Transcript COMPUTER GAMES AS AN IMMERSIVE

by Mykhailo Noshchenko
[email protected]
Facebook: Michael Noshchenko
 My personal ELT method is (for now) based on one
particular game – “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” by
Bethesda Game Studios – due to its incredible
possibilities for CLIL as well as for LA.
 Yet the aim of this presentation is neither to promote
nor to denigrate any brand or company, but to raise
awareness of the role of computer games in ELT.
 Literature
and films are well-known for their
educative purposes, but computer games are not so
much. Which is a shame.
 Modern computer games are much more advanced
in terms of their content (lexis, plot devices, thoughtprovoking potential etc.) then the games of past few
decades. Plus they are games and thus they are
interactive.
 Therefore computer games provide something more
then just language. They provide immersion.
Role-playing games (RPG)
Turn-based strategies (TBS)
 Extensive vocabulary and perfect semantic
and pragmatic language training material
 Virtual simulation of immersive environment
for learning English
 Possibility for CLIL and LA synergy
 Massively multiplayer online role-
playing games (MMORPG)
 Real-time strategies (RTS)
 First-person shooters (FPS)
 Very addictive nature of these games, which
requires time as well as money to play.
 Poor lexis used in communication between
players (Internet slang at the least)
 Harmful for students’ studying process
GAMING IS FAR FROM BEING AN
ORTHODOX ELT METHOD,
LET ALONE BEING SOMEHOW
SYSTEMATISED
YET…
ELT specialists
can use certain computer
games as a linguistic sandbox
 A “cold medium” that involves much more than
just daily homeworking and occasional testing
 A virtual worldspace that enables students to
experience different close-to-life challenges
while “on the couch”
 Possibility for non-linear language study
 Uninhibited
lexis
with
high-quality
visualizations and vocalizations
 Thought-provoking material presented in a
way that does not involve any real-life edgy
moments
 Possibility for advanced students to learn
more then just textbook lexis
 If
properly guided, gaming can
education of reluctant students, i.e.:
foster
 “English could be fun!”
 Even without any task students will be able
to absorb a score of language skills while
playing any computer game on their own
 Computer gaming is yet not a universal activity, i.e.:
 Without proper reasoning, gaming as an ELT method
could be successful mostly with people familiar with it.
Others might be reluctant to participate, dismissing it
as
“immature”,
“counterproductive”
or
even
“frivolous”
 Adult learners of intermediate English level demand
more task-specific English material
 It will take time to fully introduce female learners to
gaming, let alone to its benefits for ELT
 Gaming demands certain level of digital savvy and
hardware
 In order to use computer games as an ELT material a
student needs to be properly motivated, otherwise it
could have opposite results
 At the current stage, it is near to impossible to
introduce gaming as an ELT method into any
academic process
 Even the most immersive computer game to date
does not provide an opportunity to practice
speaking
IN ORDER TO BE AS IMPARTIAL AS
POSSIBLE
I WOULD LIKE YOU TO LISTEN TO THE
COMMENTARIES OF MY STUDENTS
WHO PARTICIPATED IN THIS
ELT ENDEAVOUR
VOLUTARILY
 With each generation computer games receive more and
more traction as well as attraction, which is why it is
imperative to introduce gaming as more then just a fun
way to spend one’s free time, but as a fully-fledged
intellectual resource
 The method is far from being developed, and for that very
reason I urge the ELT community to participate in making
it something more than just a personal undertaking
 I also urge the developers of computer games to fully
realize the cultural relevance of their work and to
enhance the quality of their products
FUN FACT
I owe half of my vocabulary and use of
English skills to the games I’ve been
playing as a student
THANK YOU FOR
ATTENTION!