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The notion that digital games can be effectively employed as tools for learning and teaching has steadily been gaining traction among educational theorists and researchers, with numerous empirical studies pointing to the potential benefits of games for skill and knowledge development. However, a solid understanding of learners' attitudes and concerns regarding this relatively novel pedagogical approach is also necessary for effective implementation in formal learning contexts. It cannot be taken for granted that today's learners will accept game-based approaches simply because these learners tend to be more accustomed to advanced technologies than those of previous generations. The aim of this mixed-methods empirical study is thus to help elucidate learner beliefs and attitudes regarding digital game-based language learning with survey data collected from 112 undergraduate student participants at a large public university in Japan. The findings reveal that learners generally held positive attitudes towards DGBLL before taking part in any intervention and, after playing a cooperative digital game over six weekly sessions, reported stronger positive attitudes towards this pedagogical approach. In contrast to the results of earlier studies, gender was not found to be a statistically significant predictor of attitude towards DGBLL in this sample. However, two other demographic factors, namely information technology literacy and digital gaming experience, correlated positively with several measures of attitude. The learners considered enjoyment to be the most important advantage of using digital games for language learning. However, many also expressed doubts regarding the effectiveness of game-based language education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital game-based language learning (DGBLL) is a field that promotes language learning by combining game entertainment and mechanics inducive to learning. Researchers have proposed evidence of various language-learning benefits, yet downsides persist, such as negative stigmas, a lack of participation of non-gamers, and potential adverse consequences from splitting one's attention between controlling the gameplay and learning language. Recently, watching gameplay popularity has seen exponential growth, yet the potential for language-learning applications has not been considered. Soliciting stakeholders' experience, attitudes, and perceived effectiveness is a critical determiner of user adoption for new technologies and predicting implementation success. This study first addresses the merit of watching gameplay as a pedagogical method through an overview of the available literature, concentrating on areas of insufficiency and opportunity. It then investigates students' experience and perceptions to consider feasibility from a practical standpoint through a survey of 139 university students in Japan. The main findings include a higher proportion of watchers than players, including a higher percentage of females, and positive responses regarding ease of use, learning opportunities, and preference, especially for learners who play or watch games. But learners also expressed a need for scaffolding support while voicing limitations in the perceived quality and practicality of the learned language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]