Finnish boys are pulling in better grades in English than Finnish girls because they spend more time playing computer games, according to a new report.
The University of Helsinki looked at the test scores and gaming habits of 500 high school children and found those playing more computer games have a better grasp of English.
Games such as World of Warcraft, which is particularly dialogue-heavy, are thought to be the best teachers, with the teenagers in the study who played for 15 hours or more a week getting almost full marks in their tests.
Speaking to YLE, Sanna-Kaisa Tanskanen, an English professor at the University of Helsinki, said the role playing in the games mimics everyday conversation. “The link between gaming and grades in this case is indisputable,” said Tanskanen.
Lauri Salminen and Samuli Kytomaki are two high school senior students who spend hours every day playing English-language video games. Speaking to YLE, Kytomak said, “If you hear English every day, it’s just a matter of time before you learn it.”
“School English doesn’t really teach me anything new at this point,” added Salminen.