From the mouths of gamers: Youth perspectives on digital gameplay and language learning

Academic perspectives:


In a previous post, I made reference to the growing awareness of the way in which video games can play an important role within the language-learning context. Traditional pedagogic practices generally confine the learner to a classroom environment and require the presence of a teacher, but with the advent of digital technology, independent home-based learning has become a viable option for students. Reasons of convenience and accessibility aside, opportunities for class-independent language learning have strong implications for today’s digitally literate youth. Ito et al (2010) stresses the way in which young people today learn with and can relate to new digital media such as video games, and it is these forms of media which tend to be most motivating for younger learners. Games have the ability to place these learners in naturalistic contexts, and the medium allows for autonomous learning within a relevant and motivating environment outside of the classroom.


Influential articles such as those by Jenkins (2010) and Gee (2007) point at the recent attention video games have drawn to themselves as informal learning tools, and this academic interest is also apparent in language-learning research. Alice Chik’s (2011) article entitled “Learner autonomy development through digital play” is an example of this interest as it explores the potential benefits for young people playing games as a means of becoming independent language learners.


Learner perspectives:


Chik’s (2011) article focuses on the Hong Kong English as a foreign language (EFL) context, and the way in which research has shown Hong Kong youths to be strong consumers of and participators in digital culture, especially in the vein of online digital games and forums. Although Chinese online games are readily available, Chik (2010) states that many of the most popular games in the country are English-only titles. Surprisingly, this has apparently not led to a diminishing of the market demand in Hong Kong for such games. Instead, young gamers are increasingly interacting with others online in the second language (L2) used in the game as a consequence of their desire to participate within popular “globalised gaming platforms” (Thorne, Black & Sykes, 2009). Thorne et al. (2009) and Ito et al. (2010) both report that such digital interactions occur in the game player’s free time and outside of the classroom; two features of the learning context that deviate greatly from the characteristics of traditional classroom-based pedagogic practice.


Chik’s (2011) article expands upon the research by focusing on the practices of young Hong Kong gamers and bringing together their collective attitudes about using foreign games as language learning aids.

Autonomous language-learning through in-game texts

The research:


The research design involved ten participants (four females and six males) who investigated each other’s learning patters whilst gaming, by video-recording their game play and interviewing each other. Blogs were also set up for gamers to contribute and respond to in relation to their respective gaming and language learning habits. The blogs and interviews shed light upon the various attitudes participants had in regard to motivation, learning styles and playing games in a foreign language.


Although language-learning techniques differed from player to player, two principal forms of motivation were identified from the interview and survey data.


The first involved the need for completing tasks in English in order to achieve game level advancement, which resulted in players paying more attention to in-game texts. The second involved the opportunity for players to authentically interact with other gamers in English, which also served as an aid to advance game levels.


Findings:


It is important to note that learning in the game was not considered to occur naturally for most participants, but instead required deliberate study of new vocabulary by using dictionaries or by asking other gamers the meanings of unfamiliar words. Upon confirmation of meaning, participants reported repetition of in-game language as being a principal cause for language acquisition.


Although deliberate learning was still deemed necessary, the driving force of the original motivational factors (game advancement, authentic English interactions) was seen to have created a “willingness” on the part of the gamers to put in the work required to advance their English skills. Such responses from participants help to reinforce the notions put forth by Jenkins (2010) and Ito et al. (2010) regarding the positive correlation between variables of youth learning ability and youth-relevant contexts.


Limitations:


Of course, findings such as these cannot be generalised to all gamers and all types of games, and Chik (2011) identified two main areas of limitation.


1) Genre Specificity


Depending on the type of game being played, a learner will often be limited to genre-specific language and terminology which is not necessarily going to be useful in real-world interactions. A good example of this was reported by a fan of the game Counter Strike, which is filled with military jargon. Another player commented on the limitations of playing online soccer games where soccer-related terms made up the bulk of new language acquired.

Military games - lots of jargon, but useful language for real-world contexts?

2) Medium of delivery


Depending on the game, mediums of English delivery also varied greatly, with the majority of games still providing more opportunities for listening and reading than for speaking or writing.


Limitations aside, the general consensus was that playing games offered a good opportunity to “learn while having fun”, as reported by one gamer (Chik, 2011, p. 37).


Potentials for autonomous learning through digital games:


The model below illustrates the relationship between learning and playing digital games, as deduced from comments made by participants in the study. Potentials for learning have been identified in three key areas:


1) In-game texts:


Features of the games including interactive dialogues, game play instructions and game audio commentary provide primary sources of language input gamers. As previously mentioned, these vary between game genres.


2) Online gaming platforms:


Interaction with fellow gamers allows live authentic language use in cases where game play assistance is required, or when group task work is necessary for game progression.


3) Online discussion forums:


Users can become members of online gaming communities to learn more about the games they are playing. These digital spaces provide gamers with the opportunity to seek assistance in the games they are playing by making posts in both their own language as well as the target game language. Forums are a good place for gamers to learn necessary words and phrases used in a game from more experienced players and from those with a higher proficiency in the target language.

Source: Chik, A. (2011). Learner autonomy development through digital gameplay. Digital Culture & Education, 3:1, 40.

Conclusions:


Qualitative research such as Chik’s (2011) helps to paint a clearer picture of the attitudes youth have toward games as being motivating language-learning tools. It is important to realise that practical application of such findings would obviously be at the mercy of realistic and financial constraints, and that attitudes may vary in different locations and contexts, but we can at least be aware that youth communities exist that see the potential benefits of games when utilised as language learning resources.

The next step is for more educators to see these same benefits!

References:


Chik, A. (2011). Learner autonomy development through digital gameplay. Digital Culture & Education, 3:1, 30-45.


Ito, M. et al. (2010). Hanging Out, Messing Around and Geeking Out: Kids Learning and Living in New Media. MIT Press.


Jenkins, H., Clinton, K., Purushotma, R., Robison, A. J., and Weigel, M. (2006). Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century: The MacArthur Foundation.


Thorne, S. L., Black, R. W., and Sykes, J. L. (2009). Second language use, socialization, and learning in Internet interest communities and online gaming. The Modern Language Journal, 93s, 802-821.



(Posted by Josh)