Check out the latest study on reading for pleasure done by the University of Florida. 

As a former reading teacher, I find it rather scary. One of the things Mr. Meyers preaches at his students is that they will never become great game designers if they can't tell amazing stories. These days the only games that win awards are ones with gripping stories. In level 2, he Ieads them through writing a multi-act story for an rpg. We discuss plot arcs, character archetypes, and other story elements from the creative writing field. But you can't tell award-winning stories if you don't read award-winning stories...