To think that kids being great readers isn't so much better than being gamers?

[Utterbunkum]

I write this as a prolific reader. It was the family joke that I could be found with a book at all times. I loved reading, it was my greatest pleasure. I read from a young age.

But I wasn't a clever child. In every other respect, I was average, apart from maths, at which I was an unmitigated dunce (still am). This was later diagnosed as dyscalculia, unheard of in my childhood. A bit of a digression, but I think my maths teacher at secondary school, who was also the dyslexia assessor, knew something was off. He offended my mum once by asking her how I did in English and being surprised when she told him, 'very well, it's her best subject'.

To cut a long story short, my only skill (reading quickly and easily) has been of very little practical use. I got a degree in Eng Lit as a mature student, which did little to get me out of the minimum wage earning potential.

I find it interesting the importance people place on reading as an activity over gaming. My reading was just as antisocial (more so, since you can't chat with your mates whilst doing it) and the young gamers I know seem to be far more analytical and have higher earning potential than I ever did. My husband barely picked up a book. He is an IT whizz with a very high IQ. My nephew is not dissimilar.

I still love reading. And I do think kids who don't are missing out, but I suspect that's because my life has been so enhanced by it from an enjoyment perspective. But kids who game probably feel the same. I don't think reading is quite the superior form of entertainment some think it is.

Both have their place, however kids who don't get into reading very young are less likely to pick it up later, and of course reading is much more advantageous when it comes to school and later education than gaming is. So I'd always rather prioritise reading from day one, gaming can be picked up later if the child is interested in that, but reading sets a foundation for life that isn't easily replicated by gaming. And reading isn't just about enjoying books for fun, it helps with literacy, comprehension etc.

As a manager I could often tell who had been brought up reading by the standard of CV we'd get through the door.

Re-write that post only assuming that we are comparing the worst teen literature (misleading and poorly written, playing into stereotypes) to a group of intelligent teens co-operating on a massive minecraft project virtually,

That’s fantastic, but now imagine how much MORE he could gain from picking up some books on those areas of interest. He could even learn the whole language! No amount of gaming can do that.

Games, like movies, can be great catalysts for finding a passion or new subject of interest. But they are only ever a jumping off platform. Reading must carry someone the rest of the way.

Probably. They were just games that came to mind relating to your post.

I came here to say this but you’ve said it much better than I could have done.

I agree with TheAlchemistElixa on the different values of reading & gaming.

However, in our modern world, I see both as life skills together with basic maths, riding a bike and swimming.

All of this ^. Also, reading helps to develop empathy and sympathy for others, it exposes children to a wide range of situations they will hopefully never experience and helps them imagine what that might be like, challenges their feelings and thoughts, it gives them opportunities to experience things they might go on and choose to do- travel, ways of living, what they might like to do in the future. It takes them inside minds, thought-processes, reveals concepts that are important but, in a book, safe for the reader- ideas like how people can be manipulative, aggression and it's effects, anger, grief, sadness, risk-taking, the choices we make and how to make good ones, tolerance of difference, kindness vs unkindness, different life-chances, the impact of addiction etc.

That's also why English Lit is important in schools and why teachers and parents should take every opportunity to discuss reading (not necessarily fiction) with children- whatever subject they teach or what interest they have in reading.

The skills of a good reader are vast- analysis, interpretation, good judgement, understanding structure , understanding how language works- written and verbal- and the impact it has, making good choices, understanding people and motivations, they are usually emotionally intelligent and astute, can see thought-out routes through issues, are independent thinkers, have good critical thinking skills.

It's a habit for life. You are never alone with a book- whatever genre or form it is in now.

Iwishiwasasilentnight

Being a gamer is very different to creating IT content.
This. I have one son that looks up YouTube tutorials and creates game from Scratch (the program!) and another that screams ‘Teammates. TEAMMATES!!’ at people on fortnite that do him wrong😅 And from someone just out the other side of my children’s screen addiction where one couldn’t sleep easily, was blinking tons and had black circles and another had concentration issues, I’ll say yes screens are great but not for huge amounts of time at a time- get them out, get them helping you or chatting or reading, do board games or walks or send them to gps to help them or get them to sit with a pet or SOMETHING!! Then they can get back to screens!

Well, after reading a book for ages, my 8 year old is peaceful and friendly and normal. Spends the same amount of time playing a computer game and she's an irritable, moody crosspatch.
When I read Interview with the Vampire for the first time when I was 15 it opened my eyes to a lot of other interests, the 18th Century, classical music, poetry, philosophy. I read more, listened to more, studied for the fun of it. Reading only gives you words, it requires you to employ your imagination to picture scenes - computer games hand it to you on a plate, you zone out, reacting to stimuli but not really imagining things. Plus the improved vocabulary, better communication skills in general. Playing computer games seems to make communication worse!

Most of the more complex strategies I can think of in all the games I play actually rely more on me thinking how the game designer planned it, knowing the tricks and tools and games logic that is so common across so many games platforms.

And you don't think that's a skill?
Real world strategising isn't done in a vacuum, with infinite options. In real world work situations you usually only have a limited set of options, constrained by your own capabilities, the rules set out in your industry/institution, and the potential responses of competitors.
Or take problem-solving in your own life. It's usually about figuring out what options you might have, there's usually not that many, and trying to get the most out of what you choose.

Not all games are useful, of course, but some of them do encourage this kind of structured thinking. Reading encourages it too but in different ways. They're both great! No reason to choose between them.

Agree that my English Lit post grad is pretty useless though!

As others have said, so much depends on the type of books and games in question. Similarly with television - flicking through crappy gameshows won't teach you much, but watching Succession with your full attention is a much more educational and enriching experience than reading crappy crime or romance novels.

You learn a language primarily by speaking it with people and listening to it being spoken.

You can do that via real world interaction. Maybe via co-operative gaming on the net. Or by digital language applications, many of which are games in a way. Interactive learning through digital applications is far better at teaching people languages than reading books.

My guess is that a large proportion of non English speakers actually learn the majority of their English via the net and TV, not from books.

I suppose it depends on what kind of books you read.

In my experience (which obviously doesn't cover everyone before the 'ah but my kid') Gamers tend to be more logical and mathematic and readers tend to be more artistic.
I don't think one is better or worse than the other. Just uses and enhances a different skill set

Perhaps alternate evenings reading, gaming and excercise would be beneficial for everyone.

Reading helps analysis, critical thinking, and teaches us how to cope with things, death, illness, jealousy etc.

It is readers that challenge government and regimes; scientists and coders are rarely interested in anything other than their fields.
please note I said rarely.

Absolutely, @dreamingbohemian , no need to choose between them. But the OP’s question was about gaming being just as good. And it’s really, really not!

There is a very, very, odd focus on reading in schools.

My son is in reception and is on target for his phonics. Yes, reading is important, but the ability to read/do phonics is places on a pedestal over and above things like numeracy (something he is really good at) and science, again something he has a fascination with and shows ability to understand concepts of.

And forget any focus on physical ability like his ability to swim, ride a bike and run 2k all before starting school. I don't think anybody has realised...

I didn't vote. I think it depends on how you are defining 'better'. You seem to be basing it on earning potential and high IQ, and assuming that other people think reading is superior because it contributes to these two things. You are arguing it doesn't and is therefore purely for enjoyment's sake, as is gaming?

I think it depends on what you are gaming or reading! Reading can be a literary form of art, i know less about gaming but there's no reason to assume it can't be a form of art in its own right. The pleasures derived from art far extend pure enjoyment.

I'm glad reading has been part of my life - I'm not sure i could live in any way happily without it. It seems you feel the same, even if it hasn't turned us into a combination of Einstein and Bill Gates! And agree with some snobbery around gaming - i can tell DS1 is going to be an amazing gamer, and reader! Both opening up worlds for him, even if they're imaginary.

Tell that to the Japanese officials who design the Japanese school system! 😂

You seem to be treating yourself as the case that disproves the rule but obviously you are just one person and there are always outliers in a data set.

Statistics show very clearly that children who read tend to perform much better at exam levels.

That said, there are many other factors at play, eg what the child reads (comics or actual books etc), the child's health, support system (financial as well as general), mental health, post code (unfortunately, but true), drive etc all affect their outcomes.

As a rule, and a rather firm one, readers do better in education than gamers, although plenty do both, but the skills sets are not equivalent

I’m not sure - reading is a very important part of developing language and writing skills. Is the same true of gaming?

I haven't RTWT, but I think one of the concerns about gaming is that it gives your brain a dopamine hit and that is why it can become addictive. It affects your brain in a different way to reading and in a way that isn't necessarily positive.

That isn't to say that gaming doesn't have its plusses, which this book-loving, old-culture consuming luddite is beginning to see in my DC who are beginning to get into it.

@StaunchMomma not really a case of being the exception that disproves the rule, just using myself as an example to posit the question.

For example (video games' negative impact on brain development): https://www.nature.com/articles/mp2015193