Table Of ContentDigital Games and Language Learning
Advances in Digital Language Learning and Teaching
Series Editors
Michael Thomas, Liverpool John Moores University, UK
Mark Peterson, Kyoto University, Japan
Mark Warschauer, University of California – Irvine, USA
Today’s language educators need support to understand how their learners are
changing and the ways technology can be used to aid their teaching and learning
strategies. The movement towards different modes of language learning – from
presence-based to autonomous as well as blended and fully online modes –
requires different skill sets such as e-moderation and new ways of designing and
developing language learning tasks in the digital age. Theoretical studies that
include practical case studies and high-quality empirical studies incorporating
critical perspectives are necessary to move the field further. This series is
committed to providing such an outlet for high-quality work on digital language
learning and teaching. Volumes in the series focus on a number of areas
including but not limited to:
• task-based learning and teaching approaches utilizing technology
• language-learner creativity
• e-moderation and teaching languages online
• blended language learning
• designing courses for online and distance language learning
• mobile-assisted language learning
• autonomous language learning, both in and outside of formal educational
contexts
• the use of web 2.0/social media technologies
• immersive and virtual language-learning environments
• digital game-based language learning
• language educator professional development with digital technologies
• teaching language skills with technologies
Enquiries about the series can be made by contacting the series
editors: Michael Thomas ([email protected]), Mark Peterson (tufsmp@
yahoo.com) and Mark Warschauer ([email protected]).
Titles in the Series Include:
Autonomous Language Learning with Technology, Chun Lai
Language Teacher Education and Technology, edited by Jeong-Bae Son and
Scott Windeatt
Task-Based Language Learning in a Real-World Digital Environment, edited by
Paul Seedhouse
Teacher Education in Computer-Assisted Language Learning, Euline
Cutrim Schmid
Teaching Languages with Technology, edited by Euline Cutrim Schmid and
Shona Whyte
WorldCALL, edited by Ana Gimeno, Mike Levy, Françoise Blin and David Barr
iv
Digital Games and Language
Learning
Theory, Development and Implementation
Edited by
Mark Peterson, Kasumi Yamazaki
and Michael Thomas
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First published in Great Britain 2021
Copyright © Mark Peterson, Kasumi Yamazaki, Michael Thomas and Contributors, 2021
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Contents
List of Figures ix
List of Tables xi
List of Contributors xiii
Preface xvii
Foreword Jozef Colpert xviii
Acknowledgements xx
1 Digital games and language learning: The state of play Mark
Peterson, Michael Thomas and Kasumi Yamazaki 1
Part 1 Theory and research 7
2 A critical review of research on gamification and second language
acquisition Silvia Benini and Michael Thomas 9
3 Second language development in the context of massively
multiplayer online games: Theoretical perspectives Nasser Jabbari 47
4 Not all MMOGs are created equal: A design-informed approach to
the study of L2 learning in multiplayer online games
Jonathon Reinhardt 69
5 Human linguistics as a framework for analysing simulation-
gaming Douglas W. Coleman 89
Part 2 Development and implementation of digital games in
computer-assisted language learning 111
6 Playing with digital game pedagogies Alex Bacalja and
Kate Euphemia Clark 113
7 The use of avatars in digital role-playing games (RPGs) in
computer-assisted language learning (CALL) Charly Harbord,
Euan Dempster and Darshana Jayemanne 137
viii Contents
8 Reinforcing international students’ language skills for disaster
preparedness: A case study of gamification that utilizes augmented
reality technology Kazuhiro Yonemoto 163
9 The relationship between extramural digital gameplay and
twenty-first-century skills in the language classroom Daniel J. Mills
and Benjamin Thanyawatpokin 193
10 Gaming as a gateway to L2 English learning: A case study of a
young L1 Swedish boy Liss Kerstin Sylven 213
Part 3 Towards the future of game-based language learning 237
11 Issues in the current state of teaching languages with
games Benjamin Thanyawatpokin and James York 239
12 Is game-based language teaching ‘vaporware’? Jonathan deHaan 257
Index 277
Figures
2.1 Number of scientific works published annually (from 2014 to
eight months into 2020) 12
2.2 Categories of game elements 23
2.3 Number of articles published by year (from 2014 to eight
months into 2020) 24
2.4 Theme of the articles 25
2.5 Data collection methods of the articles 26
2.6 Number of participants 27
2.7 Data analysis method 27
3.1 Spolsky’s (1989) theory of conditions for language acquisition 52
4.1 A design-informed approach to understanding gameplay 75
5.1 Diagrammatic view of organisms in their environment 95
5.2 Two views of a three-dimensional map used for a street
directions lesson 100
5.3 OpenSim street-level view 105
6.1 Games as text, games as action 116
6.2 Frameworks for multimodal analysis 117
6.3 A framework for video game literacies in subject-English 118
6.4 Pedagogies of play continua 120
7.1 Avatar choices given to the participants 149
7.2 The Avatar choices in order of popularity in response to the
three questions given 152
7.3 The preferred avatars in the context of the purpose-built RPG 156
8.1 Screenshots of the game for the reading activity 170
8.2 Screenshots of the game for the on-campus fieldwork 173
8.3 Screenshot of the game for the off-campus fieldwork 175
8.4 Screenshot of the game setting map 176
8.5 Evacuation map created by learners 177
8.6 A scene of the on-campus fieldwork 180
8.7 A scene of the off-campus fieldwork 181
8.8 Photos that the learners took during the on-campus fieldwork 183
8.9 A scene of the off-campus fieldwork 187
