This research by the National Literacy Trust finds that playing video games can support young people’s literacy, creativity and empathy, while parents say communicating with family and friends through video games during lockdown has been helpful for their child’s mental wellbeing. These benefits were found to be strongest for boys and reluctant readers.
A survey of 4,626 young people aged 11-16 in the UK found that video games can provide young people with a route into reading and improve confidence in reading skills. 4 in 5 (79%) young people who play video games read materials relating to video games, including in-game communications (40%), reviews and blogs (31%), books (22%) and fan fiction (19%); while 1 in 3 (35%) believe playing video games makes them better readers.
What’s more, video games can encourage young people’s creativity through writing. 3 in 5 (63%) young people who play video games write something relating to video games, including video game scripts (28%), advice to help other players (22%), fan fiction (11%) and blogs or reviews (8%). What’s more, 3 in 5 (58%) young people would also like to write or design video games and more than 3 in 10 (31%) would like more opportunities to read and write about video games in school.
Video games were also found to have potential benefits for increasing empathy, with two-thirds (65%) of young people saying that playing video games helped them imagine being someone else.
The shared cultural experience of playing video games was also found to support positive communication with friends and family. Three-quarters (76%) of young people talk to their friends about video games compared with only 3 in 10 (29%) who discuss books. In addition, young people said that playing video games helps them to build social connections both ‘in real life’ and online.