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Vocabulary learning in massively multiplayer online games: context and action before words

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Abstract

Drawing on ecological and dialogical perspectives on language and cognition, this exploratory case study examines how vocabulary learning occurs during a quest-play mediated in English between a Japanese undergraduate student and a native speaker of English. Understanding embodiment as coaction between the player-avatar and player–player relations (Zheng and Newgarden 2012; Zheng et al. 2012), as situative embodiment in a perceptually and narratively rich context (Barab et al. in Sci Educ 91:750–782, 2007), and as a dialogical achievement (Zheng and Newgarden 2012; Zheng et al. 2012), this research provides an alternative explanation of how players embodied in their avatars appropriated semiotic resources imbued in World of Warcraft (WOW). Two hours of co-quest play provided instances of vocabulary learning unique to the WOW environment and co-play. Through iterative multimodal analysis, vocabulary learning became salient as we analyzed both chat and avatar action data and provided a thick description and dynamic process of co-play. Using the eco-dialogical model, we display how language learning as appropriation of resources and as result of eco-dialogical embodiment.

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Notes

  1. The Distributed Language Group (n.d.) rejects all forms of cognitive centralism, including both theories of disembodied cognitivism and cognitive embodiment, and posits instead that language is “spread across bodies in time and space”.

  2. Our work differs from physical sensory embodiment enabled by technology, such as work done by the Virtual Human Interaction Lab (http://vhil.stanford.edu/projects/), which centers on simulating self into virtual reality and seems to rely on within-avatar-player embodiment, in contrast with eco-dialogical embodiment and co-actional embodiment (Zheng and Newgarden 2012).

  3. Because they used a free trial version of the game, the participants had to communicate entirely through private messages and could not work with other players in the game.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Compliance with Ethical Standards

This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. We received informed consent from the participant.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Second Language Studies, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, 1890 East-West Rd., Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA

    Dongping Zheng & Betsy Gilliland

  2. Hawai‘i English Language Program, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA

    Michael Bischoff

Authors
  1. Dongping Zheng
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  2. Michael Bischoff
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  3. Betsy Gilliland
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dongping Zheng.

Appendices

Appendix 1

Transcript text was either copied directly from WOW’s chat and system logs or inserted by Author 2 during the transcription process to indicate action recorded in screen capture video. Original typos remain untouched. The following transcription conventions were used:

  • Non-italicized text: Private chat dialog between Conan and Mediziner

  • Italicized text: Emote text that appears in the chat log.

  • /Italicized text in slash marks/: Description of action not initially recorded by the game in either chat or system logs

  • Text in boldface: Points of emphasis by the author

Appendix 2

Table of quests and communicative projects

The gameplay recording was split into two videos due to a recording interruption during gameplay. Runtime for Video 1 is 0:24:56. Runtime for Video 2 is 1:31:56. Quest names were provided by the game. We identified and named communicative projects throughout the recordings. CPs chosen for analysis are given in bold text. Note that multiple quests may be active at any given time. Players are free to complete them at their leisure, so they might work toward one quest’s objectives, and in the process of doing so accept another quest that potentially distracts them from what they were originally working on. CPs are therefore ongoing and at times occur within multiple quests simultaneously.

Time duration

Quest name

Communicative projects

Video 1: 0:10:26–0:16:04

Beating Them Back!

Slaying 1

Looting 1

Learning to Play 1

Equipping 1

Video 1: 0:16:13–0:25:56

Video 2: 0:00:00–0:32:19

Lions for Lambs

Misspelling 1 (CP1)

Wayfinding 1 (CP2)

Looting 2 (CP4)

Equipping 2

Dueling 1

Dying 1

Chatting 1

Slaying 2

Video 2: 0:11:52–0:13:46

Rest and Relaxation

Wayfinding 1 (CP2)

Learning to Play 2

Video 2: 0:32:27–0:35:49

Hallowed Letter

Looting 2 (CP4)

Video 2: 0:35:58–0:38:20

Healing the Wounded

Training 1

Video 2: 0:38:28–0:46:18

Join the Battle

Learning (CP3)

Training 1

Wayfinding 2

Video 2: 0:46:23–0:52:13

They Sent Assassins

Slaying 3

Thanking 1

Video 2: 0:46:54–0:52:07

Fear No Evil

Slaying 3

Thanking 1

Video 2: 0:52:18–0:53:01

The Rear is Clear

 

Video 2: 0:53:03–1:01:42

Blackrock Invasion

Collecting 1

Chatting 2

Translanguaging 1

Video 2: 1:01:59–Incomplete

Ending the Invasion!

Repop 1 (CP5)

Learning to Play 3

Asking for Definitions 1

Video 2: 1:02:14–1:19:20

Extinguishing Hope

Repop 1 (CP5)

Learning to Play 3

Asking for Definitions 1

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Zheng, D., Bischoff, M. & Gilliland, B. Vocabulary learning in massively multiplayer online games: context and action before words. Education Tech Research Dev 63, 771–790 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-015-9387-4

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