The document discusses using digital games in language learning to demand higher-level skills from students. It notes that young people now spend significant time gaming, and games can provide learning opportunities. Examples are given of early computer games from the 1970s-2010s and how games have evolved. Suggestions are provided for classroom activities using adventure and escape room games that involve students predicting, discussing, and writing about in-game objects and puzzles in groups and individually. Close guidance and use of guides is advised to support language learning while gaming.

1. Using digital games to
demand higher
XXXIX Annual FAAPI Congress
Santiago del Estero, Argentina, 18-0 September 2014
Graham Stanley
graham.Stanley@britishcouncil.org
http://www.slideshare.net/bcgstanley/

2. Computer games and language aims
http://www.digitalplay.info/blog/
http://www.deltapublishing.co.uk/titles/methodology/digital-play

3. Adrian Underhill & Jim Scrivener: http://demandhighelt.wordpress.com
• Are our learners capable of more, much more?
• How can I push my students to upgrade their language and improve
their skills more than they believed possible?

4. Why computer games?
There are 1 million gamers in UK
Average young person in UK will spend
10,000 hours gaming by the age of 21*
*Jane McGonigal - Reality is broken

5. Computer games offer learning opportunities
http://milesberry.net/?p=476#more-476
Give examples of things you have learnt with
technology that are not related to school work

6. Computer games offer learning opportunities
http://milesberry.net/?p=476#more-476
What is your favourite thing you do with
technology at home

7. Computer games offer learning opportunities
http://milesberry.net/?p=476#more-476
What is your favourite thing you do with
technology at school

8. Colossal Cave (1975)
IF Only: Interactive Fiction and teaching English as a foreign language
(TEFL/TESOL) Joe Pereira: http://www.theswanstation.com/wordpress/

9. Pong (1975)

10. Space Invaders (1978)

11. Underwurlde (1984)

12. Zero Wing (1989)

13. Sonic the Hedgehog (1993)

14. Star Fox (1993)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Fox_(video_game

15. Super Mario 64 (1996)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario_6
4

16. Final Fantasy X (2001)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy_
X

17. Skyrim (2012)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Elder_Scrolls_V:_Skyri
m

18. Beyond Two Souls (2013)

19. No computers

20. One computer, no game
Demanding more from speaking with Droppy
http://pencilkids.com/droppygame.html

26. Now describe the five
images to your partner
as best you can

27. a) Can I have a volunteer to
describe the first image?
b) Does anyone have a
better description?

28. Next stage
Can you explain to your
partner...
What has happened?

34. One computer, one game
http://playspent.org

35. http://www.digitalplay.info/blog/2011/04/15/another-interactive-text-adventure-spent/

36. Multiple computers, one game
www.bubblebox.com/play/adventure/1747.htm

37. The aim of the game : The learners predict what to do with a list of pairs of game objects, check their
answers by playing the game and then write down the answers using the passive voice.
Prepare to play: Choose an adventure game and start playing it. As you play, make a note of what
you do with the objects that appear in the game (or use the walkthrough to save time) and produce
a list similar to the example below. Make a copy of this list for each learner. You will also need to
use online dictionaries.
Play: Hand out the list of objects and tell the learners they are to guess how they are used together
in the game. Ask the learners to talk together in groups of three and to use the online dictionaries to
find out the meaning of the words they do not understand. After fifteen minutes, stop them and ask
them to tell you what they think the relationship is between each pair of objects in the game: e.g. I
think you use the hairpin to open the shed, etc. They then play the game together. The game
should be easier to play because they know which objects they need to use together, but if they get
stuck, encourage them to read the walkthrough to find out what to do next. Finally, once they have
played the game (or part of the game if it's long), ask them to look again at the pairs of words and to
write about them. Encourage the use of the passive voice here: e.g. The hairpin is used to open the
shed, etc.
Play on: The learners can continue playing the game and finish off writing passive sentences about
the objects. www.bubblebox.com/play/adventure/1747.htm

39. Finding and using a walkthrough
http://jayisgames.com/archives/2010/04/hetherdale.php#walkthrough

40. Multiple computers, multiple games
Escape the room games

41. Gap fill for vocabulary / grammar

42. Relay reading

43. Jigsaw reading

44. Information gap
Samorost 2

45. Live listening
The Viridian Room
“Now when you lift the waste-paper basket, you
should see a lighter underneath. Pick it up and then
move to the kitchen and open the fridge again.”

46. Observe and write

47. Observe / vocabulary

48. Watch and say
“What should we do? Stay in or go out?”
“Shall we listen to some music?”
“What do you want to do now?”

49. Listening/ questioning
“So, the squirrel has stolen your crisps?
What are you going to do now?
Well, why don't you try looking at the
Bookcase to see if there's something
There to help you?”

50. Procedure and practicalities
 learner grouping – pairs or groups
 use hand-outs – clear instructions / task
 teacher uses game guide (walkthrough)
 encourage use of English during computer use
 learners explore, examine and pick up objects
 pause game and reflect on puzzles together
 those who solve puzzle tell whole class
 discuss where they been and what seen
 authentic information gap activity

51. Using digital games to
demand higher
XXXIX Annual FAAPI Congress
Santiagp del Estero, Argentina, 18-0 September 2014
Graham Stanley
graham.Stanley@britishcouncil.org
http://www.slideshare.net/bcgstanley/