Digital games are receiving increasing attention by researchers and practitioners in education; however,
most of the theory and pedagogy focus on general education or language and literacy development of native
speakers. There are very few investigations of game play or game culture and second language
development. Language teachers and institutions must know more about games to use the media
effectively. Two completed extracurricular projects, based on constructionist learning and media literacy
theories and practices, are described in this paper: game design and game magazine creation. The action
research projects aimed to guide students towards a better understanding of games' formal features and
technologies through their active creation of games and game-related media, and to improve their spoken
and written English language skills. In general, students learned and practised a variety of language and
technology skills with the design projects. The projects motivated the students, challenged the students,
and provided many opportunities for authentic discussions in the foreign language. Various suggestions,
based on the teacher and student experiences of these projects, are made for other language teachers
interested in conducting creative game-based projects with their students. Download: http://www.digitalcultureandeducation.com/cms/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/dce1046...