Let’s play videos in literacy practice: From let’s play to let’s learn

Abstract

Let’s Play (LP) is the term used to describe the videos of people providing commentary as they play video games that follow either live streaming or pre-edited format uploaded in online video sharing platforms. Previous studies on LP have shown its possible use in literary practice and pedagogical potential. This paper goes deeper into the analysis of showing LPs’ use in pedagogy in three sections. The first section is an academic review of the previous researches on e-learning design. Results show that recommended characteristics and functions for effective e-learning environments are similar to LPs’ environment and innovation. The second section examines LPs’ use in pedagogy by analyzing the LP viewers’ behavior in the Livestream chat. Results show that the behavior of LP viewers in the Livestream chat is similar to student behavior in e-learning, such as providing comments, asking questions, and peer-teaching. The third section comprises comparisons of the game events in LP with learning activities. Results show that the game events found in LP are relatable to the activities in learning, such as taking examinations, learning concepts, and doing exercise questions. The last section of the paper describes the proposed idea of Let’s Learn (LL), which combines the technical characteristics of LP, integrated humor, application of games, integrated humor, and peer learning. This research paper contributes to the research on evidence of LP’s massive potential in literacy instruction. It proposes the concept of LL, which is an adapted format of LP applied in education.