Life is Strange 2. Digital Game-Based Language Learning in an EFL Context

Abstract

This study looked at the impact of Digital Game-Based Language Learning (DGBLL) and Life is Strange 2: Episode One, a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) video game, on the listening comprehension of twelve Swedish Upper Secondary English as a Foreign Language (EFL) pupils. Two studies were conducted to answer the following research questions. Firstly, how does playing the PC adventure COTs video game Life is Strange 2-episode one affects the participants’ listening reception? Second, what are the participants’ opinions regarding the usage of COTS games for educational purposes? The Swedish National Test "Ten Journeys of a Lifetime" was used as a pre- and post-listening comprehension test in the first study. In the second study, eighteen participants answered an open-ended questionnaire regarding whether they enjoyed using a COTS game in class and, if so, what they didn't like about it. The post-test findings revealed that participants received a higher grade and that the great majority of them enjoyed playing the video game. If there was one issue that participants had with playing COTS games in the classroom, it was that they wished for better equipment in order to play the game more successfully. These findings mirrored those of several other studies, which demonstrated that DGBLL and the usage of COTS games assisted participants increase their post-test scores.