Computer Games and English Language Learning

Abstract

School lore has it that young learners acquire foreign languages easily by playing computer games. In an attempt to investigate this claim, a study was conducted involving 228 lower and upper secondary school Romanian students. The investigation probed for age and gender differences in the students’ attitudes towards learning English from computer games, as well as for specific instances of language learning. The language remembered from playing reveals which game elements and properties appear most conducive to language learning. The frequency of a word or phrase, its bearing in the logic of the game, and the game capacity to present contextualized language, simultaneously seen and heard, are important factors. Nevertheless, there is ample evidence of significant limitations. The analysis shows strengths and weaknesses that may be relevant for foreign language learning game design.