World of Warcraft - is it worth it?

I am in a really comfortable position with my chosen genre being mmorpgs. All I have to do is look for articles on the topic and select the most appropriate ones, because writings on this topic are in abundance nowadays. The article I selected for exhibition this week concerns the pros and cons of using World of Warcraft as a language learning tool with a class. Let me quote parts of it:

Much of the current research in second language acquisition (SLA) stresses the social aspect of language acquisition. Creating a learner-centered environment that a) fosters collaboration and communication, b) keeps learners motivated and on-task, and c) gives them a say in choosing their goals and how to achieve them, can be extremely challenging. Students will benefit from a framework that offers a wide variety of solutions to a given "real life" situation--solutions that require different amounts of time as well as vocabulary and grammar in the target language.

MMORPGs

Many of these goals can be achieved using simulations or gaming. For foreign languages, games—especially massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs)—create a simulated environment of language immersion where students are given the opportunity to apply their language skills toward "real life" goals within an extensive context that is, by design, supportive of a wide variety of solutions. Because this framework already exists, the teacher is free to spend his or her time playing the role of guide, making sure students stay on task and receive the additional information they need to overcome obstacles on their way toward achieving their goal.

For those not familiar with MMORPGs, they are online role-playing games where players move, act and communicate with other players in an internet-based virtual three-dimensional environment. "Winning" is usually not the point of a MMORPG; rather, players group together online to achieve certain goals and thereby progress through the game. Communication plays a central role in the game. Audio and video are embedded throughout the environment, and it is also necessary to communicate with other players in the game through audio messengers or text chat programs.

World of Warcraft

I chose to focus on the game World of Warcraft for several reasons:

• At the moment, it is by far the most popular MMORPG and has a truly international scope with dedicated servers in the U.S., Europe and Asia.
• It allows for localization of the game into different languages.
• The structure of the game is similar to most MMORPGs.

World of Warcraft is a fantasy game populated with elves, dwarves, and other fantastic characters. Players choose their "race" and are given "quests" or tasks. In order to complete these tasks, the player is required to speak to characters controlled by the software, read texts, and speak and collaborate with other players through text chatting and messengers. This final aspect separates MMORPGs from other more traditional games. By making communication among the players a central aspect to the game, it provides a unique opportunity for teachers to make use of an already-existing virtual environment that requires students to use the target language to communicate with native speakers in order to achieve a goal.

Getting Started
World of Warcraft is flexible enough to accommodate beginning-to-intermediate level students. There are some issues to consider:

• Not every student is going to fall in love with the idea of playing games as homework. Instructors need to emphasize that the game, like any homework, is practice ground for what is being taught in class with the advantages mentioned above.
• There is a cost involved. Each student would require a subscription of $15 per month. Over the course of a semester, this would amount to roughly the same cost as that of a workbook.
• I would like to point out that playing the role of "guide" is an ideal task for a teaching assistant. It does not require nearly as much experience in lesson design and classroom management as a traditional classroom. Rather, it provides an environment where the tasks, roles, and goals are already set. The guide only has to point the students in the right direction, and provide corrections or help when necessary.

If you decide that World of Warcraft is worth a try, you will need the following to get started:

• The European version of World of Warcraft
• World of Warcraft language packs
• World of Warcraft requires regular updates as the world expands.
• /chatlog is the command to save your text chats.
  
   Although games like WOW have exciting possibilities as learning tools, I believe we that we need to tread carefully around the ethical implications of their use. More research is needed to determine whether the language learning benefits of World of Warcraft (WOW) are worth the risk of exposing our students to what appears to be a potentially addictive pastime with possible negative social consequences.