The use of video games in teaching EFL students to write arguments

This study aims to investigate how playing an online digital video game, Quandary, during a university writing course affect the quality of argumentative writing produced by adult EFL students in Kuwait and how playing the same video game is different between male and female adult EFL students when learning how to write argumentative essays. The sample of the study consisted of 42 students who were enrolled in English composition 2 at Gulf University for Science and Technology, Kuwait. The students were divided to control and experimental group and were part of the study for 3 weeks. Students in the control group learned how to write arguments through their course books while students in the experimental group played each episode of Quandary in each class period. At the end of the experience, both groups were given the same test in which they were asked to write an argumentative essay based on a topic that was chosen by the class instructor. Results showed that although all students had written essays with good qualities, there was no significant data difference between the two groups or between male and female students.