Video games are being used to lure kids to reading, reports Motoko Rich in the New York Times.

Spurred by arguments that video games also may teach a kind of digital literacy that is becoming as important as proficiency in print, libraries are hosting gaming tournaments, while schools are exploring how to incorporate video games in the classroom. In New York, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is supporting efforts to create a proposed public school that will use principles of game design like instant feedback and graphic imagery to promote learning.

In the publishing industry, author PJ Haarsma simultaneously planned his pre-teen sci-fi novel and the related video game. Like the Australian phenomena Iron Fairies, reading the book allows kids to advance in the game. Scholastic has tied the mystery series "The Maze of Bones" to a web-based game, and their "The 39 Clues" uses online games for readers to discover background information. Random House Children's books commissioned an online game in advance of Brisingr, the third book in Christopher Paolini's Inheritance series.

Not everyone embraces the novel approach to the reading experience. Writes Motoko, "doubtful teachers and literacy experts question how effective it is to use an overwhelmingly visual medium to connect youngsters to the written word."

Meawhile, publishers will pursue gimmicks to sell books, teachers and librarians will do what it takes to motivate young readers, and time will tell how the mediums will pair for rich storytelling.

Source: New York Time, Using Video Games as Bait to Hook Readers, by Motoko Rich