Visual Novel Game: A Fun Way to Help Filipinos Read More

Written by: Alliah Rayne Mingcay | 10 months ago

Photo by Branden Skeli on Unsplash

On December 4, 2019, the news broke out that the Philippines has the lowest reading comprehension out of 79 countries. The Philippines’ reading score was 340, 353 in mathematics, and 357 in science. In contrast, China, which had the highest score, scored 555 in reading, 591 in mathematics, and 590 in science. A noticeable gap of more than 200 points.

Filipinos' low reading comprehension is caused by multiple factors. One of the underlying factors is the poor education system. In public schools, students have to get up and be in school at 6 a.m. to attend school. Classes are divided into morning and afternoon classes. Students have to squeeze themselves into a small classroom. Moreover, they have to borrow textbooks from one another due to not having enough learning materials.

Another one could be that the majority of Filipinos are extroverts. We prefer mingling with other people rather than spending our time reading books. Oftentimes, we also consider “reading” a chore rather than a hobby or way to learn. We prefer visuals like pictures or videos over words, which now poses a concerning issue.

In 2017, Sen. Bam Aquino pushed for and made eSports a sport. He was one of the reasons why esports has been continuously rising in popularity for the past six years. Esports has helped thousands of Filipinos earn money. Even now, MOBA games like Mobile Legends are still popular, and new popular games like Valorant are on the rise.

These days, a lot of Filipinos prefer holding mobile phones or sitting in front of their computers and laptops. Because of the intense love Filipinos have for games, maybe playing visual novels could be a stepping stone for us to read books.

What is a visual novel game?

A visual novel game is a video game where players can choose their own character and story. It is a story game where players can make their own choices. The ending will depend on the choices they make, so players have to be critical and mindful when making a choice.

There are usually 2 types of endings: good and bad ending. A good ending is when your character has achieved the story’s goal, whereas a bad ending is when your character has not achieved the story’s goal or what their character wants.

Just like novels and manga, VN games can range in genre. From finding the killer to choosing your own love interest, it will unfold in every part of the chapter. Lots of anime also originally came from VN games, two examples are Steins: Gate and Clannad. Moreso, developers can put knowledgeable topics where it could catch the player’s attention. They wouldn’t feel they are being pressured into learning.

Where can you find visual novel games?

VN games can be played with different gadgets. From gaming consoles to smartphones to computers, you can find a variety of VN games on different gaming platforms. There are free VN games, while other games can cost a lot. Steam, itch.io, and the Google Play Store are some of the digital platforms you can look into.

Conclusion

Filipinos love gaming more than we expected. Ever since the pandemic happened, Filipinos were forced to take online classes for two years. Up until now, a lot of students are currently taking online classes or in hybrid situations. At times like this, we can use technology to our advantage to improve ourselves.

Playing VN games could be one of the reasons to encourage us to read more books. We often love to see visuals, thus, combining reading and scenes from VN games is a great way to catch our attention. Reading is a starting step for us to work on our memory, critical thinking skills, and more. It would help us improve our decision-making skills, helping us to choose wisely and improve our country little by little.

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