04 Jan

Gamers and literacy. Or the alleged the lack thereof. The recent explosion of rage about me over at Kotaku.com (based on a fairly healthy dose of misreporting) has led me to consider this topic. I could explain the connection in a long and boring paragraph. But who cares? The end result is what is more relevant.

I’ve heard it time and time again: Gamers don’t read. Gamers are borderline illiterate. Gamers are subhuman monsters that communicate through a series of bluetooth transmitted grunts. And while this is certainly true of some gamers (just as it’s certainly true of some politicians or doctors or teachers); I have quite a bit of trouble with this sweeping generalization. Because I am a gamer. And I read. A lot. In fact, I’m reading three different books right now. Well… not right now right now. Because in the current “right now” I’m actually writing. Though in that regard, I’m a gamer who writes as well as reads. I sometimes wonder how I manage this, what with me being a sub-human blue-tooth enabled grunting slack jawed illiterate gamer.

Grawrg! Games fun! Books not games! Burn books! Grar!

Stereotypes are easy. They make everything conform oh so nicely. Let’s not think about people as individuals. Let’s instead focus on a single negative aspect of a culture that may or may not exist and blow it out of proportion. I know that it is said that there is some truth in stereotypes. Sure. If you generalize something enough, and apply it to a large enough section of the populace, you’re going to find a way to substantiate your beliefs. But that behavior is considered childish for a reason. Why? Because it’s childish. There. You had to go and make me say it, didn’t you?

Anyway… gamers and reading. The things about this particular stereotype that strikes me as strange… almost all the hardcore gamers I know are voracious readers. I worked in book stores for years. You know who I met there? Gamers. Lots of them. You know what the very well read staff of said stores typically liked to do? Play games.

I’ve attended San Diego Comic Con for the last 17 years straight. These days, well over a hundred thousand people attend this event. Massive amounts of nerd culture bursting under one sun baked roof. And the vast majority of people I have met there over the years? Gamers who read. Readers who game. And I don’t just wander the halls in silence, looking at my shoes while hoping to stumble across a hot cosplay girl. No. I work a booth. My job at conventions is to talk to people. To find out what they like and why they like it.

And I also attended WonderCon for 20+ years. And every APE. And multiple show’s in Seattle and New York and Oregon and Michigan and so on. I attend as many as 5 conventions a year. And my experience has been the same at each event. Everytime. I meet people who like to play games and like to read. Over the years, it’s probably safe to say I’ve met thousands and thousands of gamers that read.

On a strictly personal level, I’m lucky enough to know a lot of smart people. People way smarter than me. People with degrees in psychology, literature, mathematics, ect…. And they’re all hardcore gamers. And they all read. A lot. All the time.

Now, I’m no professional sociologist. As a thick skulled knuckle dragging gamer, I don’t even really know what sociologists do. I presume they make some kind of studies of sub-cultures and social behaviors. Probably in some real book learned, educated sort of “smart-guy-look-at-me-my-tie-doesn’t-just-clip-on” way. The aforementioned studies are probably written up into papers of some merit without ever using a controller or a combo move. As I am so ignorant in the ways of the elitist college type folks, I will happily concede that there are probably a dozen or so studies out there that suggest I’m wrong in some capacity. But let’s be fair. Those studies are likely very boring and dry. Far too long for my weary gamer eyes to read.

So yes… there are gamers who don’t read. There are also gamers who don’t pay their taxes and gamers who shoplift and gamers who beat up old ladies. And yes, there are even gamers who will somehow inadvertently misinterpret this as a crusade against gamers. Because most everyone is a gamer now. Whether they’re smart or stupid or young or old.

Grandmother playing Farmville through the Facebook account she uses to try and keep tabs on her grandchildren? Gamer. 3 year old playing Flash animated Bob the Builder games on a hand me down junk laptop? Gamer. Advance Math professor playing Left 4 Dead after work? Gamer. Politicians, construction workers, doctors, plumbers, editors, actors, ect… Gamers. Any of them or all of them. And while some of them may not read, I hardly see how that is the fault of gaming. The reality is, some people will never be readers, whether they play games or not.

16 thoughts on “Landry’s Rants: Gamers and Literacy”

  1. Most of what I read is on a screen. Articles, news stories, you know how it is–you’re reading one article and you move onto another one. Book I’m currently reading is a collection of interviews with Woody Allen.

  2. A big wonder would be WHAT do gamers read? Do they read philosophy or just Tom Clancy books? Do they read what they have for school or do they invest the time into finding the one that touches them? In general, there’s another stereotype that’s pretty much perpetuated that is that reading somehow makes you smarter. I dunno about you but i’ve read a ton of R.L. Stine when i was like 10 and i doubt that alone puts me in a category above the proxy troglodites. But to be honest, i too have noticed that gamers, specially those that play something else than Pro Evo (replace with Madden or whatever they play wherever you are), do tend to read a couple books every now and then, which isn’t necessarily good by itself, but it might.

    Now if somebody sat down and taught the comments system to count, that’d be good alphabetizating (i guess it doesn’t apply, but we’ll survive).

    1. Zky, I just wanted to say that “troglodytes” is one of my all time favorite words. It’s always good to find a proper use for it without sounding like a prick. Personally, I read mostly fiction. I generally stay away from science fiction and non-fiction puts me to sleep. No mysteries. No Dan Brown. Not that there’s anything wrong with Mr. Brown or his books. I just haven’t read them.

      As far as philosophy goes, I shy away from that too. One of my favorite reads of the past 5 years of my life is “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” (fantastic book), but it turns out that “Zen” is neither cataloged as fiction or philosophy…. but religion. Funny how they can all skate on the same pond at times.

      I used to read comics as a kid, but right around the time when I hit 14 or so, I realized how much money I was dropping on them. I realized that I’d rather READ them than collect them. Last time I checked, my local library unfortunately didn’t carry Wolverine or Knights of the Old Republic comics. If they did, I’d probably read every damn comic that I came across. I miss buying comics and every time I see a comic book store, I go in, but I never buy anything. I just pick up things with my dirty hands for others to enjoy later.

      Things may have changed though. Comics MIGHT be in libraries now.

      The miscounting comments system actually comes about when other sites link our articles. It shows up as a “hidden” comment that we can see on the backside of the site so we can see exactly who is linking us. Sometimes I delete them to keep the count normal.

      1. Oh, troglodytes with an y (or is it a y?). I did sound a little pricky, did i :)

        Anyhow, i never ever read comics for some weird reason. I have a few mangas lying around but never dig too deep into them and all of that. I tried to read Watchmen after the movie came out but that bored me easily. I mean, it’s pretty much a novel with a couple drawings here and there and i don’t really like novels. What i do read is mostly non-fiction history/politics stuff, some cool philosophy, but the novice stuff (well, just like with politics), and for fiction Lovecraft, Kafka and Borges are probably my favorites. I also sometimes read the paper, but since i don’t do that often since it always ends up with me yelling at it for some reason or another.

        1. No! I don’t think you sounded that pricky! I was trying to say that you properly found a use for it without sounding too pricky. (Did I just make “pricky” a word?)

          I can see how my comment would have been misread, though!

          It’s “a ‘y'” not “an ‘y'”

          Geez… the English language must be a bitch for non-native speakers. It seems like we make up rules for everything.

        2. Well, i’m a self-taught english speaker/writer/whatever so i have zero idea of rules. I just go with what “sounds” better in my head.

          By the way, favorite comics/manga: Corto Maltese, El Eternauta and Battle Royale. I haven’t read a lot more but those are my favorites.

    2. Interesting question Zkylon. My personal experience is that gamers read a large variety of material. Though due to my proximity to teh comics industry, I certainly see them reading more comics than anything else.

      I know you dismissed the concept, but I’m of the opinion that it matters less what you read, and more that you read at all. I think the very act of reading helps keep the mind sharp (note that I don’t say “smart”). In other words, it’s less about learning and more about thinking.

      Of course if you’re learning along the way, it’s an added bonus that isn’t easily dismissed.

      On a separate note, as a self taught English speaker you seem to have a firm grasp on the language. I’m curious what steps you took to learn. I know at least two people that taught themselves a second language through comics, and I know that because of comics, I can read a fair bit in Spanish.

      1. I’m unsure about the “keeping the mind sharp” aspect of reading. I always felt like it took concentration to read, just as it takes concentration to play videogames. I don’t really think it’s good to read per se, i just think it’s good to have variety and read, watch movies, draw, etc. Do all those things that exercise the mind and creativity. And reading’s good because it’s something that it’s being done less and less and it actually allows for a great deal of imagination when done right. But again, just like with everything else, you can get something real sucky that only hurts you and being in prose doesn’t make it better. While on the other hand, stuff like Shadow of the Colossus has barely any speaking and it probably sharpens the mind a lot better than, say, Dan Brown.

        And uh, i did go to a few english classes when i was young but i was really bad at english back then. I just couldn’t help myself writing goed instead of went. So i dropped out and i dunno, all my life i watched a sh1tton of movies and played games in english and wrote a lot and it grew on me. Something of the sorts. I took a couple english courses a few years ago but they kept asking me for past tenses and whatnot and i never could get those technical things stay in my head. What i do nowadays is talk a lot by myself in english to improve pronunciation since i guess i still sound weird. I do that a lot, actually, and with the little i know from every language, specially english and french since i know those (i did learn french at a school and consequently, i’m pretty bad at it).

        I pretty much teach myself everything since my three could’ve-been-mentors say i make a pretty terrible student 😛 Fuck3rs.

      2. I’m unsure about the “keeping the mind sharp” aspect of reading. I always felt like it took concentration to read, just as it takes concentration to play videogames. I don’t really think it’s good to read per se, i just think it’s good to have variety and read, watch movies, draw, etc. Do all those things that exercise the mind and creativity. And reading’s good because it’s something that it’s being done less and less and it actually allows for a great deal of imagination when done right. But again, just like with everything else, you can get something real sucky that only hurts you and being in prose doesn’t make it better. While on the other hand, stuff like Shadow of the Colossus has barely any speaking and it probably sharpens the mind a lot better than, say, Dan Brown.

        And uh, i did go to a few english classes when i was young but i was really bad at english back then. I just couldn’t help myself writing goed instead of went. So i dropped out and i dunno, all my life i watched a sh1tton of movies and played games in english and wrote a lot and it grew on me. Something of the sorts. I took a couple english courses a few years ago but they kept asking me for past tenses and whatnot and i never could get those technical things stay in my head. What i do nowadays is talk a lot by myself in english to improve pronunciation since i guess i still sound weird. I do that a lot, actually, and with the little i know from every language, specially english and french since i know those (i did learn french at a school and consequently, i’m pretty bad at it).

        I pretty much teach myself everything since my three could’ve been mentors say i make a pretty terrible student 😛

  3. I admit that I read my fair share of ‘geeky’ stuff. I’ve also partaken in the Dan Brown craze because they’re pretty entertaining books when you’re traveling and half asleep on an airplane.

    Last ‘serious’ book I read was Slaughterhouse Five, which was brilliant.

    1. If you enjoyed that, I recommend you read Breakfast of Champions. It’s my favorite Vonnegut book.

      I used to have a first edition print of that book… but now I wonder where it got to. I don’t remember it seeing it after I packed up and did my last few moves around the DC area.

  4. I read an excessive amount, though it’s usually mathematical proofs, or physics articles. I also give contemporary literature a good run for it’s money. Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer is the best book ever written by man.

    Oh, and apparently, I’m back.

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