trust:
This research clearly indicates that things that young people already enjoy are the best way to introduce them to the broader pattern of reading and writing. It is exciting to uncover the possibilities that playing video games can offer young people to engage with reading, stimulate creativity through writing, improve communication with friends and family, and support empathy and well-being.
Ultimately, it depends on which games you give your children to play. Brutal action games like Doom or the proverbial killer game Dead by Daylight might not be the best ideas here. However, these 10 games that we recommend are definitely suitable for children.
