Engaging the enemy: Computer games in the English classroom

Abstract

This article presents findings from a research study exploring the use of computer games as curriculum texts in a Year 9 English classroom. Motivated by a desire to engage students immersed in digital culture with the literature and literacy of the English classroom, the research drew on a 'sensory turn' in literacy theories and explores the embodied and sensory nature of meaning-­making in the digital realm (Howes, 2016). This paper presents data from interviews, artefacts and classroom observations of time students who identified as regular computer game players. The ensuing discussion draws on phenomenological methods to explore the students' perceptions and their literate practices as they engaged with computer games in English. The findings indicate that bringing computer games into the classroom affords students rich opportunities for rewarding and innovative work that can transcend traditional classroom boundaries and notions of literacy. The paper points to a need for broader, more nuanced understandings of literacy to align with new age literacy practices.