Nevermore Posted September 22, 2004 Share Posted September 22, 2004 Hey, I'll be in an upcoming school debate over wether video games decrease literacy rates or not. Does anyone here have a degree in psycology, or any other applicable science? If so, can I have your opinion? (Dont get me wrong, I've got nothing against video games.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lance Posted September 22, 2004 Share Posted September 22, 2004 Is the debate about whether they directly or indirectly affect literacy rates? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nevermore Posted September 22, 2004 Author Share Posted September 22, 2004 yes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lance Posted September 22, 2004 Share Posted September 22, 2004 No, I was asking you which one the debate was about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nevermore Posted September 22, 2004 Author Share Posted September 22, 2004 Oh, directly EDIT: indirectly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nevermore Posted September 22, 2004 Author Share Posted September 22, 2004 oh, and btw, how do I edit the poll options, to make it not-public? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lance Posted September 22, 2004 Share Posted September 22, 2004 I think you have to edit the first post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nevermore Posted September 22, 2004 Author Share Posted September 22, 2004 didn't work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap'n Refsmmat Posted September 22, 2004 Share Posted September 22, 2004 Only mods can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ydoaPs Posted September 22, 2004 Share Posted September 22, 2004 no, you have to read to understand most video games(excluding puzzle games) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J'Dona Posted September 22, 2004 Share Posted September 22, 2004 I'd say no myself... I mean, I used to play computer games twelve hours a day during the summer and I can still compose a complete sentence. But really. (Yes, I know that's a sentence fragment) The original question seems to suggest that computer games affect the actual literacy rate, i.e. the percentage of people who can read/write/type, at least as I would assume in this context. To me that doesn't seem likely, as just about all computer games require those skills and three-year-olds who are learning those abilities aren't going to be spending much time on the PC, seeing as all text would just be jibberish to them if they couldn't read. But because of this I'm assuming that the question is directed more at literacy skills. I'd still say no, however. I'm no Nobel laureate, but from personal experience it seems to me that most video game players are just generally too lazy to bother with full, grammatically correct sentences on online channels or multiplayer chats, where it's real-time and they're in a rush. Videos games do take time away that might be spent on study and improving literacy skills, but I think this is the sort of indirect effect which you were talking about earlier, and not the direct effect the poll is about. I'm sure there are a few psychologists here who can give a proper answer though. I don't know if he's interested in the subject matter, but I believe Glider has a Ph.D. in Psychological Science. Hopefully if a mod edits the poll options, they'll also move this to the Psychiatry/Psychology forum where it might get better responses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ydoaPs Posted September 22, 2004 Share Posted September 22, 2004 they don't use complete sentences, because if they did, they might lose the game. take time to type whole sentences, and some godawful creature could run up to you and kick your ass or someone could shoot you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nevermore Posted September 22, 2004 Author Share Posted September 22, 2004 I'm not saying that typing in IM (lol, lmfao, omfg, l8r, cya, dl, bcz, ect.) makes you illiterate, I'm saying that people play video games instead of read, and never develop good reading skills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J'Dona Posted September 22, 2004 Share Posted September 22, 2004 Yep, exactly. First rule of online gaming: "If you take the time to capitalize You'll just get one between the eyes" EDIT: Yeah, that's true Nevermore.... but is that a direct or indirect cause? I'm asking because I'm honestly not quite sure which either means in this case. Could you give some examples? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nevermore Posted September 23, 2004 Author Share Posted September 23, 2004 Okay, an indirect cause wuold be: Smith plays Halo instead of reading Animal Farm. Eventually he loses all intrest in reading, and as a result of never reading, he is not very good at reading. A direct example would be: Smith plays Halo instead of reading Animal Farm, and this causes a drop in his literacy level dou to lack of mental stimulation. So, I guess I was wrong before, I am refering to low literacy rates as an indirect result of too many video games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drz Posted September 23, 2004 Share Posted September 23, 2004 I still say reading is obsolete. Sure, it still has good uses, but the conventional old reading a book is about seen its days numbered. I can read just fine, and I've been playing games for years. Also, many games require you to be able to read to understand the game. Not to mention games challenge ones critical thinking, and can simulate situations of stress that one would likely never face in real life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lance Posted September 23, 2004 Share Posted September 23, 2004 I still say reading is obsolete. Sure' date=' it still has good uses, but the conventional old reading a book is about seen its days numbered.[/quote'] How could it possible be obsolete. Are you saying that pretty soon all information will be passed on by word of mouth? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ydoaPs Posted September 23, 2004 Share Posted September 23, 2004 I'm not saying that typing in Im (lol, lmfao, omfg, l8r, cya, dl, bcz, ect.) makes you illiterate, I'm saying that people play video games instead of read, and never develop good reading skills. You HAVE TO READ to play most good video games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MolecularMan14 Posted September 23, 2004 Share Posted September 23, 2004 It really does depend upon the game. A friend of mine is an expert in mythology, folktales and history, mainly from games like Age of Empires and Age of Mythology. From this he seems to have learned many of the ancient Greek Gods and the myths in which they are involved. He also likes to incorperate some of the language into his life, so yes, it's increased his vocabulary. Some games however, if played constantly while reglecting studies, some games like GTA:Vice City (which happens to be one of my favorite games ), yes, will decrease your vocab a bit. But literacy, im not sure if they'll actually decrease your ability to read and write. I happen to be a big gamer, and I havnt learned a lot from video games, but keeping balanced is important. And finding games that incorperate history (THINGS THAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED) isnt necessarily bad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ydoaPs Posted September 23, 2004 Share Posted September 23, 2004 How can a video game LOWER your vocabulary? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MolecularMan14 Posted September 23, 2004 Share Posted September 23, 2004 it cant really, thats what im saying Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nevermore Posted September 23, 2004 Author Share Posted September 23, 2004 You HAVE TO READ to play most good video games. Have you ever watched anyone else play video games? They just skip past the text and dialog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MolecularMan14 Posted September 23, 2004 Share Posted September 23, 2004 lol, thats true, i myself am a big fan of cut scenes, it could just be for the plot progression, or the graphics, but they're where a lot of the drama and suspense come in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5614 Posted September 23, 2004 Share Posted September 23, 2004 its cant.... one thing it can do is decrease the amount of time you spend learning [so that you can play instead] but i also voted no. people study all day at school or work at work, then when they come home they are totaly entitled to a bit of peace and fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nevermore Posted September 23, 2004 Author Share Posted September 23, 2004 I'm not saying that video games are bad, and I'm not saying that people shouldn't play them. I'm a big fan of video games my self, I've got Enter the Matrix, Vice City, a bunch of Command and Counquer games, and 5 Halflife games. All I'm saying is that people who play video games instead of read will not be nearly as good at reading as those who like to read. So, I guess what the main question should be is: Does playing video games instead of reading decrease one's reading skill? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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