Abstract:

From the 1980s onwards, the digital revolution has led to the creation of exergames, also called active video games, that became very popular especially in the young generations. Exergaming requires locomotion and/or bodily segmental movements, that are not limited to the use of keyboards or joysticks as in classical video games, to interact with a virtual environment. First developed for pure entertainment purposes, exergames have gradually come to be seen as potential tools for school teaching and learning.

Exergames practice generally requires combining the performance of cognitive and motor tasks in an attractive way. Consistently, studies have shown that exergaming may be good for health and contribute to develop some fundamental motor skills useful for physical education (PE). On the other hand, studies reported possible positive influence of exergaming on the development of spatial skills influential in disciplines such as mathematics. Exergaming might also promote language learning, considering that the cerebral mechanisms underlying movement and language production are similar, or closely interconnected. However, possible influence of exergaming on both PE and language learning remains to be studied.

The present study thus addressed whether practicing the same exergame may promote both motor learning and language learning. This study first examined the 46 exergames available on the Play Lü® platform with the aim to determine the exergames and/or exergaming modalities likely to promote motor learning and language learning. Exergames focusing on precision ball-throws and words spelling or on more broad language knowledge were selected for examination. More generally, peculiar exergaming modality of language selection was considered. This examination was done through the lens of the scientific literature on possible link between movement and language production, on language learning, and on exergaming effects.

The examination suggested that the analyzed exergames might favor both efficacy in precision ball-throws, bodily segmental coordination, words spelling memorization, and/or language understanding. Such possible effects might be due to repetition fostered by the appeal of the exergames, and/or to possible connection between movement and language.

Interest of exergaming as a complement to more mainstream methods to teach language have been also considered. Possible interest of exergaming to implement interdisciplinary teaching that would combine PE and language teaching was finally discussed.

Keywords:

Exergames, Lü platform, Physical education, language learning.