User Centered Game Design: Evaluating MMORPGs for Second Language Acquisition

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User Centered Game Design Evaluating MMORPGs
for Second Language Acquisition

• Yolanda Rankin - Northwestern University
• McKenzie McNeal Tennessee State University
• Marcus Shute Clark Atlanta University
• Bruce Gooch University of Victoria

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Traditional Game Design
Conceptualization
Prototyping
Playtesting
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Motivation

• Serious games promote acquisition of information
  and development of skills valued in both the
  virtual realm and the real world. (Abt 1970
  Aldrich 2005 Chatham 2007 Kelly et al. 2007
  Mayo 2007 Squire 2005).
• Successful integration of learning objectives
  with engaging gameplay experiences. (Adams 2005)

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User-Centered Game Design

• Domain
• Affordances of gameplay relative to a specific
  application or subject matter
• Targeted Audience
• Assessment
• Desired impact on player (Chen Michael 2005)

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User Centered Game Design
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Computer Assisted Language Learning Tools
Traditional Language Learning Software
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Computer Assisted Language Learning Tools
Traditional Language Learning Software
Computer Mediated Communication
(Beauvois 1992 Beauvois Eledge 1996 Chapelle
1998 Harless et al 1999 Johnson et al 2005
Kern 1995 Payne Whitney 2002 Thorne 2008
Valente 2004 Warschauer 2003)
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Computer Assisted Language Learning Tools
Video Games
Traditional Language Learning Software
Computer Mediated Communication
(Beauvois 1992 Beauvois Eledge 1996 Chapelle
1998 Harless et al 1999 Johnson et al 2005
Kern 1995 Payne Whitney 2002 Thorne 2008
Valente 2004 Warshaurer 2003)
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Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game
(MMORPG) EverQuest 2
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Benefits of MMORPGs Virtual Identity
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Benefits of MMORPGsContext for Second Language
Acquisition
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Benefits of MMORPGs Social Interactions
They're dangerous Thanks. Lets go."
OkayTake the quest Wait for me.
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Playtesting Experimental Studies
Hypothesis MMORPGs provide adequate support
for Second Language Acquisition compared to
traditional second language (L2) pedagogy?

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English as Second Language (ESL) Participants

• Assessments
• Test Of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
• Intensive English Program Exam
• Student Profiles
• 12 Advanced ESL students
• 8 females, 4 males
• Chinese

• Independent Variable
• Exposure to game
• 6 ESL students play EQ2 for 3 hours
• 6 ESL students attended class instruction

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Prior Knowledge of L2 Vocabulary

• Sentence usage of potential L2 vocabulary
• Average Pre-Test Score 8.86 (SD 6.21)
• Max 21.43
• Min 0

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Post Test Assessments
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Sentence Usage Post-Test Assessment

• One-way ANOVA
• F1 , 9 10.33, p 0.01
• Average scores
• L2 instruction 54.78 (SD8.81)
• EQ2 16.67 (SD9.65)

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Playtesting Experimental Studies
Hypothesis In-game social interactions between
Native English Speakers and ESL students promote
L2 vocabulary acquisition.

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Collaborative Play Between Native Speakers Non
Native Speakers

• Assessments
• Pre-test of L2 Vocabulary
• Post-tests
• Student Profiles
• 6 Advanced ESL students
• 7 Native English Speakers
• Enrolled in southern liberal arts colleges

• Exploratory Study
• Teams of 4 5 people
• 5 hours of game play
• Independent Variable
• Play EQ2 solo
• Play EQ2 w/NES

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Post Test Assessments
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Language Socialization
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Lessons Learned

• Traditional classroom instruction
• Facilitates ESL students ability to demonstrate
  semantic knowledge of L2 vocabulary using
  sentences.
• In-game social interactions
• Higher level of engagement for L2 vocabulary
  acquisition than traditional classroom
  instruction.
• Social interactions between Native Speakers (NS)
  and Non Native Speakers supports L2 vocabulary
  acquisition reading comprehensions skills.

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Design Implications

• Universal Usability Interfaces (Shneiderman 2004
  Plaisant 2004 Shneiderman 2003)
• Interpersonal Intercultural communication
  (Thorne 2008 Thorne Reinhardt 2008)
• Communicative performance knowing what to say
  and when to say it (Hadley 2001 Krashen 1991)
• Communication tools that facilitate emergent
  cooperative behavior for diverse users

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Conversational Prompts
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Design Implications

• Virtual environments that achieve shared context
  of meaning
• Contextual information via text, graphical images
  and audio that assist with the development of
  second language vocabulary and reading
  comprehension skills (Bourges-Walgers Scrivener
  1998 Rankin et al. 2006 Steinkuehler 2005)

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Dictionary as Shared Representation
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Summary

• User Centered Game Design to integrate learning
  objectives with gameplay experiences to assess
  learning outcomes.
• MMORPGs embody ideal virtual environments for L2
  vocabulary, reading comprehension and
  conversational fluency.
• Game interfaces that leverage in game social
  interactions as key component to designing video
  games that support SLA.

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Acknowledgements

• Sony Online Entertainment
• Scott Hartman
• John Smedley
• Raph Koster
• Microsoft Research
• John Nordlinger
• National Science Foundation

• Mississippi College
• Demetria Rankin-Li
• Beth Stapleton, Ph. D.
• Tennessee State University

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Sentence Usage Post-Test Assessment

• F2,15 9.65, p 0.002
• Average scores
• L2 instruction 54.78 (SD26.98)
• EQ2 Solo 16.67 (SD10.76)
• EQ2 w/NES 13.10 (SD12.30)