Video Games Make Teens Smarter. How Exactly - Scientists Say.

This is evidenced by the results of a survey involving 4626 British children aged 11 to 16 years. At the same time, boys were more likely to play video games than girls (96% vs. 65%).

The study was conducted by the National Literacy Foundation of the United Kingdom in conjunction with the Association of Interactive Entertainment and Children's Publishing Penguin Random House Children.

Research results

Video games improve reading skills.

4 out of 5, or 79% of teenagers surveyed, read text related to games: in-game chat (40%), reviews and blogs (31%), books (22%), and fan fiction (19%).

35% of teenagers surveyed said that video games helped them develop reading skills. This was especially noted by the guys who previously did not like to read in principle. 73% of respondents said that video games help them better immerse themselves in history than books.

And still, help to develop empathy

Two-thirds (65.0%) of respondents said that video games help them put themselves in someone else's shoes and better understand their feelings.

Improve writing skills

63% of surveyed teenagers not only read about games but also write about them. 28% report their scripts/fan fiction based on game stories or reviews and reviews of games. One-fifth of respondents make game guides.

More than half of the teens surveyed would like to write scripts for games or become game designers or developers.

Could help with learning

31% of the surveyed teenagers said they would like to add video game lessons to the school curriculum, where they could read and write about specific projects.

Facilitate online and offline social networking

76% of teenagers surveyed said they were happy to share their impressions of video games with their friends, and a third were interested in discussing books. Researchers have linked these statistics to the development of adolescents' social skills.

Reduce stress

60% of surveyed parents of adolescents noted an improvement in their child's mental state during a pandemic. Again, all thanks to video games: more than half of parents reported that chatting with other players and friends helped their children cope with self-isolation.