Learner perceptions and effectiveness of using a massively multiplayer online role-playing game to improve EFL communicative competence

Abstract

Although previous studies have investigated the effect of digital games on learning foreign languages, no research has examined how effective they are on learners’ perceptions regarding foreign language communicative competence development. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the use of a Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) by English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) learners affects their communicative competence and perceptions. A case study was adopted as a research method in this study. The participants were undergraduate students from a state university in Turkey. A questionnaire and open-ended questions were administered online to collect the participants’ attitudes toward gaming as an EFL tool and their learning games experience. The findings showed that the participants had a positive experience as they could practice daily used vocabulary and phrases while speaking or chatting with other EFL speakers in the games. Further, they thought that these games provided plentiful opportunities to promote EFL learning through speaking and writing, and new vocabulary use. Finally, a large majority of the participants preferred to communicate with players from different countries. The results of this study implicate that MMORPG can be an effective support tool for EFL learners.