Informatica

Gaming for reading
A feasibility study on the use of video games to engage adults with low literacy in reading for pleasure June 2010

Contents: Executive Summary ............................................................................................. 3 Chapter 1: Redefining reading........................................................................... 5 Chapter 2: Existing research............................................................................... 9 Chapter 3: A review of games .......................................................................... 14 Chapter 4: Learning perspectives .................................................................... 25 Chapter 5: Developing games.......................................................................... 33 Chapter 6: Recommendations and next steps.................................................. 40 Appendix 1: Learning provider survey............................................................. 42 Appendix 2: Games developer survey ............................................................. 46

By Genevieve Clarke and Michelle Treagust with thanks to colleagues at The Reading Agency, Tom Holman, Mark Treagust, the digital team at NIACE and all those who responded to our surveys and requests for information. Please contact [e-mail] for further information. The Reading Agency has been funded by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to undertake this study as part of its ongoing work to promote the use of reading for pleasure to engage, motivate and support adults with literacy needs.

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Executive Summary
1. The Reading Agency is an independent charity, founded in 2002. Our mission is to inspire more people to read more in the belief that reading can have a profound effect on people’s life chances. We run national programmes for audiences of all ages and abilities including adults who struggle with reading. The main focus of this study