DESIGNING VIDEOGAMES FOR FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING

The present publication sets out to explore the use of Virtual Worlds combining with videogame-like applications in order to enhance the foreign language learning process. It shows the authors’ experiences with the design of a game-like application (The supermarket-game) in a 3-D virtual environment and its benefits for teaching German as a foreign language.The aim of the research project is to explore new ways of guaranteeing a highly interactive, motivating and effective environment to be used not only in a face-to-face learning, but also in an online learning context. The latter is considered to be complementary to, rather than different from the dynamic of the face-to-face learning situation. Furthermore, the paper combines theoretical research in language learning with an empirical evaluation of five language learning sessions during which students played The supermarket game.