# Not Garena Free Fire, BGMI, PUBG, but action video games are good for you! | Gaming News (HT Tech) > It may not be Garena Free Fire, BGMI, PUBG, which are extremely popular among youngsters, but some action video games are good for kids to learn reading. # Not Garena Free Fire, BGMI, PUBG, but action video games are good for you! ## It may not be Garena Free Fire, BGMI, PUBG, which are extremely popular among youngsters, but some action video games are good for kids to learn reading. Jan 23 2022, 13:45 IST ![Follow on Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/follow-us-facebook.png) ![Follow on Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/follow-us-facebook-hover.png) ![Share](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/Share.png) ![Share](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/Shareclicked.png) ![Share on WhatsApp](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/whatsapp.png) ![Share on WhatsApp](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/whatsapp-hover.png) ![Share on Twitter](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/twitter.png) ![Share on Twitter](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/twitter-hover.png) ![Share on Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/facebook.png) ![Share on Facebook](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/facebook-hover.png) ![Bookmark](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/Bookmark.png) ![Bookmarked](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/Bookmarked.png) ![Garena Free Fire](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/img/2022/01/23/1600x900/ACTIVISION-BLIZZARD-2_1642925374122_1642925450552.jpg) Playing Garena Free Fire, BGMI (Battlegrounds Mobile India), PUBG, Fortnite or others like them are too violent. (Bloomberg) ![Author Photo](https://images.hindustantimes.com/tech/static/revamp/images/png/HTTech-new-circle-logo.png) ### By ANI A new study has found that reading can be improved with an action video game. The findings of the study were published in the journal 'Nature Human Behaviour'. And no, it does not mean playing Garena Free Fire, BGMI (Battlegrounds Mobile India), PUBG, Fortnite or others like them, but actually, some action video games are good for children and enhance learning. Decoding letters into sound is a key point in learning to read but is not enough to master it. "Reading calls upon several other essential mechanisms that we don't necessarily think about, such as knowing how to move our eyes on the page or how to use our working memory to link words together in a coherent sentence," points out Daphne Bavelier, a professor in the Psychology Section of the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences (FPSE) at the UNIGE. "These other skills, such as vision, the deployment of attention, working memory, and cognitive flexibility, are known to be improved by action video games", explains Angela Pasqualotto, first author of this study, which is based on her PhD thesis at the Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science of the University of Trento under the direction of Professors Venuti and De Angeli. To make a point with this in mind, a video game was designed that combines action video games with mini-games that train different executive functions, such as working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility, functions that are called upon during reading. "The universe of this game is an alternative world in which the child, accompanied by his Raku, a flying creature, must carry out different missions to save planets and progress in the game", Angela Pasqualotto adds. Also read click here. The idea is to reproduce the components of an action game, without incorporating violence, so that it is suitable for young children. "For example, the Raku flies through a meteor shower, moving around to avoid those or aiming at them to weaken their impact, while collecting useful resources for the rest of the game, a bit like what you find in action video games." The scientists then worked with 150 Italian schoolchildren aged 8 to 12, divided into two groups: the first one played the video game developed by the team, and the second one played Scratch, a game that teaches children how to code. Both games require attentional control and executive functions, but in different manners. The action video game requires children to perform tasks within a time limit such as remembering a sequence of symbols or responding only when the Raku makes a specific sound while increasing the difficulty of these tasks according to the child's performance. Scratch, the control game, requires planning, reasoning, and problem-solving. Children must manipulate objects and logical structures to establish the desired programming sequence. "First, we tested the children's ability to read words, non-words, and paragraphs, and also we conducted an attention test that measures the child's attentional control, a capacity we know is trained by action video games," explains Daphne Bavelier. The children then followed the training with either the action video game or the control game, for six weeks, two hours a week under supervision at school. Children were tested at school by clinicians of the Laboratory of Observation Diagnosis and Education (UNITN). Shortly after the end of the training, the scientists repeated the tests on both groups of children. "We found a 7-fold improvement in attentional control in the children who played the action video game compared to the control group", says Angela Pasqualotto. Even more remarkably, the research team observed a clear enhancement in reading, not only in terms of reading speed but also in accuracy, whereas no improvement was noted for the control group. This improvement in literacy occurs even though the action video game does not require any reading activity. "What is particularly interesting about this study is that we carried out three further assessment tests at 6 months, 12 months, and 18 months after training. On each occasion, the trained children performed better than the control group, which proves that these improvements were sustained," Angela Pasqualotto says. Moreover, the grades in Italian of the trained children became significantly better over time, showing a virtuous improvement in learning ability. "The effects are thus long-term, in line with the action video game strengthening the ability to learn how to learn," says Daphne Bavelier. Within the framework of the NCCR Evolving Language and in collaboration with Irene Altarelli (co-author of the article and researcher at LaPsyDE, University of Paris), the game will be adapted into German, French, and English. "When reading, decoding is more or less difficult depending on the language. Italian, for example, is very transparent - each letter is pronounced - whereas French and English are quite opaque, resulting in rather different learning challenges. Reading in opaque languages requires the ability to learn exceptions, to learn how a variety of contexts impacts pronunciation and demands greater reliance on memorization," comments Irene Altarelli. Will the benefits of action video games on reading acquisition extend to such complex learning environments as reading in French or English? This is the question that this study will help answer. In addition, the video game will be available entirely at home, remotely, as will the administration of reading and attention tests, in order to complement school lessons, rather than taking time out of school hours. Catch all the Latest Tech News, Mobile News, Laptop News, Gaming news, Wearables News , How To News, also keep up with us on Whatsapp channel,Twitter, Facebook, Google News, and Instagram. 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