Research, Hypothesis, and Findings
Research and Evidence:
- Players should not be overloaded with fast/complicated gameplay and detailed mechanics due to the possibility of cognitive overload.
- "The players of the video game were asked to play the game and attend to the vocabulary simultaneously, and these multiple foci of attention prevented them from noticing and recalling more vocabulary items than the watchers. " - (deHaan, 104) Link to study — This study states that players can learn a 2nd language through interactivity, but if the game is too complicated or takes up too much focus, it can lead to a decline in ability to comprehend vocabulary specifically. Subjects who watched another person play a game (a rhythm game, which these types of game tend to be high intensity and fast-paced) on a separate monitor showed higher results in vocabulary acquisition and retention.
- Teachers need to have a positive perception of video games, the game needs to be relevant to the students' learning goals/needs, and the player needs to have an interest in video games in order to get enjoyment out of it.
- "[…] educator perceptions, the value of the content of the game, and learners’ interest and engagement with the medium must all be taken into consideration if video games are to be used in language learning." - (Newcombe, Brick, 84) Link to study — This study talks about the ways that students may engage with video games and the skills gained in order to interact in a meaningful way that will lead to language acquisition. It concludes that in order to successfully interact with a game for language acquisition, the above criteria must be met.
- Further examples and evidence.
- Looking at the points in the "Discussion" section of this article: Link to study — This study further confirms points from the above two studies: students must enjoy the game for it to be effective; players should not be overloaded cognitively and keep their focus on simpler tasks (seen in the section on note taking) that way they can better focus on the language rather than the game mechanics (or other tasks such as taking notes).
Game Idea:
An adventure role-playing game where the player arrives in a town where the citizen’s language (Japanese) has been attacked by monsters. Everyone has forgotten how to properly use particles. The player travels the city finding people and signs/text and correcting the mistakes by choosing the correct particle from multiple choice. Once the correct particle is chosen and its usage explained, the player enters into a turn-based battle with whatever monster is particularly attacking that particle’s usage. The player must select the correct particle in order to attack the monster and effectively damage it (these battles are very simple and can be defeated in just a couple moves). After defeating the monster, the player receives a “scroll” with a more detailed explanation of the particle and some examples.
Overall hypothesis:
The game needs to be simple enough to not overly strain the focus of the player but should be engaging enough that the player enjoys playing. If the gameplay is too intense or mechanically complicated, the focus moves to the game mechanics themselves rather than the language. If the player enjoys the game (artistically, narratively, mechanically, etc.) and views the gaming medium positively, then they are more likely to have higher motivation to continue playing/learning.