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Did video games help you learn to read?
- Thread starter Mellahan
- Start date
Pokémon Red helped me learning English (which isn't my mother tongue). Pokémon Silver forced me to learn the digital clock (which I found quite difficult at the time, since I was mostly used to the analog clock). Majora's Mask helped me learning the 12-hour PM/AM system (where I come from we mainly use the 24-hour system).
Darkstorne
Member
This is an awesome story. My girlfriend is a teacher in the UK, leads literacy in her school, and mainly teaches 10-11 year olds. She regularly tries finding ways to engage kids with reading and writing, but hasn't tried video games before. I imagine Pokemon would only help kids at the very bottom of the spectrum though, right? The writing is incredibly basic, presumably because primary/elementary school kids are the primary target audience so it has to be simple.
I loved video games at that age, and I was amazing at English. Easily my strongest subject. But that's because I loved reading books. The majority of parents simply don't approach reading as something that's fun to do, so at best their kids are subconsciously trained to see it as a chore, and at worst their parents actively discourage them from reading books altogether (often because the parents themselves don't see the value in reading). Whereas my mum went out of her way to make looking for new books a fun experience, telling me about the adventure books she loved as a kid, and helping me look for subject material that I was excited to read. We hit the jackpot with the Redwall series by the late Brian Jacques, adventures about humanoid animals in a medieval fantasy land, and the sheer volume and quality of writing in those books compared to the video games I used to play at that time are the reason I found literacy so easy throughout all my time in school.
So while I can see games like Pokemon engaging and helping the kids who struggle the most, I'm pretty sure they'd quickly need to be motivated to move on to novels that will deal with things that Pokemon can never convey (paragraphs, speech marks, and more advanced grammar that young kids still need to know). The trick seems to be the same though: finding the subject material that truly engages each student. And as a teacher that really shouldn't fall on you. How can you be expected to go through this every single year with 30+ students? This is where parents need to step up, and so few of them do, instead choosing to believe educating and motivating their children to learn falls entirely in the job descriptions of teachers.
Taliban Stan
Member
Not me. I didn't play RPGs until I was in college. I was a little kid in the 8bit console era. A lot of games didn't even have words and stories. You'd get more reading experience via the manual than even like 50+ hours of playing the games.
In school we usually played games about math. I remember there being reading games but I only played the math ones. I think those where always about like machines, aliens, or monsters and you had to do like platforming and math problems.
I don't even remember educational games able reading. All I element is this feeling that the math stuff was a game but the reading stuff felt like it made sounds and had animations but this was really no different than getting a worksheet from the teacher. The games were fill in the blank, multiple choice, etc. Stuff you see on a test, not a game.
In school we usually played games about math. I remember there being reading games but I only played the math ones. I think those where always about like machines, aliens, or monsters and you had to do like platforming and math problems.
I don't even remember educational games able reading. All I element is this feeling that the math stuff was a game but the reading stuff felt like it made sounds and had animations but this was really no different than getting a worksheet from the teacher. The games were fill in the blank, multiple choice, etc. Stuff you see on a test, not a game.
Adam_Roman
Member
Yeah. Not only through educational/typing games, but I had a dictionary next to my computer as a kid and if there was a word I didn't know I'd look it up. It probably had some contribution to being able to spell just about anything from memory as well.
I very clearly remember an argument I had with my brother about what it meant to sidle when we played Wind Waker, because he thought it was a misspelling of slide.
I very clearly remember an argument I had with my brother about what it meant to sidle when we played Wind Waker, because he thought it was a misspelling of slide.
Sanctuary
Member
No, and I'm glad that I learned to read and was already in junior high before video games became a huge factor in my life. I mean, I had always enjoyed video games well before that, but it was mostly casually at the arcade, or coin-op at a convenience store, or my aunt's Atari until I got mine just two years before an NES. Before that, I was always reading either a book, or comics.
I guess it helps that my mother taught me how to read before I was even in kindergarten though.
I had never actually seen the word used until that game, and looked it up myself just to see if it was legitimate, or a misspelling. I think a lot of people initially thought it was a misspelling.
I guess it helps that my mother taught me how to read before I was even in kindergarten though.
I had never actually seen the word used until that game, and looked it up myself just to see if it was legitimate, or a misspelling. I think a lot of people initially thought it was a misspelling.
Yes, partially, I was able to read very well in my native language, but a total disaster at English. Than JRPGs came to be, and in order to progress I forced myself to learn English with the help of my brother. It worked out so well that in my teens I got my C2 level at the Cambridge English exam, and even went on to teach other kids English in order to pay for my bachelor fees.
Fbh
Member
It helped me a lot with my english and also got me motivated to do so at school.
A third grade kid isn't going to get motivated to learn english because you tell him it will help him find a job when he is an adult. But understanding what everyone is saying in that new Pokemon game for gameboy? Oh hell yes!
A third grade kid isn't going to get motivated to learn english because you tell him it will help him find a job when he is an adult. But understanding what everyone is saying in that new Pokemon game for gameboy? Oh hell yes!
SMOK3Y
Generous Member
Excellent story but hate to be that one. Didn't help me as no real game's around except for arcades when i was a kid.
Original Man
Member
MGS1/2/3 taught me a lot about politics. Especially 2
BananasWithGuns
Member
Didn't teach me to read but definitely expanded my vocabulary which I'm pretty thankful for.
I started playing Final Fantasy 7 as I started learning to read. Even though the French localization is dreadful, it was still very helpful.
I started playing Final Fantasy 6 and Shenmue 1 as I started learning English. It was a tremendous help as well.
I tried to play the first Front Mission as I started learning Japanese. It really wasn't helpful at all, I barely understood anything.
I started playing Final Fantasy 6 and Shenmue 1 as I started learning English. It was a tremendous help as well.
I tried to play the first Front Mission as I started learning Japanese. It really wasn't helpful at all, I barely understood anything.
AzureSkies
Member
According to my mom, video game magazines and comics were what helped me get motivated to read as a kid.
Roald Dahl helped a lot too.
Roald Dahl helped a lot too.
Naked Snake
Member
Not sure about games, but reading video game magazines must have improved my English (which is not my first language). Also GAF, which I've been addicted to for close to two decades now.
Yup, this for me also.
Helped me greatly with my english in elementary and middle school back then.
Videogames in general and more specifically FFVII taught me english from zero when i was 7 or 8. Before that i only had the very first lessons you give at kids, but wasn't interested in it. With VII, i had to sit down with an english vocabulary, and often ask advices to my neighbor. I then developed an interest for the language that still lasts: since then i've always been the one with the highest grades in english all through my education, and i now sometimes work as a translator. Plus, i started browsing english sites in middle and high school (like Gaf), so that helped me a lot with my english.
Dude, lol
I actually wished i had a teacher like you back then.
Dude, lol
I actually wished i had a teacher like you back then.
azertydu91
Hard to Kill
Yeah but maybe indirectly I remember being Something like 3 or 4 years old trying to understand what to do in Goldeneye 007.
The funny thing is that when I learned to read then I understood It was in english which motivated me to learn english and helped me doing so by trying to decipher what I was reading.
Sometimes I failed miserably but I think it gave me a good jump start in my studies which future english games and subtitled series strengthened considerably my english allowing me to never having to actually study english.
But to be fair the majority of my english teachers sucked .That's a problem and can explain why french have trouble speaking english.
My post may not reflect how great video games helped me learning english but to my defense I'm pretty drunk and haven't slept in a couple of days.
Feel free to correct my english (by the way I may have forgotten/added a few letters here and there) I think that I still have a lot to learn.
The funny thing is that when I learned to read then I understood It was in english which motivated me to learn english and helped me doing so by trying to decipher what I was reading.
Sometimes I failed miserably but I think it gave me a good jump start in my studies which future english games and subtitled series strengthened considerably my english allowing me to never having to actually study english.
But to be fair the majority of my english teachers sucked .That's a problem and can explain why french have trouble speaking english.
My post may not reflect how great video games helped me learning english but to my defense I'm pretty drunk and haven't slept in a couple of days.
Feel free to correct my english (by the way I may have forgotten/added a few letters here and there) I think that I still have a lot to learn.
DiipuSurotu
Banned
RPGs and NeoGAF taught me English.
BlueSparrow
Member
I think so yeah, Just years of looking at english words that meant nothing.
Eventually they slowly start to make sense.
Also as a child you pick up new linguistic skills much easier compared to when you''re older.
Eventually they slowly start to make sense.
Also as a child you pick up new linguistic skills much easier compared to when you''re older.