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The proliferation of digital games in people’s leisure time has sparked growing scholarly interest in their educational value and potential pedagogical application (Gee, 2003; Lacasa, 2013). In the field of second language acquisition (SLA), researchers have explored a diverse array of digital games for their potential in language learning and teaching from multiple theoretical perspectives (Peterson et al., 2020). To demonstrate the utility of digital games to facilitate language learning, researchers have reported benefits of computer gaming relating to various aspects of language acquisition, such as high levels of motivation (Connolly et al., 2011; Liu & Chu, 2010), lowered anxiety (Grimshaw & Cardoso, 2018; Horowitz, 2019), enhanced willingness to communicate (Reinders & Wattana, 2011, 2014, 2015), and increased use of target language (Rankin et al., 2006; Reinders & Wattana, 2011; Zheng, et al., 2009).
In spite of these encouraging results, the literature is limited regarding pedagogical practices in the classroom-based gameplay and few attempts have been made to explore how to maximize learning through digital gaming. As deHaan (2019) argued, the literature is replete with game-based language learning, but not game-based language teaching. Moreover, empirical evidence regarding actual learning outcomes from digital gaming is focused on incidental learning and vocabulary acquisition. Even for the research that reported vocabulary gains, it is only the retention rather than the productive knowledge of words that was investigated. To address these gaps, this case study drew upon the model of bridging activities (Thorne & Reinhardt, 2008) to explore how digital games can be incorporated into the language classroom, with a focus on pedagogical mediation and the effects of instructed gameplay on student’s learning performance, engagement and perceptions.