Digital game-based learning in foreign language acquisition

Digital Game-Based Learning (DGBL) is a teaching and learning approach that aims to learn with and in games, i.e. generally refers to the use of digital games for learning purposes (based on^[16]). It therefore represents a special form of e-learning: Just as e-learning generally encompasses teaching and learning with digital media, DGBL is specifically based on digital games designed to support the learning process. Playful learning environments follow their own concepts, which in addition to DGBL are also assigned to other terms, in particular gamification and serious games (for differentiation, e.g. ^{[2], [20]}). This results in a wide variety of learning games that can be used in numerous areas; in the field of education, playful approaches to learning content are used primarily in foreign language learning. Digital Game-Based Language Learning (DGBLL) has thus established itself as a subcategory of DGBL and its own field of research, cf. ^{[13], [7], [14]}, and at the same time represents a specific domain of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) or Technology-Enhanced Language Learning (TELL)^[6]. The languages to which the DGBL concept is applied are predominantly new foreign languages, but there are also initial approaches from the field of old languages ^[19].

In the context of foreign language learning, playful forms of learning can be used both in the context of institutionalised foreign language teaching and for informal learning. The digital offerings are numerous, but vary greatly in terms of their quality and their relation to DGBL. Simple stimulus-response games(drill & practice), which are used as closed practice formats primarily to practise vocabulary, such as various shooting or card games, memory, hangman games, (more or less playful depending on the presentation) quiz formats and other mini-games are particularly widespread (cf. (see, for example, the websites English learning games and IC Language as well as the digital templates on the Arcade Game Generator and Wordwall platforms). They can also be integrated into a more comprehensive learning environment (see e-learning) and supplemented with additional game elements such as points, badges, avatars, ranking lists, levels or quests. The language learning apps Duolingo and Mondly, for example, rely on a playful environment in which engaging with the content is rewarded with corresponding game elements. The learning content has no real connection to the game elements, but is merely transferred into an entertaining environment (e.g. as a vocabulary query) – with the aim of influencing learning behaviour and increasing motivation, especially for unpopular activities such as practising grammar or vocabulary. This game concept is a form of gamification (use of game elements in non-game contexts), which is often differentiated from DGBL^[7], ^[21] and is often criticised in foreign language didactics, e.g. ^{[8], [17], [4]}: Since game and learning content are separated from each other, there is no real game-based learning in which there is meaningful interaction between the player and the game content (and thus also learning content). Gamification comes very close to DGBL, on the other hand, when it not only takes place on a structural level, but the learning content becomes part of a playful environment, e.g. through storytelling (so-called content-based gamification according to ^{[20], [21]}). For example, the content of a textbook lesson can be turned into a detective game so that a game-like experience and even immersion processes are possible by linking learning and game objectives (ibid.).

So-called serious games go in a similar direction (for differentiation ^[20], 20-26): Here, not only are playful design elements transferred into a learning context, but these are stand-alone games that are designed for an explicit educational purpose; the focus is therefore on the learning experience, which in turn is integrated into a game world (according to the formula “game objective = learning objective”, see ^[8], 148). This form of DGBL offers great potential, particularly in the context of foreign language learning, because important components such as communication and interaction in the foreign language are integrated into a meaningful context, e.g. in the context of an adventure game. Successful examples of this include the educational game Squirrel & Bear (for English) or several serious games from the Goethe-Institut (for German as a foreign language, see links below). The integration of the players into the game world (immersion, see ^[20]28 f.), which has a positive effect on the gaming experience and thus ideally also on contact with the foreign language, can be enhanced through the use of virtual reality (VR), e.g. in the Hololingo! ^[1] or the Serious Game Architect 2015 of the EVEIL-3D project.

Another option for implementing DGBL in the context of foreign language learning is the use of commercial computer games, which, unlike serious games, are not developed for language learning and are didacticised accordingly, but can be used as part of a didactic concept to promote various skills (speaking, reading and listening comprehension, vocabulary and grammar, cultural learning)^[3]. As language learning is strongly characterised by interaction and communication, so-called massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) or massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), such as World of Warcraft, can promote the active use of English in social interaction (^[8]149-151), but also have their limitations, especially in institutionalised foreign language teaching (^[13], 69).

With all forms of DGBL, and even more so with gamification applications, a well thought-out didactic concept, in which the respective game or game design is integrated, is important so that language learning is sustainable and a transfer from the game to reality can take place. A combination of games and other forms of teaching or materials that can be used before, during and after the game seems to make sense (^[8], 151-153, ^[13], 69). Further development work is required here in order to fully utilise the potential of DGBL in the future.

Comparability with analogue phenomena

In principle, game-based learning can be implemented both digitally and analogue. In particular, gamification applications that contain simple query exercises (e.g. memory or other card games, hangman games, quizzes) or concern the overarching structure (e.g. points, quests or ranking lists) can also be implemented in an analogue environment, albeit with greater effort in terms of organisation and materials (with digital platforms such as Arcade Game Generator, Wordwall or Classcraft, the templates there can easily be multiplied and filled with different content). However, as this type of game does not enable learning that actually takes place through the game itself, it is primarily didactically and technically more sophisticated game concepts that are of interest when assessing the comparability of DGBL with analogue phenomena (content-related gamification, serious games, commercial computer games, see above). The more complex and elaborate a game is designed, the more difficult it is to find a counterpart in the analogue world. Nevertheless, more complex games such as simulations or simulation games, detective or escape room games, which can also be used for foreign language learning, can also take place in the analogue space and thus enable a special gaming and learning experience as well as other forms of interaction and collaboration. Digitalisation in the field of game-based learning should therefore not be seen as a replacement for analogue games, but it does open up new possibilities that can hardly be realised with analogue means, or at best with enormous effort. for example, an adventure game can allow you to immerse yourself in different environments within a game that are not easily accessible by analogue means; especially when learning foreign languages, this makes it possible to easily “visit” other countries and cultures, which can be made even more realistic with the help of VR (for example, in the serious game Architekt 2015, you find yourself in Strasbourg Cathedral, including a journey through time that cannot be imitated even with a real journey in the analogue world). Depending on the game, there are also extended opportunities for interaction (through location-independent networking, including with native speakers). Unlike analogue materials, digital learning games can easily be made available to a large number of players or learners regardless of location and can be used many times without wasting material. Learning analytics could also open up further opportunities in the future, allowing data on learning behaviour, learning support and the further development of a game to be obtained in digital game-based learning environments^[11]. This cannot be realised in the same way in the non-digital sector, even with complex evaluations.

Social relevance

The degree of social relevance of DGBL depends on the type and quality of the game used and its didactic embedding. In addition to the general promotion and, in the best case, improvement of language learning through the use of new mediation possibilities, there is also more tangible potential for DGBL that relates to specific skills and social forms on the one hand and current social issues on the other: DGBL can be used to train the future skills of the 21st century known as the 4Cs (creativity, communication, collaboration, critical thinking), especially in games that are used collaboratively and encourage problem solving (e.g. detective games, role-playing games, simulations). In principle, this is also possible in the context of language learning, where communication and interaction (also in the form of collaborative forms of learning) are particularly encouraged anyway; in particular, intercultural communication can also be promoted ^{[5], [10]}. With a view to social learning, but also through appropriate thematic links, DGBL (especially in the form of serious games) can also support the UNESCO Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) campaign^[15]for example, the adventure game Squirrel & Bear, which takes place in the forest and is about saving bees, can be used in the classroom to consider environmental aspects as well as linguistic aspects (^[8]152 f.); conversely, games not explicitly designed for language learning can also be used for foreign language learning and address socially relevant sustainability issues, e.g. the Financial Times’ serious game The Climate Game ^[18] or the life simulations The SIMs (^[8], 152) and SimCity^[9].

---