Exploring the Non-ELT Students’ Gaming Experience in Acquiring the English Vocabulary

Different digital technologies, especially video games, which are used to assist students in acquiring language have been examined by researchers. However, studies exploring non-ELT students’ gaming experience in acquiring a second language (L2) vocabulary is sparsely investigated. For that reason, this study aims at exploring how non-ELT students’ gaming experience assists the students in acquiring their second language (L2) vocabulary. The data of this study were gained from non-ELT students’ experience. Four non-ELT students were interviewed, and the data from the interview were analyzed through thematic analysis. Several of the initial questions given to the non-ELT students were used to tell their experience in playing games. The results of this study indicated that the games, particularly Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA), First Person Shooter (FPS), Role Playing Game (RPG), have the potential to assist non-ELT students in acquiring second language (L2) vocabulary. Several principal reasons related to how gaming experience help the students in acquiring new vocabulary emerged in this study.