Sprites and Rules: What ERPs and Procedural Memory Can Tell Us about Video Games and Language Learning

Language acquisition and the development of skills used in playing video games have in common the notion of proceduralization. In this chapter I argue that video games can tie together these two uses of procedural memory in order to maximize the chances of success in language learning. To support this argument I review research in the event-related potential (ERP) literature showing that, under controlled experimental conditions, computer games have already been used to train language learners to the point where they exhibit nativelike brain signatures of morphosyntactic processing. Crucially in these experiments, the morphosyntactic features to be acquired and perfected were tied to the mechanics of the game. In light of the success of these training games in controlled settings, I outline the learning principles detailed by Gee (2003) that facilitated learning in these cases, and propose that this practice of coupling morphosyntax with gameplay mechanics could also prove fruitful in real-world language learning settings. Turning to recent commercial video games, I show how game developers have relied on design techniques that take advantage of the audience’s expectations of gameplay procedures in a way that enhances the gameplay experience. Finally, I suggest directions for future studies on the interplay between gameplay mechanics and language acquisition, as well as ways of designing games to harness this connection for the benefit of the language learner.