Playing with English: Models for a videogame curriculum

Abstract

Ongoing questions about the nature of subject English have often focused on the subject’s ability to adapt and accommodate 21st century literacies. Popular and digital forms of texts, such as videogames, are often praised for their ability to engage students, yet the novelty of this work has resulted in a lack of emphasis on the pedagogies necessary for the rigorous study of these texts in classroom contexts. This paper draws on findings from several studies incorporating these texts into English classrooms, demonstrating how popular paradigms for English can be adopted and adapted to suit the unique affordances of this text type.