Learners’ Perceptions of a Commercial Adventure Video Game for Learning English as a Second/Foreign Language

Sep 29, 2026

A study examines 60 Taiwanese EFL learners’ perceptions of using a commercial adventure video game to learn English as a second/foreign language. Learners show a generally positive attitude toward the game, reporting benefits for listening, reading, and vocabulary, along with enjoyment and increased motivation. They also report language barriers during play, such as fast dialogue and fleeting subtitles, and note weaknesses in game design. Findings highlight strengths and limitations of adventure games for EFL/ESL based on learner perceptions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

1. Introduction

1.1 Commercial Games in Education

1.2 Commercial Games and Second/Foreign Language Learning

2. Methodology

2.1 Participants

2.2 Instrument

Learners’ Perceptions of a Commercial Adventure Video Game for Learning English as a Second/Foreign Language Christine Ting-Yu YANG & Howard Hao-Jan CHEN English Department, National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan *[christiney37@gmail.com](christiney37@gmail.com) Abstract: This paper presents a study of a group of 60 Taiwanese EFL learners’ perceptions of a commercial adventure video game for second/foreign language learning. The study results reveal that learners held a positive attitude toward the use of the adventure game for English learning and considered the game particularly beneficial to their listening ability, reading ability, and vocabulary knowledge. Learners also reported their enjoyment of using the game for language learning and stated enhanced motivation in English learning. Nevertheless, learners reported several language barriers encountered while gaming (e.g., fast dialogue, fleeting subtitles) and identified some weaknesses regarding the game designs. The research results of this paper identified both strengths and weaknesses of adventure games for EFL/ESL based on learners’ perceptions, and should encourage more studies on the investigation of using adventure games in language learning. Keywords: Adventure games, video games, learner perception, language learning, English as a second/foreign language 1. Introduction 1.1 Commercial Games in Education The widespread popularity of digital video games over the last decade has aroused many researchers’ interests to examine their educational value. These interests urged many researchers to design and investigate games for educational purposes (a.k.a. games-based learning, GBL), but more are on exploring the usefulness of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) games in learning. In their review, Connolly, Boyle, MacArthur, Hainey, and Boyle [3] collected 129 papers on computer games and found that more than half of the papers were research on games for entertainment. The reasons for using commercial games more than self-designed educational games are not hard to understand. Since designing and integrating educational games requires both investments in training and funding [13], adopting existing commercial games will be amore available choice for most educators. Advocates of commercial video game-based learning also contribute to the acceptance of using COTS games in learning by proposing arguments highlighting these games’ educational value [7][8][9][15][16] . For example, James Paul Gee regards video games as a form of “experiential learning” [8] and values highly on its educational potential. Foreman [6] and Prensky [16] also highly commend video games as motivating, learner-centered, and sensory-rich learning tools. 1.2 Commercial Games and Second/Foreign Language Learning Researchers’ interests in video game-based learning have contributed to the widespread occurrences of studies examining its effects on various subjects. One of the widely investigated areas is the learning of second/foreign languages. Studies have been conducted to investigate how commercial video games such as simulation games [12][17], massively multi-player online role-playing games [2][14][18][19][20][22], sports games [4], and music games [5] could facilitate second/foreign language acquisition, and many of the studies had reported encouraging results in language gains and positive learning attitudes. In addition to the aforementioned game types, there are other game genres that might benefit second/foreign language learners as well. Characterized as highly narrative, story-based games that stimulate discovery learning, adventure games are believed to be particularly language-learning-beneficial by many researchers and DGBL-related professionals. Kirriemur and McFarlane [10] commented that adventure games allow learners to experience contextual learning by having them role-play while playing. Baltra [1] argued that video/computer adventure games are useful tools fo

FAQs

How did Taiwanese EFL learners perceive the commercial adventure game for English learning?

Learners reported a positive attitude toward using the adventure game for English learning. They also said it was enjoyable and supported stronger learning motivation.

Which language skills and knowledge did learners consider most improved?

Learners believed the game was particularly beneficial for listening ability, reading ability, and vocabulary knowledge.

What barriers and design weaknesses did learners report while gaming?

Learners reported language barriers such as fast dialogue and fleeting subtitles. They also identified weaknesses related to game design.

Sep 29, 2026

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