Discussing Video Games, English as a Lingua Franca and Multiculturalism: Possible Pathways

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract

A growth in research that relates to digital games and education has been witnessed in recent years, especially within the language learning field (e.g. Reinders & Wattana, 2011; Sylven & Sundqvist, 2012; Zheng et al., 2012, among others). However, few studies question the nature of such games, both in classroom and theoretical studies. Furthermore, the issue of the ideological role of the English language in this media has yet to be sufficiently explored. That said, in this article, I discuss the status of the English language in the area of video games, arguing that the field of production of such games is essentially dominated by companies and virtual environments from English-speaking countries. It is possible, then, to notice an erasure of multicultural identities in games and their related communities (Anthropy, 2012). Nonetheless, I present possible approaches to discussing issues related to culture and identity in the English language classroom taking into consideration the video game Never Alone ( Kisima Ingitchuna ), which I analyze in this study, as well as the game development platform FazGame , which can empower the learner, giving him/her active voice in a foreign language. Considering the expansion of games that present ideology and identity themes as a concern and the readily available game-making tools, I endeavor to demonstrate that a favorable future scenario for critical and reflexive video game use in the English language classroom, one that considers the various social backgrounds that players/learners belong to, is possible.
Original languageAmerican English
Title of host publicationLanguage Issues in a Global World: Insights from Brazil
StatePublished - 2017
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • English as a Lingua Franca
  • video game-assisted language learning
  • video games

EGS Disciplines

  • Organizational Behavior and Theory

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