When I was around four years old, my favorite (and first) game I played was Disney’s Toontown Online. Running around the colorful, cartoonish world as “Little Chunky” the mouse, I got most of my instruction from my parents on how to fight the evil cogs. However, there was one thing I was able to do on my own. Toontown was one of the first ways I started reading independently. Since communication was an important part of the game, I was able to practice reading and typing whenever I logged on. Even though I didn’t know most words yet, my parents were always there to answer any questions I had. “What’s this word?” and “How do you spell ‘squeak’?” were among the questions I often asked.
Interestingly, it’s not uncommon for games to be one of the first ways a child learns to read. From my experiences and research, I’ve noticed that less “conventional” methods of teaching are often the most effective for students. But why exactly is game-ifying learning such a useful way to teach literacy?
Engagement
It’s no surprise that people of all ages enjoy playing games. Similar to many art forms, they provide an escape from reality and are a means of connection with friends and family. Children can be drawn in by the dynamic atmosphere of a well-made virtual world and seek to explore it. This natural curiosity can be utilized by scattering small lessons as the world is explored. Toontown was a great example of this. In order to battle the cogs effectively, I needed to read each item description to decide which was the best to use. Unbeknownst to me, this repeated exposure to new words helped me develop my vocabulary before I even started reading in preschool.
In an article by Ivan Kaltman, he cites Professor Karen Schrier from New York’s Marist College who notes,
“Games support literacy skills in part because they enable students to play and learn in authentic worlds they care about, where they need to read to be able to solve missions or interpret clues.”
It’s nearly impossible to teach someone about a topic they have no interest in, which is why games’ high engagement ability is a tool that should be taken advantage of more often.
Expression
Another benefit of using an art form as a means of teaching is that children can begin exercising their own creativity. Widespread games like Minecraft are so popular because they give players complete freedom. It might not seem like Minecraft involves much reading, but players always need to be aware of what kind of items or blocks they have in their inventory. When it comes to crafting, it’s essential to know what blocks must come together in order to make something new. This is comparable to stringing words together to form sentences. Creativity is an essential part of literacy. Children may learn the same words from the same language, but they each develop their own styles and voices when it comes to writing and speaking. Practicing original expression through games is a fantastic way to develop one’s literacy skills.
Effect
Without a doubt, there is a reason why I still remember playing Toontown over fourteen years ago, and games like Minecraft have stood the test of time. We become attached to the story and connections that games provide. One of the problems with current education is the encouragement to cram and quickly forget information. Instead, we should use gaming to engage children, providing an opportunity for creative expression rather than expecting cookie-cutter students.
As technology advances, these gaming resources will only improve. Soon, we may even have the immersion of virtual and augmented reality implemented in classrooms. All in all, it should be our goal to find ways to teach future generations the best that we can. With games’ engagement, opportunity for expression, and long-term effects, there are few better ways to get children excited about their own learning.
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