MMOs help kids learn English faster, says new study

Students of English learn the language faster when they play video games, especially MMOs, according to a new report.

The study at the University of Gothenburg and Karlstad University, Sweden, looked at a group of sixth graders and how they interact with English in non-educational situations. Researchers found that those students who play a lot of English-language games gain a vocabulary advantage compared with those who do not play or only play a little.

They found that people playing MMOs had the greatest advantage, for the obvious reason that multiplayer online games facilitate conversation, and English is the most widespread language online.

"As a player you simply have to be able to understand what's being said, to read English and to interact yourself by both writing and speaking English," said Liss Kerstin Sylvén, who worked on the study, called 'Focus on Young L2 English Learners in Sweden,' published in the journal ReCall.