A Review of Trends in Digital Game-Based Language Learning Research

Former literature reviews or research syntheses on digital game-based learning have provided important results, but little is known about the use of digital games in specific learning domains, with language education being one fertile area for additional research. While the use of digital games for educational purposes varies in different contexts, understanding the emerging trends of how digital games are currently implemented in language learning can inform both language educators and researchers of game use for learning, and thus help to improve their professional practices. Accordingly, the current review aims to identify emerging trends of digital game-based language learning (DGBLL) articles published during years 2010 to 2014. Major findings of this review indicate that: 1) Only 4% of the articles are identified as related to DGBLL within the reviewed corpus, 2) most DGBLL researchers employed mixed methods, 3) higher education learners were the most frequently examined group of participants in DGBLL studies, 4) English was the target language studied by the majority of DGBLL researchers, and 5) Off-the-shelf digital games, particularly the type of Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG), are the most commonly implemented games in the DGBLL literature. This review provides a panoramic overview of the trends in DGBLL research and draws attention to areas where there are prominent gaps within the literature.