Video games are a favorite leisure-time activity among teenagers worldwide. This study
examines cross-national gender differences in reading achievement and video gaming and
whether video gaming explains gender differences in reading achievement and differences
in performance between paper-based and computer-based reading. We use data from a
representative sample of 145,953 students from 26 countries who sat the PISA 2012 assessments
and provided self-reports on use of video games. Although boys tend to have
poorer results in both the computer-based and the paper-based reading assessments, boys'
under achievement is smaller when the assessment is delivered on computer than when it
is delivered on paper. Boys underperformance compared to girls in the two reading assessments
is particularly pronounced among low-achieving students. Among both boys
and girls moderate use of single-player games is associated with a performance advantage.
However, frequent engagement with collaborative online games is generally associated
with a steep reduction in achievement, particularly in the paper-based test and particularly
among low-achieving students. Excessive gaming may hinder academic achievement, but
moderate gaming can promote positive student outcomes. In many countries video gaming
explains the difference in the gender gap in reading between the paper-based and the
computer-based assessments.