In their new paper, Dr Fiona Scott, Dr Liz Chesworth, Dr Cath Bannister, Daniel Kuria, Shabana Roscoe and Yao Wang argue that instead of viewing digital play as a passive or inherently unhealthy activity, educators and parents should recognise it as a complex, embodied form of literacy that can actively support a child's well-being.
‘Reimagining the ‘Well’ (Digitally) Literate Body,’ explores how children aged 7 to 12 engage with video games at home. The study suggests that the way children move, feel, and interact while gaming, what they term literacies-in-the-body, matters for their well-being.
In observing 20 UK families, the authors found that digital play is anything but passive and still. Children use their entire bodies to navigate virtual worlds, expressing emotion, solving complex problems, and developing operational, cultural, and critical digital skills.
"In formal education, children’s bodies are often monitored and corrected according to narrow norms of what an ‘orderly’ learner looks like," the authors note. By contrast, the study found that at home, the well-literate body is one that is fluid, expressive, and often connected to the digital environment.
The study highlights that video games contribute to two types of well-being, although it also argues that these may be interconnected, rather than distinct:
- Hedonic Well-Being - The immediate joy, excitement, and pleasure found in gameplay.
- Eudaimonic Well-Being - The deeper sense of accomplishment, identity-building, and flourishing that comes from mastering a difficult level or collaborating with friends.
The authors urge schools to stop viewing digital literacy solely as a technical skill (like typing or coding) and instead see it as a holistic, physical experience. They argue that by dismissing video games as unhealthy or distracting, we may be missing out on a powerful tool for supporting children's emotional and intellectual growth.
As the digital landscape evolves, the study provides a new framework for parents and teachers to understand screen time not as a drain on health, but as a space where children perform, feel, and produce knowledge in ways that are essential for the 21st century.
Read the full paper in the International Literacy Association Reading Research Quarterly: Reimagining the 'Well' (Digitally) Literate Body: Lessons From Children's Diverse (Digital)-Literacies-in-the-Body With Videogames at Home.