Introduction

Abstract

Recent years have seen a growing interest in the pedagogical potential of digital games. The educational value of games has long been recognized (e.g. Lee, 1979), but digital games in particular are now acknowledged as having great potential to engage learners and to encourage interaction in the target language. Immersive environments offer learners opportunities for situated learning, and the adaptive qualities of most games ensure that individuals are motivated to persist in their learning, thus increasing the chance of further exposure to target language input, and opportunities for output. The use of computer games in language education is based on the premise that successful learning is integrated into the sociocultural context of learners’ lives and encourages collaboration and lifelong learning. The use of new technologies, and in particular digital games, thus facilitates the bridging of learning within and outside the language classroom.