Two studies performed by Kathy Sanford and Leanna Madill (for full details please visit the References page) entitled: Critical Literacy Learning Through Video Games: Adolescent Boys’ Perspectives
Understand the Power of New Literacies through Video Game Play and Design
Key points from the two studies:
• Youth that participate in popular media (i.e. Video games) develop a wide range of skills that aid them in understanding and creating texts using written, visual, and oral semiotic systems in a variety of ways.
• The New London Group has over the past 10 years called for a broader definition of literacy – one that encompasses a broader range of texts, reading and writing skills.
• Youth can develop skill in ‘writing’ through instant messaging, chat rooms, email, MSN, blogs, websites and computer games. All of which promote learning how to communicate effectively and efficiently and allow youth to create an array of new texts that are easy to share with friends globally and instantaneously.
• Video games provide an interesting, engaging, dynamic and social space for many types of boys.
• Video game play for a number of boys means they can play it without interference or interaction from adults.
• Video games provide many opportunities for learning. They encourage use of imagination, problem-solving, positive engagement with computers and collaboration.
• The authors suggest that schools and teachers need to tap into and understand the gaming culture.
• Have three types of literacy : operational literacy (using, creating, reading a variety of types in different contexts), cultural literacy (knowing how to make and grasp meanings appropriately within the game and understand the community while interacting with different players) and critical literacy (showing gamers how to notice and criticize the social values and assumptions in the video games)
• Traditional literacy occurs when students create their own games by sketching and writing ideas in their journals.
