Learning as Adventure: An App Designed with Gamification Elements to Facilitate Language Learning

The increasing spread of mobile technologies provides educators and developers with more opportunities for creating a wider range of education tools. In this paper we propose a game-based language learning system called ADVENTURE to improve the learners’ skills for language learning and self-motivation to learn. Firstly we introduce a focus group conducted to understand learners’ needs and language learning behavior, then we review some of the background research works in the field of gamification and language learning. Following the research finding and user study, the paper presents the design and development of ADVENTURE which creates immersive experience for language learners. The application adds not only the gamification elements included game mechanism and the aesthetics but also the elements in the process of learning. The final output reaches the target of improving the learning efficiency and interesting the progress of learning.