Can video games transform the way we teach English? 🎮📚
In this episode, we explore the power of games in education with two innovators:
🎮 Sophie Marier – Creator of An English Journey Through the Digital World and English Culture, a serious game designed to boost ESL students’ digital literacy and vocabulary through interactive challenges. Backed by research and grant funding, her project proves that gamification can enhance language learning in meaningful ways.
🎮 Simon Côté Massicotte – A former CEGEP teacher who treats video games like novels, analyzing their themes, characters, and storytelling devices in class. His students study games like Doki Doki Literature Club and Disco Elysium just as they would Shakespeare or Orwell—unpacking narrative complexity, foreshadowing, and player engagement.
🔍 What You’ll Learn:
âś… How video games can develop digital literacy and ESL skills
âś… Why serious games are gaining traction in language education
âś… The challenges (and unexpected benefits!) of teaching video games as literature
✅ How Simon’s course went viral on Reddit and what that means for the future of education
đź“Ś Resources & Links:
🔗 Sophie's game on Éductive
đź”— Recommended Video Games for Lit Classes | Disco Elysium | Planescape: Torment | The Wolf Among Us | Her Story | IMMORTALITY
🔥 New link to the pedagogical guide for Sophie's game: https://collections.banq.qc.ca/document/AlnFCk36aWk4c4rIEan7nQ
📢 Join the Conversation!
Tag us on Instagram @rascals_roundtable and tell us: Would you use video games in your classroom? Why or why not?
