Prior research indicates that gameplay experiences attributed to Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs) foster foreign language students' ability to communicate with players in the target language. We take a closer look at the role of language socialization in MMORPGs, specifically dialogue between native and non-native speakers. We modify the Dialogue Acts Markup in Several Layers code scheme to represent in-game social interactions and apply this code scheme to players' game dialogue. We then develop ClockWerk©, an evaluation tool that visually depicts communication patterns of game dialogue attributed to MMORPGs. ClockWerk© graphically detects dominant behaviors of linguistically diverse groups of players over time. ClockWerk© enables users to temporally correlate the type of social interactions with gameplay activities, gauging their impact on second language acquisition.

No abstract

Serious games designed for educational purposes promote acquisition of knowledge and skills that are valued in the both the virtual realm and the real world. However, the million dollar question is how do we design serious games that produce positive learning outcomes without sacrificing the element of fun? The authors’ answer is simple but no less profound. Don’t recreate the wheel; instead use it to create new technology! Using this premise, they re-purpose the recreational Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) EverQuest® II as a serious game, leveraging the entertainment value and readily accessible developer tools to promote learning in the context of Second Language Acquisition (SLA). They outline the process of transformation, first identifying the affordances attributed to MMORPGs and then evaluating the impact of gameplay experiences on SLA. Promising results from experimental studies reveal that in-game social interactions in the target language between native speakers and non native speakers provide a higher degree of engagement and significantly increase second language vocabulary acquisition and reading comprehension skills compared to traditional classroom instruction. They conclude with the design of two game modules that promote vocabulary acquisition, reading comprehension and conversational fluency.

No abstract

No abstract