Strong Shot, a Student Centred Designed Videogame for Learning English Vocabulary

Abstract

Most of current vocabulary games are simplistic and do not meet student’s game preferences. Students are considered digital natives since they have grown up among technology. Thus, they have other preferences that past generations did not have. Consequently, a student centred video game may be a suitable methodology for learning English while meeting those preferences and needs. This paper presents a student centred designed video game as a strategy for learning and rehearsing English vocabulary and shows the process of development based on the active participation of a group of secondary students. Furthermore, a game experience evaluation conducted involving a second group of secondary students is presented. The evaluation confirmed that besides a good story, video game aesthetics also play a crucial role to motivate and engage students. The evaluation also showed that new strategies to present game story should be considered, since intended audience has a very limited English knowledge.