Games, IM, and Literacy

Okay, the synchronicity of Jenny's latest post about her 9 year-old son is giving me the most wonderful chills. It's 70-odd degrees in this gorgeous hotel lobby and I have goosebumps. Here's why:

One of the big motivations for Brent learning to read has always been video games. He played Playstation before he could read, and when I used to tell him it was time to shut down, he’d pull up the options screen and ask how to save his game. My response was always, “You tell me. Find the one that says ‘save.’” Runescape has helped him learn to read faster, because the text others type can scroll by pretty quickly.
So now he’s learned to read (certainly faster), learned to type (certainly faster), and now he’s learning IM slang, all thanks to Runescape. Interesting literacy lessons there.
Of course, I wonder what else he’s learning….

If that's not a testimonial to the positive power of games & the new forms of literacy intertwining with technology, I don't know what is.