Video game design boosts students’ literacy skills
Video game design boosts students’ literacy skills
Video game design boosts students’ literacy skills
Ava Wiseley, Dennis Pierce
May, 14, 2025
Summary
A Bronx public school piloted a 14-week afterschool video game design program to improve literacy among third and fourth graders. Using a curriculum from Work ED, students created game storylines, characters, and maps, practicing complex sentence structures and expanding vocabulary. The program led to a 51% overall literacy improvement, with major gains in identifying main ideas (194%) and comparing viewpoints (154%). Students also developed workforce-ready skills by pitching their games Shark Tank-style. The success was attributed to high engagement and fun, making learning feel effortless. Educators saw the program as a promising model to reverse declining reading proficiency.
Reference
Wiseley, A., & Pierce, D. (2025, May 14). Video game design boosts students’ literacy skills. eSchool News. https://www.eschoolnews.com/digital-learning/2025/05/14/video-game-design-boosts-students-literacy-skills/