A Case of Collaborative and Incidental Vocabulary Learning in MMORPG Context

Recent studies have shown the benefits of technology-enhanced language learning, especially on learners' linguistic and communicative abilities. Massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is an emerging technology which garners interest of the younger generation but has not been widely adopted in language classes as research on its impact is relatively scarce. Thus, this study aims to investigate whether the collaborative discussion in online games and incidental vocabulary learning affect ESL online game players' English language test performance. This study consists of two phases, and this article is based on the first phase. This study involves 16 online ESL game players who played 12 hours of accumulated gameplay sessions in MMORPG. The ESL online game players’ pre- and post- English language test scores were then compared. The players' interactions during gameplay were video recorded and analysed for detecting instances of collaborative discussions. This study found that participants who engaged in collaborative discussions during MMORPG sessions showed improvements in their test scores. The findings also suggest that incorporating online games into language learning seems to enhance learners’ performance through incidental vocabulary learning.