Literacy through Gaming: The Influence of Videogames on Writing

Literacy through Gaming: The Influence of Videogames on the Writings of High School Freshman Males. Harushimana, I. Journal of Literacy and Technology, Vol. 9 (2): August 2008.


A study done by the author that looked at how students’ narratives can be linked to different videogames. It explored the role of digital gaming in the shaping of adolescent’s written discourse.

Highlights:

• Teachers have to reconcile ‘old’ literacies with ‘new’ literacies in the classroom.

• New definition of literacy needs to include digital technology because it is becoming a primary carrier of information and that the broader means of expression it allows means that it is now a critical part of a student’s education.

• Teachers who come from the pre-digital age need to be aware that today’s youth are technologically savvy – they regularly interact with the gamut of digital devices (computers, video games, MP3 players, i-pods, cell phones etc.)

• Teachers need to understand that video games are not just a means for diversion; rather, they play an important role in the youths’ construction of print literacy content.

• A study on the use of media among 8-18 year olds done in 2004 by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 85% of high school participants indicated that the videogame is the sole media device available in their home. 49% reported that they owned their personal videogame console. It also showed that from 1999 to 2004, the percentage of boys that owed a personal videogame rose from 30% to 63%. Videogames also ranked at the top of activities engaged in by pre-teens and teenagers.

• Based on these result, teachers can’t afford to ignore the impact videogames have on the lives of their students.

• Gee in his updated book What Video Games Have To Teach Us About Learning and Literacy (2007) studies over 30 new video games and looks at how individuals develop a sense of identity, grasp meaning, evaluate and follow a command, pick a role model, and perceive the world .

• Some video games require intense reading activity – such as the history-based and classical literature-based games.

• Gee defines video gaming as a “proactive production of story elements, a visual-motoric-auditory-decision-making symphony, and a unique real-virtual story which produces a new form of performance art co-produced by players and designers”.

• Videogames represent different genres and subgenres. Including action, fighting, role playing, platform game, simulation games, sports, and strategies.

• In some videogames, there is a hybrid design that combines features from more than one subgenre across genres.

• The study came about by providing students with opportunities to convert videogame knowledge into school literacy. It found that videogame genres were compatible with school writing tasks.

• Girls writing tended to be about personal experiences. Boys’ stories had some affiliation with either video game stories or action movies. The author found that nine stories were adaptations from videogames (words, and characters were clues).

• The study’s findings support the conclusion that the student authors were influenced by video games characters and plots. It also showed the similarity between videogames and traditional literature.