L2 Vocabulary learning through MMORPGs

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CULTURE-LANGUAGES-MEDIA

Independent Project with Specialization in English Studies and

Education

15 Credits, First Cycle

L2 Vocabulary Learning through MMORPGs

Att utöka sitt andraspråksordförråd genom att spela MMORPGs

Aldina Saskin

Nellie Stiberg

Master of Arts in Upper Secondary Education, 300 credits Examiner: Anna Wärnsby

English Studies and Education Supervisor: Henry King

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Abstract

The gaming community has grown significantly over the past two decades and is playing a major role in learners’ English development. This literature study aims to examine to what extent there is a correlation between playing massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) and English learners' vocabulary acquisition as well as their motivation to learn. By going through educational databases such as ERIC we found empirical studies relevant to our question. A total of 10 empirical studies were included where all of these concerned vocabulary development and 6 concerning motivation. Researcher Pia Sundqvist contributed with several of her studies regarding extramural English activities. Her results indicated that playing video games was one of the most beneficial extramural activities from a second language learning perspective. Through the research studies, it was found that playing MMORPGs has a positive effect on vocabulary acquisition and helps the learner to stay motivated to learn English. However, none of these research studies acknowledge the dangers of MMORPGs. Teachers and educators should be aware of the potential MMORPGs hold regarding second language learning, and implement it in teaching when possible. For further research it would be interesting to try a lesson plan that includes MMORPGs.

Keywords

MMORPG, video games, vocabulary, second language learning, L2, motivation for language learning.

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1.1 Introduction

When communicating in the target language, one of the challenges learners face is vocabulary acquisition. There are classical methods that educators work with to expand learners' vocabulary, such as reading books and having a dictionary at hand. But with the new digital society, it should be questioned if there are not more efficient tools than these (Bytheway, 2015). Extramural activities such as watching TV, listening to music and playing video games are useful tools for students to be exposed to English. The extramural English activities are affecting and changing their approach to the subject of English in school. Some students claim they learn more English outside of school rather than in school (Sundqvist, 2010). The question is, can teachers take advantage of these extramural activities, and what can be learnt from them? This essay will focus on the activity of video games, particularly massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs).

MMORPG stands for Massive Multiplayer Online Role-playing Game and some popular MMORPGs are World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XIV and Tera. In MMORPGs, players can either create or choose a character to complete quests or missions in a real-time open world environment. To receive quests or missions, the player must interact with the non-playable characters (NPCs) in the game. The player must understand the dialogue that appears when interacting with the NPCs to succeed in quests. Usually, the quests are done in teams, also known as parties. Therefore the players interact with each other in several ways, one of them being a chat where they can type messages to each other. In-game, players can either choose to message anyone that is in the same area as them, to specific people or their private party. The main way of communicating in a party is to speak via a microphone and headphones, which allows people from around the world to use English as they meet virtually. Communication between party members often revolves around strategy and problem-solving, since some quests require planning and collaborative effort. The communication with party members can also be quite rapid, as entering fights against enemies can be quick and even chaotic sometimes, which requires fast communication and output from the players.

Gaming can be viewed simply as enjoyment and, perhaps to some people, a complete waste of time. Parents and teachers may have concerns regarding students playing MMORPGs. Zhang et

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al. (2017) and Alwahtani (2016) acknowledge these concerns in their articles by saying that there is a risk for gaming addiction, leading to negative effects on students' education and health problems due to lack of physical movement. These concerns should not be overlooked, but taken into account and weighed with the positive effects of gaming. In 2014 Blizzard Entertainment revealed that they had 10 million subscribers to World of Warcraft (WoW), thereby being the most popular MMORPG. According to SCB (2020), 27% of all boys aged 12-18 play at least three hours of video games per day. Firstly, since it is such a popular game-genre, it means that MMORPGs are highly significant to investigate further with second language learning in mind. Secondly, since the percentage shown by SCB applies to boys and not girls, it is also worth discussing the differences between genders regarding gaming in correlation with L2 vocabulary acquisition.

1.2 Theoretical background

Theories relevant to the issue of learning vocabulary through gaming are collaborative learning and Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory. Simin Ghavifekr (2020) explains collaborative learning as a motivational strategy where a small group of people try to achieve a learning outcome. Ghavifekr further points out that learning through social interaction can be seen as a collaborative learning process, and that this type of learning facilitates the development of social interaction skills. The second theory relevant to the interaction of gaming is Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, as Vygotsky advocates for language development through social interaction. Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development (ZPD) is where the learner’s current ability is facing an appropriate amount of challenge to develop further language skills (Vygotsky & Cole, 1978). The development can be supported through collaborative learning, similarly to the setting of playing MMORPGs.

In this essay, the Swedish curriculum for upper secondary school (Lgy11) will be included, since the research question targets ages 15-19. The curriculum for upper secondary school states that the purpose of the subject is to firstly, to give students opportunities to develop a communicative skill that includes reception, production and interaction. Reception is when the learner understands spoken language and texts. Production and interaction means that the learner is able to phrase themselves and interact with people, through both speech and writing. Secondly, students should also be given opportunities to develop confidence in communication, with the ability to express themselves with variation and complexity. Thirdly, the knowledge

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be able to express themselves clearly, phrase themselves relatively casually and do this with fluency (Skolverket, 2011).

As video gaming has become a highly popular activity among people across the world and a new way of communicating globally (Blizzard entertainment, 2014), it is relevant as an English teacher to stay updated and look for what benefits gaming has on L2 English learning (Li, 2019). Even though English is taught in the classroom, it is as important to draw the benefits from other types of language learning activities outside of the school context and encourage students to do these types of activities. If an extramural activity, such as playing video games, positively affects learning outcomes, there might be something to learn from and implement in teaching (Sundqvist, 2010).

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2. Aim and research questions

This literature study aims to find to what extent there is a correlation between playing MMORPGs and second language English vocabulary acquisition and discuss the factors to this. This paper will summarize and discuss the research made in the subject of gaming, specifically MMORPGs and vocabulary. These aims lead to the following research questions:

- To what extent is there a correlation between playing MMORPGs and improving English vocabulary among L2 English learners?

- What effects does MMORPGs have on motivation for second language learning?

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3. Methods

In this essay, we have retrieved research from empirical studies. The primary method for collecting these has been through educational databases, foremost Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), but also Swepub and Libsearch through the library of Malmö University. However, some publications could not be viewed in full text and therefore, Google Scholar was used to find specific articles in full-text. The following search terms were used in different constellations to find relevant studies.

- Video games

- MMORPG

- Vocabulary

- EFL (English as a Foreign Language)

- ESL (English as a Second Language)

- Extramural English - English - DGBLL (Digital Game-Based Language Learning) - L2 (Second language)

3.1 Inclusion

To make sure the research found is of relevance, the timespan was limited to 2004-2020, since 2004 was when World of Warcraft (WoW), the most dominant MMORPG, was released and can be seen as a starting point for modern MMORPGs. The age range is limited to 15-19 however, some empirical studies regarding younger or older participants are still included since their results are applicable to most ages. A total of 10 empirical studies were included in this essay _{. These} articles are carefully chosen based on the fact that they have done empirical research on the topic of MMORPG combined with vocabulary acquisition and that they were written by researchers within the field of education. A Canadian study with L2 German learning was included even though German was the target language since it is still significant to the research questions because it brings a new context and perspective to MMORPGs and second language learning.

3.2 Exclusion

The topic of video games is wide, with lots of different variations to games and therefore we found it necessary to narrow it down to one genre, specifically MMORPGs, thus offline and single-player video games were excluded. Even though they can be educative and helpful in second language development, they are not relevant in this essay. When looking for research we

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excluded one-case studies since these only facilitate research based on one participant and are therefore not reliable enough. Literature studies were excluded since the focus of the essay is empirical research. The first row of table 1.1 displays the number of empirical studies that was first collected and the second row those who were included.

Table 1.1

Number of references considered 36 Number of references included 10

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4. Results

In this section, we present the gathered results from empirical studies to answer our research questions. The paragraphs are divided into each study that was found and are organized by the two types of studies that were conducted, quantitative and qualitative. _{Pia Sundqvist has done} research on the topic extramural activities where playing video games is an important variable. The first following paragraphs summarizes four of her conducted studies with and without collaboration with other researchers.

4.1 Quantitative studies

Sundqvist’s (2009) study _{“Extramural English Matters'' examines extramural English activities} and their influence on oral and vocabulary proficiency. Her research question was to find if extramural English activities have an impact on oral and vocabulary proficiency among students. Sundqvist answered her question by creating a study that consisted of two pilot studies in preparation for the main study, a questionnaire, a language diary, five oral tests, a proficiency test and a vocabulary test. 74 participants in grade nine from three different schools in Sweden completed the study. In the results, it was revealed that there is a connection between time spent on extramural activities and vocabulary proficiency. The top eight scoring students reported spending most of their extramural time on gaming. These students also reported speaking English with foreigners, one stating doing this while playing video games. The eight lowest-scoring students reported spending a smaller amount of time on extramural activities on average.

Similar to her previous study, Sundqvist (2010) made a research paper called “Extramural Engelska: En möjlig väg till studieframgång” (Extramural English: A possibility for succeeding in studies). Her research question was if extramural English has any effect on pupils' oral proficiency and vocabulary acquisition. 80 Swedish ESL students aged 15-16 in secondary school kept language-diaries for two weeks and answered questions through a survey. In addition to this, Sundqvist interviewed 8 of the participants. The participants completed the survey that contained questions about their habits regarding extramural activities. The language-diary was used to keep track of the hours spent on extramural activities such as reading books, reading newspapers, watching TV, watching movies, surfing the web, playing video games and listening to music. The results showed that active activities, such as playing video games had a much

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greater effect on the pupil’s vocabulary acquisition rather than passive activities like listening to music. Sundqvist concludes that extramural English is an important factor in students’ English learning process.

Sundqvist makes another contribution in collaboration with Liss Kerstin Sylvén with their study “Gaming as Extramural English L2 Learning and L2 Proficiency among Young Learners” (2012). They explore how gaming can enhance English L2 learning and how it affects L2 proficiency. One of their research questions is to examine if there is a positive correlation between learners’ L2 proficiency and their engagement in extramural English activities. To answer the question, the study consisted of a questionnaire, a language diary, three proficiency tests and a number of 86 participants in Sweden, aged 11-12 with differing gaming habits. The participants in this study are younger than our target group however, the results show the same pattern regarding gaming in correlation with vocabulary acquisition as the other studies by Sundqvist, and is therefore still relevant to our paper. The participants were divided into three digital game groups: non-gamers, moderate gamers and frequent gamers. In the results, it was found that there is a positive correlation between the learners’ L2 proficiency and their engagement in extramural English activities, significantly when it comes to playing video games. The total score of the tests improved with each digital game group, as the frequent gamers had a higher total mean score than the moderate gamers, who then had a higher score than non-gamers. Regarding motivation, Sundqvist and Sylvén mentioned that activities such as gaming are chosen by the individuals themselves, which leads to motivation to do well and improve in those games.

Sundqvist and Peter Wikström’s (2015) study “Out-of-school digital gameplay and in-school L2 English vocabulary outcomes” researches out-of-school gaming and how it affects L2 English vocabulary outcomes in school. Two of the main questions were to examine to what extent there is a positive correlation between gaming and L2 English vocabulary and if there is a correlation between gaming and grading outcomes. _{Empirical data that is presented in the paper was} collected through a questionnaire, language diaries, vocabulary tests, assessed essays, and final grades. The participants in the study consisted of 80 ninth-graders in Sweden, aged 15-16. Three digital game groups were created from the gaming habits the participants had presented: non-gamers, moderate gamers and frequent gamers. The results did not show a correlation between gaming and learning outcomes in total, however, on the vocabulary tests, there was a

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significant difference on outcomes on a sample level, where frequent gamers performed better than the two other digital game groups.

Ya-Chen Chien (2019) did a study called “The Language of Massively Multiplayer Online Games: A Study of Vocabulary in Minecraft Gameplay” that reveals interesting results on the vocabulary of the game Minecraft. Some may argue that Minecraft isn’t an MMORPG, but we find it relevant to include since it can be played as multiplayer and has the aspects of an MMORPG. Her first research question was to examine the language within the game Minecraft, as well as the language gamers use while playing it. To investigate this, she analyzed the vocabulary in 106 Minecraft videos from youtube and the results showed that to understand 95% of the language used, watchers need to know at least 4000-6000 English word families. Chien concluded the study claiming that Minecraft is a beneficial vocabulary learning environment for English learning students.

4.2 Qualitative studies

Mark Peterson’s (2011) study “Digital gaming and second language development: Japanese learners interactions in an MMORPG” investigates digital gaming and second language development through a Japanese study he conducted in 2010. Regarding the aspect of motivation, Peterson states that motivation is necessary to succeed in learning and that motivation within MMORPGs derives from aspects such as purposeful activities and challenging gameplay. His aim with this study was to find the significant features of learner interaction and what the learners’ attitudes are towards gameplay. Seven EFL Japanese students, aged 24-27, participated in the study by answering a questionnaire as a pre-study. Even though the age of the participants is not the target age in our paper, the study is still relevant since the results do not raise this aspect. After the questionnaire, they played the MMORPG Allods Online, where messages and conversations were saved as data for the study. To track the learners’ attitudes, another questionnaire was conducted after the playing sessions. The learners answered that problems occurred while interacting and playing in the beginning however, all except one participant managed to overcome these obstacles by the second session. The participants also experienced that communication through the game allowed more free expression than in a regular class. A majority answered that playing the game had a positive impact regarding their vocabulary learning.

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Min Lun Wu, Kari Richards and Guan Kung Saw (2014) contribute with their research study “Examining a Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game as a Digital Game-Based Learning Platform”. They included 19 ESL learners from Taiwan and the US with little or no experience in gaming. In their study, they examine what motivation factors of the MMORPG Everquest 2 non-gamers perceive as best for target language use. First, they let the participants fill out a survey to confirm that they had little or no experience in gaming. The participants played one hour of Everquest 2 and were later on interviewed on their experience. From the observations in game-play, it was found that all players actively sought to interact with NPCs and PCs. All participants agreed that the motivation to play was within three components: relatedness, achievement and autonomy. The new players in this study emphasized relatedness as a motivation to play which in turn connects with interaction. All new players were positive that MMORPGs would enhance their English skills.

Julie Bytheway (2015) contributes to the topic with her study “A taxonomy of vocabulary learning strategies used in massively multiplayer online role-playing games''. She identifies what vocabulary strategies ESL learners use when playing MMORPGs, and how these compare to vocabulary strategies in other contexts. She recruited six male ESL expert gamers (plays 5-40 hours a week for more than 4 years) at universities in New Zealand and the Netherlands. She interviewed the gamers and video-recorded them during 5 hours of playing WoW. From this Bytheway identified 15 vocabulary strategies and some of these were in line with grounded theory. Some strategies were similar to real-world-strategies, i.e. interaction with other players can be compared to interaction with other people and looking up words in dictionaries/Google is the same as real-world vocabulary strategies. However, there were some strategies specifically related to gaming, such as playing the game in the target language and observing players. Even though the participants were older than our target group, the results are not specified to age and are therefore applicable to this essay. Bytheway discovered that none of the players had a strategy to keep themselves motivated to learn, since the game-play was a motivation in itself. Bytheway concluded that gamers are active vocabulary learners since they need the vocabulary to succeed in the game.

Kyle Scholz (2017) study “Encouraging Free Play: Extramural Digital Game-Based Language Learning as a Complex Adaptive System” examines extramural digital game-based language learning. His question was to find to what extent gameplay contributes to second language

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with the age range from 15-37. Even though the age range of the participants in this study is wider than the age range we target, the study is still relevant to use, as it does include our target group. The data was taken from a course of four months, where the participants were asked to play the MMORPG WoW in German for a minimum of ten hours. Other information about the participants was collected through in-game and in-person group communication, questionnaires and concluding interviews. The total time spent on playing WoW among the participants was 202 hours. In the results, it is shown that linguistic constructions were developed due to the experiences of playing the game, and were then produced while interacting during gameplay. Scholz then concluded that there are advantages with seeking out the gameplay in the language one wants to develop or learn, as it shows beneficial effects towards second language learning.

Juan Li’s (2019) study “The Role of Massively Multiplayer Role-Playing games in facilitating vocabulary acquisition for English language learners: A mixed-methods study” identifies “What factors predict MMORPG players’ preference for using MMORPG to acquire English vocabulary?” (p. 7) and “why are the factors, tested from the first phase of the study, significant predictors of players’ preference for using MMORPGs to facilitate English vocabulary acquisition?” (p. 9). He did this by publishing a survey on Reddit whereas 371 people joined, 330 of these males. As well as this quantitative survey, qualitative research was made, with 11 carefully selected participants. These were chosen based on their willingness and their answers in the survey. Li did observations, interviews and audiovisuals for these participants. Li recognized vocabulary strategies the gamers used while playing and compared these to Bytheway’s (2015) findings. The results revealed that all participants were positive that MMORPGs had helped them in their language learning and that they felt motivated to learn English from playing MMORPGs. In the interviews, he asked them if they had any suggestions on how to implement MMORPGs in the classroom. While admitting that English in the traditional classroom was boring and that incorporating MMORPGs will be challenging, there were suggestions on making an educational game that can be used in the classroom. However, unlike the already existing educational games, this would be game-first, meaning that the player wouldn’t think about school during the play, but be motivated to learn English to win the game.

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5. Discussion

In this section, we will be discussing interesting findings from the results. Firstly, we will discuss what the studies discovered connected to each of our research questions. Regarding vocabulary acquisition, we will firstly discuss the results of the quantitative studies and then the qualitative ones. Further, we will acknowledge the dangers of MMORPGs and finally, discuss how these correlate with the previously mentioned theories and the Swedish curriculum.

5.1 Quantitative studies

In the quantitative category, the studies consist of a large number of participants, and their results are mainly based on test scores and questionnaires. The majority of the quantitative studies used in this paper are by Sundqvist, who has done multiple studies with similar research questions. In her study with Sylvén (2012), scores in all conducted tests improved with each digital game group, which demonstrates a pattern that there is a positive correlation between gaming and language development. However, in her study with Wikström (2015), non-gamers received higher essay grades than moderate gamers, while frequent gamers again performed the best. The reason for this is that non-gamers had written longer essays than moderate gamers, and even though frequent gamers wrote the shortest essays, they still received a higher grade since they used the most advanced vocabulary. This is interesting since this breaks the pattern that is seen in the study made with Sylvén, where moderate gamers performed better than non-gamers. Sundqvist & Wikström state that improvement and language development occurred significantly with non-gamers and frequent gamers, but not with moderate gamers. They explain that there seems to be a certain threshold for when gaming makes a difference for language development, which may explain why non-gamers received higher grades than moderate gamers.

Something to take into consideration when looking at the results is the socioeconomic background of the participants, as this can affect their options on extramural English activities. Even though the results clearly show a positive correlation between gaming and L2 vocabulary learning, it is important to understand that not everyone has the same conditions and are able to play video games the same as the frequent gamers. Sundqvist (2010) states that extramural English is an independent variable, without any correlation to socioeconomic background however, this is something to be critical of, since being able to access or afford books, movies or

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hard for people in different socioeconomic groups to have the same possibilities using video games as a way of improving L2 English vocabulary.

Regarding performance among gender, a study by Sundqvist and Wikström (2015) reveals that the boys outperformed girls in the vocabulary tests. However, this does most likely not depend on gender itself. The given explanation is that firstly, boys generally spend more time playing video games, which is shown to have a positive impact on vocabulary development. Secondly, the games boys generally prefer may benefit language development more than the games girls choose. Sundqvist (2009) states that girls play more offline single-player games, such as the Sims, while boys tend to play MMORPGs more often, like World of Warcraft. MMORPGs are more likely to open up opportunities for social interaction and communication, and could therefore be more beneficial for language or vocabulary development, which explains why the boys outperformed the girls.

Unlike the other quantitative studies, Chien (2019) researched gaming videos rather than participants playing. Chien examined the language used in the video game Minecraft and came to the conclusion that in order to understand 95% of the words, the watchers need to have at least 4000-6000 word families in their vocabulary. This is interesting since it reveals that gamers are exposed to a rather advanced level of English.

5.2 Qualitative studies

When including studies in the qualitative category, we chose to include those that had few participants but more detailed methods. The studies’ methods were foremost observations and interviews. The number of qualitative studies is five and they came to rather different conclusions most likely because they were looking for different things. Bytheway (2015) revealed the awareness players hold regarding vocabulary strategies while playing MMORPGs. The participants in her study were all experienced players and shared mostly the same vocabulary strategies such as playing the game in the target language, looking up unknown words in dictionaries and requesting as well as giving explanations. Although there were only six participants, it is interesting to find that all of them shared strategies, and were motivated to learn new words. This indicates that MMORPGs encourage players to increase their vocabulary. Similar to Bytheway, Peterson (2011) discovered that the players used strategies to communicate while playing. However, while Bytheway’s participants were focused on vocabulary strategies, Peterson’s were determined to find strategies in chat and voice function to communicate with

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each other. The keyword for their studies are strategies, which are important in language learning. However, these studies did not measure the effect MMORPGs have on the participant’s overall language development. Li (2019) concluded his study by claiming that the traditional strategies to learn vocabulary are plain out boring. His participants agreed that both the advanced English learners and the novice learners found the lectures and activities boring and would rather learn English through MMORPGs. Similar to how Bytheway uses strategies to learn vocabulary and Peterson determines how players use strategies to communicate through games, Li suggests using MMORPGs as a strategy in the English classroom. Through the interviews he lets the participants explore and suggest ideas of how to incorporate MMORPGs in the classroom and as a strategy to streamline English language learning.

Unlike the other qualitative studies, Wu et al. (2014) and Sholz (2016) found other interesting results regarding language development. Wu et al. study was interesting since they dealt with participants who had little or no experience in gaming. This provides excellent data for what to expect when incorporating gaming in the classroom with inexperienced students. All participants were positive to the fact that MMORPGs could enhance their English skills and all sought to interact with other players in the game. However, they found that an hour of gameplay was too little time to settle into the game, and therefore the results are to be taken with caution. It should be noted from this study that for students to benefit from playing, it should be more than one hour of gameplay. Unlike Bytheway, Peterson and Li, Wu et al. never determined any strategies the participants used, perhaps because the study was aimed differently than the previously mentioned. Scholz's study was interesting since it dealt with playing MMORPGs in a different target language than English. The players were all German learners and were positive to the fact that MMORPGs would enhance their German acquisition. This suggests that playing MMORPGs is not only relevant and beneficial for English learners but also for any second language learner.

5.3 Motivation

Li (2019) claims that in traditional classrooms teachers have to work hard to keep students motivated to learn. Li also revealed that all participants interviewed in his research found the English classroom boring even though they used English regularly in their personal life and regardless of their English proficiency. Majority of the included studies mentioned the factor

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gamers used to learn vocabulary however, it was found that there was no need for a motivational strategy since the task of gaming was motivating in itself. While playing MMORPGs they are focused and motivated to complete tasks for hours at length.

What if gaming can help students stay motivated to learn English in the classrooms? Wu et al. (2014) mention that three psychological aspects keep gamers motivated to play MMORPGs, and those are relatedness (a sense of community), achievement (completing quests) and autonomy (willingness to complete a task). Even if it would be difficult to integrate gaming in education, perhaps these components could be transferred to the classroom. The participants in Li’s (2019) study suggested that rewards could be offered in the classroom when students had completed a task to keep them motivated. One participant drew connections to their gameplay where they had completed in-game quests that weren't necessarily fun to do, but the reward motivated them to complete the task anyway. If this was to be implemented in the classroom, the achievement aspect Wu et. al (2014) mentions would be in place. Peterson (2011) mentions that motivation is crucial to learning, and while students are motivated to complete tasks in school to keep their grades up, perhaps there should be a short-term reward as well to keep school more similar to the gaming world. In conclusion, motivation is crucial to keep moving forward in language learning. While schools are struggling to keep students motivated (Li, 2019), MMORPGs keep the students focused for hours at length (Bytheway, 2015). Perhaps the education system should have a look at what the gaming community is doing right.

All of the results point in one direction, that playing MMORPGs is great from a second language learning perspective. However, these results should be questioned and examined further. All of the participants in Bytheway’s (2015) and Li’s (2019) study were already pro-gamers, keen to give a positive perspective of MMORPGs, therefore there is a risk that those included in the research are biased. With this in mind, the results should not be interpreted as untrue but should be handled with caution.

5.4 Theories and curriculum

The outcomes of the results do correlate with previously mentioned theories, for example, collaborative learning. In Peterson’s study (2011), participants socially interacted with each other during gameplay to finish quests and to help each other navigate through the game, which in this case, is a form of collaborative learning. When participants struggled with knowing how to do

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tasks in the game, such as jumping, finding places on the map and so forth, they asked other players for help, who then responded with the answer to their question. In other words, the participants managed to overcome obstacles and learn new things related to the game through collaboration and social interaction. Vygotsky’s theory also supports social interaction and the zone of proximal development, which is present in Peterson’s study as well, as the participants were challenged enough to seek support, and then managed their task with the support given. Peterson’s study demonstrates an example of how video games facilitate collaborative learning and social interaction. This may explain how the frequent gamers in the quantitative studies acquired their level of vocabulary acquisition, and how the outcome of the results came to be.

In the National Curriculum for upper secondary school, it is stated that students should be given opportunities to develop communicative skills that include reception, production and interaction (Skolverket, 2011). In an MMORPG, reception would occur when players understand the texts or conversations that take place in the game, or in a call with party members. Production would occur when the player produces words by either typing to other players in chat or speaking to party members via microphone, which in this case would also be considered as interaction. Wu et al. (2014) mention that all participants in their study actively sought to interact with NPCs and PCs. MMORPG is a genre where interaction plays an essential part. The National Curriculum also states that students should be given opportunities to develop confidence in oral communication, with the ability to express themselves with fluency, variation and complexity (Skolverket, 2011). In Sundqvist’s studies, it is shown in the results that the frequent gamers had the most advanced vocabulary, which can be seen as a sign of being able to use a variety of words and therefore produce more complex sentences. In the knowledge requirements for English 5, 6 and 7, it is stated that the student should be able to express and phrase themselves with fluency, in order to receive the highest grade (Skolverket, 2011). Being put in situations where social interactions in the target language occur, for example playing MMORPGs, can be considered as an opportunity to develop fluency. These opportunities may not only give the learner time to build vocabulary, but also the time to use it.

5.5 Risks of MMORPGs

An aspect none of the studies has mentioned is the risks of playing MMORPGs. People are suffering from gaming addiction, leading to isolation with social and health issues (Alqahtani,

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that it will result in learning development; however, none of these research studies mentions the dangers of gaming. The media's view on video gaming according to SVT’s article “Föräldrar oroliga för barnens datorspelande” (Parents concerned with their children gaming) by Elisabet Åberg (2014), is that there is a concern among parents that video games cause health issues and addiction which may affect their children. These issues consist of headaches, difficulties concentrating, sleeping problems etc. This is the disadvantage of gaming, and boundaries need to be set when committing to these activities. According to a study by Jean Oggins and Jeremy Sammis (2012), 73 % of 438 World of Warcraft players stated that they may be developing an addiction or experience frequent problems because of gaming. Signs of video game addiction that were mentioned in the study are for example: thinking about video games while not playing, using games as a way of escaping problems or negative emotions and lastly, being unable to stop playing. Another issue that Oggins and Sammis discuss which may occur with gaming addiction, is the impact it has on social relationships, such as family, friends or romantic partners. Being addicted to gaming can cause isolation from other people. These aspects should be taken into account with the results of the research that has been made. Playing MMORPGs does lead to fluency in the target language and positively impacts second language learning. To gain the benefits and to abstain the risks, there must be boundaries regarding the time spent on gaming.

5.6 Teaching implementation

It has been settled that playing MMORPGs leads to second language learning, but several technical issues must be taken into account when implementing this in teaching. If students were to play MMORPGs in the classroom they must be equipped with the required devices. This means that each student needs to have a computer that is good enough for an MMORPG. In upper secondary school in Sweden, most students are lent a computer for their studies, but it’s not given that they are fitted to run such advanced games. Most MMORPGs have a one-payment or a monthly fee which the school would have to finance. Some MMORPGs are free-to-play, which might be a better suggestion for education. However, some of the MMORPGs involve violence and illegal actions which the schools should not promote. Therefore the school needs to be very considerate when choosing what games to incorporate.

In addition to the risks of MMORPGs that need to be weighed with the benefits, one should question how a lesson plan including MMORPGs should be designed. If one were to look beyond the practical issues of including MMORPGs in their teaching, there are still obstacles to overcome. All of the studies agree upon MMORGPs are enhancing language learning and

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players fluency in the target language, but none of them, except for Li (2019), actually suggest a plan on how to incorporate it within education. If MMORPGs were to become a digital tool for language learning within education, there is a need for examples of activities and lesson plans of how to practically incorporate it in teaching. Beyond this, one should question if the students' attitudes towards gaming would change if it became a school activity. The following paragraph presents some suggestions, but neither of them incorporates MMORPGs within the classroom.

Sundqvist (2012, 2009, 2010) suggests using MMORPGs as an extramural activity at home. Similar to what she has done in her studies, the students are not required to play video games in school, but they can use their gaming time as a resource for language learning. This way, video games become an option rather than a constraint. If the students are gamers, they can keep a language diary while playing and thereby become aware of the vocabulary they learn. Students who are unwilling to play and prefer other extramural English activities such as watching movies, browsing the web etc. can do those instead.

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6. Conclusion

Our first aim with this paper was to find to what extent there is a correlation between playing MMORPGs and L2 English vocabulary learning. In the results, it was found that playing MMORPGs did positively correlate with L2 vocabulary learning, as participants scored high on vocabulary tests or developed their vocabulary while playing the game genre in question. Our second aim was to find what effects MMORPGs have on motivation for L2 learning. The results showed that gaming could motivate students to learn English, as it is required to understand the language in the game to complete tasks and quests. Teachers should become aware of MMORPGs and their benefits in language learning since gaming is highly popular and has become a way of communicating with other people globally. On the other hand, there are many risks with playing MMORPGs, and this needs to be considered before incorporating it in education. As there are advantages when playing MMORPGs, teachers could include these in their education, either as an extramural activity or in the classroom. For example, students could be given language diaries to keep track of their vocabulary development during gameplay or be allowed to play an MMORPG in school while actively communicating in English.

6.1 Limitations

There are limitations to this literary study, as the research field of gaming in correlation to language learning is relatively new. Finding studies that were specific to MMORPGs and L2 English vocabulary learning was a challenge at first, but was still manageable as we later found new keywords that helped us find more relevant articles to the subject matter.

6.2 Suggestions for further research

Like previously mentioned, there has been research regarding the correlation between gaming and language acquisition, but very little has been done regarding implementation of gaming in the second language classroom. Therefore, we would find it interesting to develop a lesson plan involving playing MMORPGs in the classroom and then analyze the results. For example, what the reactions from frequent-gamers and non-gamers.

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