NYT article: "Using Video Games As Bait To Hook Readers"

The New York Times is running a series entitled "The Future of Reading," and this week's installment, part 2, addresses the usefulness of video games in getting kids excited about reading. The article makes for interesting reading, and I think it demonstrates the evolving genre of gaming and its pervasive impact on American society. There is still a generational gap, as many older teachers, parents and librarians don't see video games as anything other than a waste of time, but as the article shows, we're seeing an increasing number who see the positive potential. The New York Public Library has hosted some 500 video gaming events, for example (pictured). And the article cites games such as Civilization, a complex and difficult strategy game where players organize and lead a society through centuries of history. Donkey Kong it ain't.

I can see both sides of the issue, admittedly one has to wonder about the value of kids sitting in front of the television for hours. But what if the same kids were sitting alone in their rooms reading books all day? How well developed would this child be? Is that an education? Would we applaud this as valuable, and scoff at the hundreds of kids rushing to the library for a huge strategy gaming tournament?
I'm amazed at some recent games, like the "Call of Duty" series, for example, that take great pride in their historical accuracy. Yes, kids are playing countless hours of such games, but in this case, they are coming away with an intimate and detailed knowledge of the battlefields of World War II, the weaponry, strategies, landscapes, generals, specific missions, on and on. Strategy games like "Rome" painstakingly recreate historical battles to the most minor of detail and put players in command. Would you really say there is no value to this? And in regard to reading, couldn't such games inspire kids to pick up a book about the game's setting? This article, at least, seems to say yes.

Comments

[Andy]

Kurt, great questions. I'm glad you point out that complex games like Civilization really cannot be compared with early arcade titles.

Regarding games' ability to inspire intellectual curiosity, check out this recent post by Mark Horowitz (Wired magazine's New York Editor), which tells the story of how his son's interest in WWII games - including "Call of Duty" - led to some serious reading.

http://www.hauntedscreens.com/2008/09/i-have-a-real-soft-spot-for-the-call-of-duty-series-not-because-im-a-fanatic-player-but-because-games-like-call-of-duty-a.html