Computer games and the three dimensions of reading literacy

• Authors: Michael G. Wagner
• Venue: Proceedings of the 2006 ACM SIGGRAPH symposium on Videogames
• Year: 2006

The study of computer games and their influence in culture has become an important issue in many disciplines. In this paper we will analyze how computer games change our understanding of reading literacy in a pedagogical context. Based on Aarseth's classification of cybertexts we will develop a typology of interactive media and utilize this typology to derive a new theoretical approach to interactive media reading literacy. According to this approach the reading of books has the same pedagogical importance as the "reading", or playing, of computer games. In order to arrive at this position, we will expand the traditional concept of reading literacy by emphasizing elements of decision-making and strategic thinking, competencies that have previously not been considered connected to reading literacy.