Considerations of Using COTS Video Games as a Language Learning Tool more

Fri, Apr 29, 09:00-Tue, May 31, 23:55 Asia/Seoul

Statista.com reports that video games have become the world’s largest entertainment industry sector. The rapid growth and mainstream acceptance of video games have had very little impact on their adoption or adaptation to language learning contexts. Commercial off-the-shelf video games (COTS) have certainly been used for educational purposes in English language teaching. Still, their application is often not as straightforward as a graded reader, movie, song, or even something like a board game. This presentation will cover three areas that educators will need to acknowledge regarding a game’s viability and accessibility as a language learning tool. The first consideration is the learning context in which the COTS will be utilized, where the learning activity will occur. The next is the pedagogical considerations of a COTS. The final consideration, which is the largest roadblock to utilizing COTS for learning tools, is accessibility. Many obstacles such as cost, digital rights management, and usage licenses make adopting a COTS for language learning difficult; however, numerous exciting options exist to match any combination of learning contexts and outcomes.