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What is Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOs)

CALL Theory Applications for Online TESOL Education
A term often used to refer to a genre of digital games. Games in this genre are typically played online with a large number of other players in real-time in a shared virtual environment. These games often include options to play competitively or cooperatively with other online players. Communication among players can occur through text messages or voice chat with voice chat being more popular in recent game developments.
Published in Chapter:
L2 Gamers' Use of Learning and Communication Strategies in Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOs): An Analysis of L2 Interaction in Virtual Online Environments
Daniel H. Dixon (Northern Arizona University, USA) and MaryAnn Christison (University of Utah, USA)
Copyright: © 2021 |Pages: 26
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-6609-1.ch013
Abstract
The purpose of this chapter is twofold: (1) to review the benefits of digital game-based language learning (DGBLL), specifically massively multiplayer online games (MMOs), and (2) to present research investigating the design elements of MMOs that can be beneficial for second language acquisition (SLA). Data were gathered from volunteer ESL learners playing the MMO Guild Wars 2 over the course of four weeks. The findings from the research indicate that MMOs with design elements like Guild Wars 2 are beneficial to SLA primarily because they provide opportunities for interaction in the target language through participation in collaborative problem-solving gaming tasks. The results of the research presented in this chapter show (1) that the requirements of input and output for successful gaming allow for a type of interaction in which the focus on language form leads to modified-output, (2) that players have opportunities to negotiate input as a means of completing in-game tasks, and (3) that in-game tasks resemble well-designed classroom instructional tasks believed to be beneficial for SLA.
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