Modeling Language Acquisition in Commercial Off-the-Shelf Games: A Multiple Case Study

Abstract

Recent years have seen an increase of game-based approaches to a variety of learning contexts, including language
acquisition. However, scoping literature reviews on existing games have revealed that while the learning approaches are
carefully considered when creating educational games, many such games lack fundamental design elements. In this regard,
educational games can learn from commercial, entertainment-oriented video games, where careful game design and
maximizing player engagement are key considerations. Although niche, there is a genre of games where the core gameplay
loop involves the player deciphering a language. This paper applies close reading techniques to commercial games that have
learning artificial languages as their core mechanics, exploring the game design techniques those games use to foster and
encourage language learning. In particular, this paper focuses on how commercial games leverage their unique
characteristics, such as the ability to immerse the player in the context of the language they are learning and provide direct
and indirect feedback tailored to the player’s actions. This will be accomplished by analyzing the learning process through
the lens of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) theory. The two games chosen for analysis are Heaven’s Vault, one of the first
games to have language interpretation as the main game mechanics and Chants of Sennaar, arguably the most successful
commercial game based on language learning. By analyzing the games, this paper aims to chart how different commercial
games facilitate language learning, and offer ideas on how those design elements can be implemented in educational games.