Digital Game-Based Language Learning in EFL Context: An Analysis of Genshin Impact in Indonesian Classrooms
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26555/adjes.v13i1.2126Keywords:
Digital Game-Based Language Learning, EFL, Genshin Impact, vocabulary, motivationAbstract
Recent technological advances have transformed approaches to language learning, with Digital Game-Based Language Learning emerging as a promising field of study. While many studies have examined quiz-based or language-learning-specific applications, limited research has explored the potential of popular open-world games such as Genshin Impact for structured EFL learning. This study aims to (1) identify English language skills that can be developed through Genshin Impact, and (2) analyze the pedagogical applicability of game elements within a DGBLL framework. A qualitative, descriptive-analytic design was employed, involving classroom observations, interviews with students and teachers, and questionnaire data collection. The study was conducted at a public senior high school in Berau with 10th grade students and English teachers as participants. Data were analyzed through content analysis, including reduction, display, and interpretation of emerging themes. The analysis revealed that Genshin Impact supports the development of vocabulary enrichment, reading comprehension, listening comprehension, and discourse/pragmatic skills. Beyond language outcomes, the game fosters motivation, engagement, and authentic exposure to English. Teachers and students perceived both opportunities and challenges in integrating the game into formal classroom contexts. The findings contribute to expanding the scope of Digital Game-Based Language Learning research by highlighting the pedagogical potential of a widely played entertainment game. For practice, the study provides insights for EFL teachers and curriculum developers in Indonesia, particularly in rural and remote regions, to harness students’ gaming interests for language learning.
References
Abdullah, S. N. A., Noorjamri, N., Muhammad Pasupathy, M. A., Abdul Rahman, F. R., & Sapee@Shafie, R. S. (2025). Genshin Impact as a Language Learning Tool for ESL Learners’ Vocabulary Acquisition and Communication Skills in Malaysia. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, IX(II), 2206–2215. https://doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.9020176
Ahmed, A. A. A., Widodo, M., Komariah, A., Hassan, I., Sukmana, N., Ali, M. H., Abbas, A. K., & Rohi, A. (2022). Assessing the Effects of Gamification on Developing EFL Learners’ Idiomatic Knowledge: Do Attitudinal Factors Contribute to the Learning of the Idioms with the Game? Education Research International, 2022, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/2482570
Anisa Dwi Tiara, M. A. R. (2021). The Students` Perception About Use of Duolingo Application for Improving English Vocabulary. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.5775915
Arfani, S. A. & Kaniadewi.N., (2025). The EFL Students’ Perceptions on the Use of Genshin Impact in Increasing Reading Skills. SALEE: Study of Applied Linguistics and English Education, 6(1), 55–69. https://doi.org/10.35961/salee.v6i1.1572
Azizah, N., & Warni, S. (2023). The Effect Chat Feature on Genshin Impact Online Game on ESL Communication Skills. Edunesia : Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan, 5(1), 172–184. https://doi.org/10.51276/edu.v5i1.641
Belda-Medina, J., & Calvo-Ferrer, J. R. (2022). Preservice Teachers’ Knowledge and Attitudes toward Digital-Game-Based Language Learning. Education Sciences, 12(3), 182. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12030182
Belda-Medina, J., & Poveda-Balbuena, M. L. (2024). Digital Game-Based Language Learning (DGBL): An Analysis of Polish and Spanish Teacher Candidates’ Knowledge and Attitudes. Theory and Practice of Second Language Acquisition, 10(2), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.31261/TAPSLA.14599
Chowdhury, M., Dixon, L., Kuo, L.-J., Donaldson, J. P., Eslami, Z., Viruru, R., & Luo, W. (2024). Digital game-based language learning for vocabulary development. Computers and Education Open, 6, 100160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeo.2024.100160
Creswell, J. W. (2013). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (3rd ed). SAGE Publications.
Da-Oh, S., Chaowanakritsanakul, T., Matyakhan, T., Uachuen, A. B., Phayakka, P., Chesa, P., Namkaew, J., Lakhaphan, T., & Tipsrinimit, N. (2023). The Effects of Game-based Learning on Grammatical Knowledge of EFL Secondary School Students in the South of Thailand. Asian Journal of Arts and Culture, 23(1), e259033. https://doi.org/10.48048/ajac.2023.259033
David, L., & Weinstein, N. (2024). Using technology to make learning fun: Technology use is best made fun and challenging to optimize intrinsic motivation and engagement. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 39(2), 1441–1463. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-023-00734-0
Dien, M. P. P. (2023). The Efficacy of Genshin Impact Game-Based Learning For Enhancing Students’ English Vocabulary: A Quasi-Experimental StudY. 11(02).
España-Delgado, J. A. (2023). Kahoot, Quizizz, and Quizalize in the English Class and their Impact on Motivation. HOW, 30(1), 65–84. https://doi.org/10.19183/how.30.1.641
Esteban, A. J. (2024). Theories, Principles, and Game Elements that Support Digital Game-Based Language Learning (DGBLL): A Systematic Review. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 23(3), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.23.3.1
Govender, T., & Arnedo-Moreno, J. (2021). An Analysis of Game Design Elements Used in Digital Game-Based Language Learning. Sustainability, 13(12), 6679. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13126679
Hanghøj, T., Kabel, K., & Jensen, S. H. (2022). Digital games, literacy and language learning in L1 and L2: A comparative review. L1-Educational Studies in Language and Literature, 1–44. https://doi.org/10.21248/l1esll.2022.22.2.363
Hardianti, H. (2024). Gamification in EFL: Exploring the Use of Gamification Strategies to Enhance Student Motivation and Engagement. INTELEKTIUM, 5(1), 8–15. https://doi.org/10.37010/int.v5i1.1531
Hung, H.-T., Yang, J. C., Hwang, G.-J., Chu, H.-C., & Wang, C.-C. (2018). A scoping review of research on digital game-based language learning. Computers & Education, 126, 89–104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.07.001
Kazu, I. Y., & Kuvvetli, M. (2024). Improve speaking skills with Duolingo’s mobile game-based language learning. Asian Journal of Education and Training, 10(1), 62–75. https://doi.org/10.20448/edu.v10i1.5488
Kirkwood, K. (2023). The pedagogical potential of digital games to enhance the learning of spelling for English second language learners in a Persian Gulf state (Query date: 2024-03-11 00:55:41). (Query date: 2024-03-11 00:55:41), Article Query date: 2024-03-11 00:55:41. https://dro.deakin.edu.au/articles/thesis/The_pedagogical_potential_of_digital_games_to_enhance_the_learning_of_spelling_for_English_second_language_learners_in_a_Persian_Gulf_state/24769308/1/files/43531656.pdf
Luo, Y. (2024). A Re-examination of the Value of Educational Technology. Science Insights, 45(5), 1649–1653. https://doi.org/10.15354/si.24.re1105
Mahbub, Moh. A. (2020). Learning English mediated by Kahoot: Insights from the Indonesian EFL instructors. Journal on English as a Foreign Language, 10(2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.23971/jefl.v10i2.1917
Mirhosseini, S.-A. (2020). Doing Qualitative Research in Language Education. Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56492-6
Nuriyah, R. R., Sisfiamuhsha, A. T., & Aulia, I. M. (2024). Students’ Perception Of The Genshin Impact Game In Their Vocabulary Mastery And 21st-Century Skills: A Descriptive Qualitative Study. 10(1).
Parmar, K. J., Palaniappan, D., Premavathi, T., & Jain, R. (2025). Revolutionizing Educational Assessments With AI Technology: In C. C. Chinedu, N. Mafarja, M. H. Hussein, & A. Saleem (Eds.), Advances in Computational Intelligence and Robotics (pp. 227–252). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-9062-7.ch011
Pham, A. T. (2022). University Students’ Attitudes towards the Application of Quizizz in Learning English as a Foreign Language. International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET), 17(19), 278–290. https://doi.org/10.3991/ijet.v17i19.32235
Pitura, J., Nowak, S., Turula, A., Jakubik, J., & Asotska-Wierzba, Y. (2024). Mapping the landscape of serious digital language learning games: Towards a Serious-Digital Game-based Language Learning (S-DGBLL) teacher competence framework. Neofilolog, (62/2), 482–501. https://doi.org/10.14746/n.2024.62.2.9
Purwanto, A.A., & Syafryadin. (2023). Students’ Perception on Using Duolingo for Learning English Vocabulary. JET (Journal of English Teaching), 9(1). https://doi.org/10.33541/jet.v9i1.4506
Reinders, H. (2017). Digital Games and Second Language Learning. In S. L. Thorne & S. May (Eds.), Language, Education and Technology (pp. 329–343). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-02237-6_26
Reinders, H., & Wattana, S. (2010). Learn English or die: The effects of digital games on interaction and willingness to communicate in a foreign language. Digital Culture & Education, 3(1), 4–28.
Taguchi, N. (2024). Technology-enhanced language learning and pragmatics: Insights from digital game-based pragmatics instruction. Language Teaching, 57(1), 57–67. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444823000101
Tiara, A. D., Rahman, M. A., & Handrianto, C. (2021). The studentsperception about use of duolingo application for improving english vocabulary. International Journal of Education, Information Technology, and Others, 4(4), 690-701.
Vnucko, G., & Klimova, B. (2023). Exploring the Potential of Digital Game-Based Vocabulary Learning: A Systematic Review. Systems, 11(2), 57. https://doi.org/10.3390/systems11020057
Wang, Z., & Han, F. (2021). Developing English language learners’ oral production with a digital game-based mobile application. PLOS ONE, 16(1), e0232671. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0232671
Xu, L., Andrade, M., Dhonnchadha, E. U., & Ward, M. (2025). Cipher in Classrooms: Evaluating Digital Game-Based Language Learning for Irish Vocabulary Acquisition. In A. Schönbohm, F. Bellotti, A. Bucchiarone, F. De Rosa, M. Ninaus, A. Wang, V. Wanick, & P. Dondio (Eds.), Games and Learning Alliance (Vol. 15348, pp. 25–35). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-78269-5_3
Zhou, S. (2024). Gamifying language education: The impact of digital game-based learning on Chinese EFL learners. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 11(1), 1518. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-04073-3
Zou, D., Huang, Y., & Xie, H. (2021). Digital game-based vocabulary learning: Where are we and where are we going? Computer Assisted Language Learning, 34(5–6), 751–777. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2019.1640745
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Winda Astrid Puji Astuti, Ikmi Nur Oktavianti
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish in Ahmad Dahlan Journal of English Studies (ADJES) agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the Ahmad Dahlan Journal of English Studies (ADJES) right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY-SA 4.0) that allows others to share (copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format) and adapt (remix, transform, and build upon the material) the work for any purpose, even commercially with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in Ahmad Dahlan Journal of English Studies (ADJES).
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in Ahmad Dahlan Journal of English Studies (ADJES).
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
