What reading level are most games written for?

[Trickstergod]

My professors have repeatedly told me to simplify my writing, and even when I think I have, I still wind up getting comments on my word choice.

As it is, having gone through some of the role-playing stuff I've written up (none of it published, though come to think of it, what little I have I do believe I'll have to take a look at some time...), it comes out to around a 10.8, while the past few essays I've written all came out to a 12.

I'm not so sure what to think about that.

At least the little bit of fiction I took a gander at came out to a 6.8, so it's not like I can't stop myself from winding up all convoluted. Heh.

The things one discovers...I've a new toy now.

 

[Hida Bukkorosu]

i think the thing is, a majority of 9th graders read at a 3rd or 4th grade level, and the average adult probably doesn't read higher than 5th. newspapers are written for a minority of people who can actually read at the 8th grade level they're written at. most people get their news from the boob tube.

as for 3rd graders being able to read D&D and other semi-complex books, that's because RPGs tend to attract smart kids, that is, kids who tend to be much more literate and more likely to read for fun then their peers. i know when I was in 4th grade, standardized tests rated my reading at a 12th grade level.

 

[S'mon]

.

BTW an example of a magazine written for the college level is the Economist. It's very well written but can be dense for some.

Really? We get the Economist on subscription and I always find it a pretty easy read - maybe they just have high standards for clarity. Certainly it's easier reading than the business/finance pages of many UK broadsheet papers. I'd say it was also an easier read than many fantasy novels - the likes of Stephen R Donaldson, William Hope Hodgson & many others are pretty 'dense'. Where they're not -eg 'Song of Ice & Fire' - I find them a bit bland.

 

[Gez]

Bah. I learned English by playing Ultima (especially Underworld 2). Which means lots of long dialogs, full of aged slang words and Olde Englishe words.

I've no problems at all reading D&D books in English, either American English or British English.

 

[johnsemlak]

Really? We get the Economist on subscription and I always find it a pretty easy read - maybe they just have high standards for clarity. Certainly it's easier reading than the business/finance pages of many UK broadsheet papers. I'd say it was also an easier read than many fantasy novels - the likes of Stephen R Donaldson, William Hope Hodgson & many others are pretty 'dense'. Where they're not -eg 'Song of Ice & Fire' - I find them a bit bland.

I just checked the following article in MS Word's readability system and it came out at '12' on the Fleish Kincaid scale.
http://www.economist.com/agenda/PrinterFriendly.cfm?Story_ID=2576621

I think most print media may seem an easy read for the educated population, but a lot of people rely on TV for their news nowadays, or tabloids.

I imagine the financial sections of newspapers are pitched up a small bit in reading level as well.

Anyway, this is getting a bit off topic.

 

[Gez]

Financial journalism is voluntarily filled with big words.

Spoiler

Newspaper economists nowadays are akin to doctors of the 17th century, they use an arcane jargon to sound thoughtful and knowledgeable.

 

[wocky]

Even though the language in most D&D books is pretty simple, I found some pretty hard words in adventure modules (modules by WotC that is). It might be the name of a certain part of an armor or weapon, a rock formation, some type of small river, some kind of bottle; it seems everyday speak is not enough for good descriptions and flavour text. However, I wonder if it's really necessary to use certain vocabulary or if descriptions could be given (to less effect, perhaps) in simpler terms.

 

[diaglo]

6th grade. just like most reputable newspapers.

i know kids as young as 5 and 3 playing the new editions.

 

[Psion]

Some people seem to be arguing from the standpoint that it is bad if the reading level is "low". That seems off to me. A difficult to read work where those terms aren't needed does not make it "sophisticated."

As Einstein said, things should be as simple as possible, but no simpler. As long as you capture the meaning adequately, there is nothing to be gained by having a "higher reading level."

 

[LGodamus]

Some people seem to be arguing from the standpoint that it is bad if the reading level is "low". That seems off to me. A difficult to read work where those terms aren't needed does not make it "sophisticated."

As Einstein said, things should be as simple as possible, but no simpler. As long as you capture the meaning adequately, there is nothing to be gained by having a "higher reading level."

Especially if you want commercial success..you need your product to be viable to as large a chunk of the population as possible, so there is no need to try to confuse the average person , especially since , being average, they have the largest buying power.