Chapter One Introduction
1.1 Background
Mobile devices have become an indispensable part of many people’s life. Among the various mobile devices, mobile phones have mostly penetrated into teenage students’ life, becoming a basic equipment they carry around at almost all times. In the literature, mobile phones have been one of the common platforms for embodying informal leaning or learning anytime and anywhere. It is so mainly because of its pervasiveness among students and its portability.
Traditional mobile devices, such as traditional cell phones, PDAs, or electronic dictionaries, usually feature single function. For example, traditional cell phones are used for making phone calls or sending messages. Previous research has focused on using traditional phones to deliver language content through text messages. It has been reported that learners experience “psychological barriers” when using traditional cell phones for the purposes of language learning (Stockwell, 2010).
Unlike traditional mobile devices, smart phones enable users to download or remove various applications easily, and therefore are naturally multiple functioned. In other words, people are no longer view cell phones as a device only for making phone calls or sending messages. Smart phones’ natures of being feature phones, portability and high penetration rate among high school students have made it a promising platform for carrying out learning at anytime and anywhere. Studies have been explored the use of podcasts or self-tutoring systems via smart phones. This study is interested in the potential of using smart phone games to learn a foreign language.
It is so because playing games in a form of downloadable applications are now penetrating into many smart phone users’ everyday life. In fact, smart phones like iPhone and Androids are becoming a popular platform for playing games. According
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to App Store, among the top ten most frequently downloaded applications, nine belonged to games. A survey conducted by Nielson has also shown that the top one application most frequently downloaded goes to games. A survey conducted by APP01 (http://www.app01.com.tw/index.php), a local application community platform, also showed that using gaming applications is the most common activity among local smart phone users in Taiwan.
On the other hand, game-based learning was supported by several reasons. First, game-based learning integrates learning content and game, which can provide a more enjoyable and engaging informal learning experiences. Second, playing games are often goal-driven. The desire to achieve the goals in a game motivates learners to spend time, and make efforts and repetitive attempts. In other words, games support learning by arousing willing and prolonged involvement from students. As noted by Prensky (2005), “Students certainly don’t have short attention spans for their games, movies, music, or Internet surfing” (p.64).
On the other hand, when looking at the needs and preferences of the students today, game-based learning seems to become a trend. Prensky (2001) depicted the characteristics of digital native learners. For example, they like to mix work and play, using their leisure time for effortful pursuit. They expect immediate feedback and
“payoff” for their efforts as the ones that can be found in games. The prefer fantasy contexts and have difficulties with environments lack of technology. In other words, students today might not satisfy with traditional teaching context anymore. They want an education that is not only relevant but also engaging, exciting and encouraging active participation (Prensky, 2005; Rosen, 2010; Wellert, 2008). Game-based learning seems, therefore, a possible way to catch the preference and interest of the students grown up in this generation. As recommended by Greeno (2005), games are tools, which are creating new and possibly even more powerful methods of educating
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a generation of students that have grown accustomed to technology. They can be used to enhance learning by developing learning scenarios, previously not possible, and using them to promote active learning.
Some studies have focused on exploring the potentials of using video games, massive multiplayer online role-play games (e.g. World of Warcraft, Ever Quest ), or simulation games (e.g. The Sims, Second life) for learning or teaching English as a foreign language. These games were thought as having educational benefits for different reasons. For example, they provide natural environments where learners are immersed in an English language environment, and this is thought conducive to learning. As for on-line multiplayer games, they provide genuine opportunities for communicating with real players and often for achieving a common goal in games.
Besides video games, simulation, and online multiple-player games, there are games that are often categorized as casual games. Classic examples of casual games can be Windows Solitaire, which can be seen as the first casual game when it was embedded in Windows in 1990. Bejeweled and Wii Sports are also examples of casual games (Trefry, 2010). They are characterized by its ability to “get players started quickly, keep it casual … and maintain the rich complexity of gameplay experience”
(Klopfer, Sheldon, Perry and Chen, 2012, p. 466) and a “bite-sized chunk of play”
which can easily fit into players’ everyday schedule (Trefry, 2010). Casual game players can finish a game within three to five minutes and they can restart a new game whenever they feel upset. This casual form of gameplay has become a force within the game industry. According to the Casual Games Association, more than 200 million people play casual games on the Internet. What’s more, casual games are one of the growing sectors of the game industry (Trefry, 2010). Many games played on smart phone tend to be of this type of game. This study, therefore, designed a learning game with a casual design.
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