Two decades ago, Prensky (2001) and Gee (2003) directed the attention of researchers and teachers towards the untapped potential of digital games for education. In the years that followed, much research has been carried out on digital game-based learning, including a substantial number of studies investigating the potential of such games for foreign language education (Peterson, 2013; Peterson et al. 2020). The findings of these studies indicate that certain digital games can effectively facilitate various aspects of language learning, most notably the acquisition of new vocabulary. The research also suggests that in general, games designed for entertainment purposes, rather than for education, tend to result in more effective language learning (Dixon & Dixon, 2022). Furthermore, researchers have found that by supplementing digital game tasks with scaffolding materials and activities that draw the attention of learners towards specific target L2 structures, language teachers may play an active role in significantly improving game-based learning outcomes (Miller & Hegelheimer, 2006; Ranalli, 2008; Wang, 2019).
In this presentation, I will provide a practical overview of how I integrated the cooperative puzzle game Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes into a communicative English language course at a university in Japan. I will also identify the design elements of the game that mark it, as well as other games with a similar information-gap play mechanic, as a promising tool for language learning. I will then present a brief overview of a case study carried out in order to investigate the processes of SLA during face-to-face spoken interaction between learners as they played this game in a small group. The presentation will conclude with some practical ideas on how to adapt and use the game, as well as other similar titles, for language education purposes in a classroom or self-access setting.
Gee, J. P. (2003). What video games have to teach us about learning and literacy. New York, NY: St. Martin's Griffin.
Dixon, D. H., Dixon, T., & Jordan, E. (2022). Second language (L2) gains through digital game-based language learning (DGBLL): A meta-analysis. Language Learning & Technology, 26(1), 1–25. https://doi.org/10125/73464
Miller, M., & Hegelheimer, V. (2006). The SIMs meets ESL incorporating authentic computer simulation games into the language classroom. Interactive Technology and Smart Education, 3(4), 311–328. https://doi.org/10.1108/17415650680000070
Peterson, M. (2013). Computer games and language learning. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.
Peterson, M., White, J., Mirzaei, M. S., & Wang, Q. (2020). A review of research on the application of digital games in foreign language education. In M. Kruk, & M. Peterson (Eds.), New technological applications for foreign and second language learning and teaching (pp. 69–92). IGI Global.
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital game-based learning. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Ranalli, J. (2008). Learning English with The Sims: Exploiting authentic computer simulation games for L2 learning. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 21(5), 441–455. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588220802447859
Wang, Q. (2019). Classroom intervention for integrating simulation games into language classrooms: An exploratory study with the SIMS 4. CALL-EJ, 20(2), 101–127.
