THE INFLUENCE OF NARRATIVE-BASED VIDEO GAMES ENGAGEMENT ON ENGLISH VOCABULARY MASTERY: A NARRATIVE INQUIRY

Vocabulary holds an essential role to language acquisition process. One of the ways to improve vocabulary mastery is through playing video games as it offers authentic linguistic stimulation to the players. This study explores how engagement with narrative-based video games influence English Language Learners’ (ELL) vocabulary mastery. Narrative inquiry research was done with 3 participants majoring in English and sharing about their video gaming journey throughout the years. The findings of this study showed that high-level of engagement with narrative-based video games have positive impact on the participants’ vocabulary mastery. The immersive nature of narrative-based video games offered rich contextual learning opportunities that could be implemented as supplementary tool for vocabulary development. This study also generated both theoretical and practical implications that could be beneficial for teachers and students in the realm of vocabulary acquisition strategies.