Study in my country: boys+games=zero will to read books

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Alade

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Aug 10, 2008
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A very boring medium outclassed by one in which the first priority is fun and this comes as a surprise? The earlier we can get games more artsy the earlier we can write off books completely.

For now we have the rare real-art game and some really good movies (if you know how to look for them)to keep us thinking and entertained at the same time.
 

Okysho

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Sep 12, 2010
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We got a similar report like this in Canada recently. My dad sent it to me to try and get me off of gaming...

T.T

of course the report didn't say anything about what kind of games they were, just that they were games and the age group was 6-9 years old.

How the heck can they make a judgment out of that? the 6-9 age group doesn't speak for the real gaming community... it just... ugh... makes me mad...
 

zombays

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Okysho said:
We got a similar report like this in Canada recently. My dad sent it to me to try and get me off of gaming...

T.T

of course the report didn't say anything about what kind of games they were, just that they were games and the age group was 6-9 years old.

How the heck can they make a judgment out of that? the 6-9 age group doesn't speak for the real gaming community... it just... ugh... makes me mad...
It's pretty natural for the 6-9 group to NOT read, if they play video-games, than their vocabulary increases. That's what happened to me. And when I was younger I was really good at spelling. Oh, the irony.
 

zombays

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The ironic part was that the school I went to, EVERYONE read. But no one knew how to actually write.
 

Something Amyss

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Varanfan9 said:
Heck I could prove these guys wrong right now. I played Call of Cthulu Darkest corners of the earth which got me to read some Cthulu books.
My love of Lovecraft is the only reason I considered playing the game. :D
 

bak00777

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My will to read books may have declined in the last few years, but i think that my prefered genres may have changed. I like fantasy books, Agatha Christie's works, Stephen King's, and the classics (Frankenstein, Huckelberry Finn, Catcher in the Rye, Beowulf, etc)
 

SimuLord

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Aug 20, 2008
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How ironic, since in the course of my travels I've generally found that girls are more averse to books---unless they're major bookworms. No in-between. Except that's not video games---it's usually mind-rotting television like American Idol or America's Next Top Model or similar shows.

But on balance, there are a LOT of book-averse airhead chicks in the States...and the guys, on the whole, seem a bright sort. Except those douchebags on Jersey Shore.
 

n00beffect

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May 8, 2009
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Ah, this is so stupid. OF COURSE PEOPLE PLAY GAMES INSTEAD OF READING BOOKS, goddamit! It's natural, games are the new medium, like movies were before. They're an interactive expirience and they are way more fun than books. I am an avid gamer and READER and I can, of course, see the difference in between. Games also teach you things and interesting words, goddamit, they are BETTER than books. Another fucking anti-game campaing, I am so sick of these! I mean it's like, if these mongrols who agree to do these surveys and polls and researches, just thought for a freaking second what the hell they were dealing with, i.e. Games as an f-ing medium, they would realize that our fucking ancestors COULDN'T EVEN DREAAAAM of one day being able to actually INTERACT with the freaking story they're reading in whatever book.I mean this is a fucking dream come true for our generation and OF COURSE they have to bash it, like every other source of info, they've bashed before - Books by the fucking church in the Dark Ages, Theatre and plays - also in the dark ages, but not by just the church and by kings and shit, radio, afterwards by governments in socialist countries, movies also by the freaking government also in socialist countries and now - games, but this time by EVERYBODY including the stupid media, that just reared it's head out of the bashing gutter, those unappreciative fucks!!! I am so pissed! "Get yo boy a book to be readin'" God damn fucking conservative thinking! Geez.... No! Now I see the importance in changing our medium's name to something else! Now I see the difference it'll make. Games doesn't cut it anymore guys! We've got to stop being "kids" and then they'll shut their traps about it. If we continue to force down everyone's throat that we're just making games for kids and shit, they won't stop bashing it. Yeah, it was fun calling ourselves gamers and all, but no more! I call for Interactive XP, I think it suits it pretty good!

P.S. Sorry for all the cursing language, I am just so outraged...
 

Okysho

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Sep 12, 2010
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zombays said:
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Okysho said:
We got a similar report like this in Canada recently. My dad sent it to me to try and get me off of gaming...

T.T

of course the report didn't say anything about what kind of games they were, just that they were games and the age group was 6-9 years old.

How the heck can they make a judgment out of that? the 6-9 age group doesn't speak for the real gaming community... it just... ugh... makes me mad...
It's pretty natural for the 6-9 group to NOT read, if they play video-games, than their vocabulary increases. That's what happened to me. And when I was younger I was really good at spelling. Oh, the irony.
and in many ways I'm inclined to believe that since the text scrollings in most games provide a good basis for practicing reading.

The argument of the study was that kids playing video games "don't read books" which is kinda true, but still.

Overall most games aren't really geared towards 6-9 year olds anyways. Before anyone takes a study on like this, they need to do a bit more research into the medium or else they're going to get muddled results.

in terms of the study, they don't say what genre the kids were given, nor whether or not the game was appropriate for the kid. For all we know they could have given the kids red faction guerrilla! All the study says is that the kids were given a PS2 and 3 games...

Also, I know they're not popular over here, but visual novels (not X rated ones) but I'd like to throw that out there... they're considered legit reading material as well as a game
 

Nazz3

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Of course they'd rather play a game with a much more fun and interesting way of story telling than read through masses of words. Same thing for movies.

Not that books are bad (I enjoy them), but especially for little kids its true, if they play a lot of games then they know its a lot more fun way to experience a story.
 

paragon1

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Dec 8, 2008
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That doesn't seem very likely to me. Maybe if they play games to the exclusion of all else, but then your going to have bigger problems than an under-appreciation of literature.

Personally, I played a lot of videogames when I was little, and I enjoy reading now more than ever.
 

Kiba The Wolf

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Aug 7, 2009
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I play games all the time, and I still want and love to read. I read Dracula over my summer break ( It wasn't very good) I am curretly reading the Lord of the Rings ( the fellowship) and playing Dragon Age ( Not at the same time of course.)
 

ezeroast

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I'm a Male, I love to play games and I love to read. I'd say that reading a great book is far more awesome than playing a great game. Heaps more immersion.
 

Hardzero

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Nov 14, 2010
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everyone needs to stop blaming games for everything. sometimes it's not video game's fault.
 

Fragged_Templar

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Mar 18, 2008
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While this study may be true in some areas, I know for a fact that in my region of the world and in my circle of friends this is definitely not the case.

Kiefer13 said:
What utter nonsense.

I'm a massive fan of both games and reading. This is just another attempt to use games as a scapegoat. In fact, I'm one of the most enthusiastic readers I know, while also being one of the most avid gamers. These "experts" clearly have no idea what they are talking about.
Ditto

I read roughly one 400-600 page book every week

and one more time for emphasis

scnj said:
Hmm. I think it has less to do with video games and more to do with other factors. For example:

1. More forms of entertainment. Sure, video games fall under this, but there are generally more movies and TV shows now, along with the internet.

2. Parents pushing their children to read less. When I was a child I was encouraged to read a lot by my parents, and I feel that all children should be taught and encouraged this way.

3. Literary 'classics' not being updated. Sure, things like Pride & Prejudice will always be classics, but I feel that schools should make more effort to fit modern books into the curriculums too. Much of Jane Austen's work doesn't really apply to society any more and, as a result, it's harder for people to engage with the story or characters.
though I don't agree with number 2. as far as I'm concerned most parents still encourage their children to read. Number 3. kinda goes under the history arguement of " if we don't learn from the past, we can't prepare for the future", but otherwise agreed.
 

Doctor Glocktor

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Aug 1, 2009
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Why do they think that giving books to the guys instead of games will make them want to read at all? If anything, it'd make them just hate their parents and not want to read those books out of spite.
 

lostzombies.com

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Sorafrosty said:
Now, the results for the PISA tests have been published (that is the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment: http://www.pisa.oecd.org/pages/0,2987,en_32252351_32235731_1_1_1_1_1,00.html ), and my country (Norway) ranked as number 12. After the release of the results, a study was conducted, and it seems that the experts say that there is a big difference in the will to read and appreciation of literary works between boys and girls, and thus they recommend giving boys books for Christmas, and not games, as they feel this is what is keeping boys from reading, and so their reading skills are low.

*considers* I feel that people are a bit quick on the trigger to blame games for this, as always. Wouldn't it be better to embrace and appreciate the masses amount of text that every person who plays games have to read to progress in the story? Also, what do you think about this? Is it the same in your country?
Your study is a crack of shit.

I've read constantly all my life, at least one book a month. I've played video games all my life, at least 3 hours a day.
 
Nov 12, 2010
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I don't blame most kids.I honestly can not stand most of the stuff being published.I recently saw a book claiming Lincoln as a vampire hunter.The only real books that I have enjoyed were Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow.Personally,I see games as a media to obsolete all media