Playing video games can IMPROVE your reading skills, surprising study reveals

It's often seen as a lazy activity, but new research suggests that playing video games could have a surprising benefit – improving your reading skills. Researchers from the University of Saskatchewan say that gaming may improve peripheral attention skills, which are essential for reading ability. 'Attention is an important part of successful reading,' explained Shaylyn Kress, who led the study. 'Your eyes need to scan across a page in a systematic manner to correctly process each word and sentence, for example. 'Therefore, activities which may impact attentional processes, such as video games, may also have an impact on reading as well.'