Foreign ludicity in online role-playing games

Abstract

This article reports on an explorative case study which, in the first place, aimed to ascertain different types of foreign language play in online role-playing in Second Life, and which, secondly aimed to describe how various sources of contextual support can explain this foreign language play. Students’ written conversation was analyzed and further discussed in six vignettes based on a revised framework of form-based, semantic, and pragmatic play. This study discovered that students' collaborative and competitive role-playing creates and transforms languages and activities, such as puzzle solving, verbal dueling, word games, and ritual performances. As a pedagogic device, online role-playing games appear to facilitate foreign language play through appropriate use of environmental resources, virtual characters, hybrid codes, and collaborative activities.

Keywords:

• foreign language play
• role-playing games
• Second Life

Acknowledgements

This research has been jointly funded by the Teaching and Learning Development Center at National Central University (985816-1) and National Science Council of Taiwan (100-2410-H-008-056). I would like to thank participating students and, in particular, Chang-Pei Tsai, Hsiao-Hsuan Ku, and Yu-Hui Huang, for their assistance and discussion. I am grateful to the editors and reviewers of this journal for their insightful suggestions on earlier versions of this article.