Digital Games

Digital Games

I suppose most interactive way of teaching English  is doing it through digital games. 

First time when I heard about teaching through digital games, I thought "how can playing a game on the computer help to learn English".

Based on  the literature reviewed and my own experience of  playing digital games, I came into a conclusion that it can help to improve spelling and reading skills . When someone opens the game for the first time and wants to play, first thing he/she does is reading and following steps. If the game has audio instructions it may also build and improve listening skills. The way that IF works helps to improve spelling and writing skills because the player writes instructions for the game character. So one can completely build all four skills through playing computer games.

Along with making positive impression and being beneficial, digital games may also harm or have no results in ELL in case of not using them efficiently. First of all, the interactive part of digital games is more than learning one, so the children can get addicted very easily. Secondly, the little children may not benefit from the perspective of language not being able to realize what is their main task to play those games.For that reason I think that the digital games should be applied with the children above 15 years old, when they  will realize the purpose of the game in EFL classroom.
Finally,  here the role of the teacher  is also  very essential  to choose and assign  his/her students properly selected games, where the main focus will be on using language and imagination rather than mechanical actions.
So, Digital games in TEFL can be very effective and engaging  tool when teachers use them wisely. :)