Diversity by Design: Female Students' Perception of a Spanish Language Learning Game

Prior research has established video games as effective pedagogical tools for Second Language Acquisition. However, few game studies evaluate the gameplay experience from foreign language students' perspective; even fewer game studies specifically examine women's perceptions of language learning video games. For the purpose of understanding how to better design language learning video games that appeal to a diverse group of students, we examine female college students' gameplay experiences in a conversation-based Spanish language learning video game. Student evaluations reveal that the majority of students had a positive gameplay experience. However, students criticized the game for its lack of diversity, including lack of diverse game characters, missed opportunities to integrate aspects of Spanish culture into game tasks and the inability to customize the gameplay experience. Qualitative analysis of students' suggestions provide insights into designing inclusive gaming environments that promote language learning.

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