Connecting the Dots: Acquiring Language via Game-Related Tasks in Online Games

Abstract

This paper attempts to systematically review past studies to explore the types of online game-related tasks and how they influence the language performance of language learners in online games. The primary search was conducted using the following databases: Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Taylor & Francis Online, JSTOR Archive, and SAGE Journals. The inclusion criteria consisted of research articles published between 2015 to 2021, full text must be available, and research articles that are written in the English language and must be published in selected peer-reviewed scholarly journals. Several factors for game-related tasks that are embedded in online games were found to contribute to learners’ language acquisition in digital game-based learning. These factors include a) competition among peers in online games promotes motivation and active participation in language learning, b) collaborative discussion in online games enhances learner’s willingness to communicate in the preferred target language, c) the versatile elements of the online game environment promote learning via task completion, and d) learners are empowered to decide and plan learning outcomes based on their language capabilities. The results from this review could potentially provide the necessary exposition on how game-related tasks in online games are implemented. It also highlights the utility of online games as a valuable linguistic tool to effectively improve learners’ language learning.