English Education: Jurnal Tadris Bahasa Inggris xx (xx): xx-xx (20xx)

ENGLISH EDUCATION: JURNAL TADRIS BAHASA INGGRIS

P-ISSN: 2086-6003 | E-ISSN: 2580-1449

http://ejournal.radenintan.ac.id/index.php/ENGEDU

The Impact of RPG Games to Enhance Reading Skill : A

Literature Review
Irsyadul Anam
English Department (State Islamic Institute of Kediri)

Article Information ABSTRACT

Received: xxxx xx, 20xx

Revised: xxxx xx, 20xx
Accepted: xxxx xx, 20xx
Published: xxxx xx, 20xx
Abstract
Role-playing games (RPGs) have long been celebrated for their immersive narratives
Keywords and complex gameplay, attributes that not only entertain but also hold significant
educational potential. This article explores the role of RPGs in enhancing students'
role-playing games, video games, reading
reading skills, focusing on their ability to foster vocabulary development, improve
comprehension.
reading comprehension, and stimulate critical thinking. Drawing on scholarly research,
including studies by Zagal and Bruckman (2007) and Squire (2008), this paper
Correspondence examines how RPGs engage players in extensive reading of diverse textual elements
such as dialogues, descriptions, and narrative lore. The interactive nature of RPG
gameplay encourages active participation and deepens understanding through
repeated exposure to language and context, thereby promoting long-term retention of
new vocabulary and concepts. Additionally, RPGs offer collaborative learning
Phone: (+62) 87891273524
opportunities that enhance social interaction and student engagement in educational
WhatsApp:(+62) 87891273524
settings. By integrating RPGs into literacy education, educators can harness their
E-mail: irsyadulanam08@gmail.com potential to cultivate proficient readers who are adept at navigating and
comprehending complex texts.

INTRODUCTION

For a very long time, role-playing games (RPGs) have been praised for their
detailed character development, captivating stories, and rich universes. RPGs are a
great educational tool in addition to being entertaining, especially when it comes to
improving reading comprehension. Through complex narratives and demanding word
processing, these games foster vocabulary growth, reading comprehension, and
critical thinking in their players. RPGs have a good influence on literacy, as

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 The Impact of RPG games to Enhance Reading skill | Irsyadul anam

evidenced by recent research, and players of all ages can benefit from these games'
ability to help them become better readers. Research by Zagal and Bruckman (2007)
claims that role-playing games (RPGs) offer a complex language environment that
promotes reading skills and cognitive development. This article examines how role-
playing games (RPGs) can be utilized as an effective tool for developing reading
skills, utilizing both scholarly studies and real-world applications.
Rpg games to offer a lot of text, maybe for some people is can be boring but for
students is can be a great way to improve their reading skills. The text is about
explain a how to play, what the skill and how they can complete a quest. (Drachen et
al., 2016) study found that the RPG games is playing by everyone from teenager until
a adult person. Despite significant differences between and within formats, the wide
variety of role-playing games (RPGs) all have as their common focus giving the
player a character that develops during gameplay and emphasis on storytelling. This
makes RPGs a unique opportunity to explore many of the important issues in game
studies.
In addition, the format offered by RPG games can easily cause a student to spend a
lot of time playing, cause it normal for RPG learners in 50 hours and can be more.
This also provides an image, voice actor, and subtitles, if the students do not know
what the meaning they can use translation in the dictionary. This can improve how
student have a interest in reading and help them to accelerate the process of study in
reading skills. However, even so, are RPG games effective in improving students'
academic reading skills? Therefore, this article will identify how effective RPG games
are as a tool to help students improve their academic reading skills by presenting
data from previous studies, followed by questions:
1. How much research shows the impact of RPG games in enriching students'
reading skills?
2. How do RPG games help students in improving reading comprehension?
3. How the delivery and application of RPG can foster students' interest and
enthusiasm in developing reading skills?

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 The Impact of RPG games to Enhance Reading skill | Irsyadul anam

RESEARCH METHOD

This paper aims to identify the extent to which RPG games are beneficial in
improving reading skills for students, with the goal of conducting research to establish
a method to determine the extent of the impact that RPG games have on students'
reading skills. (Snyder, 2019) found that the literature review as a methodology for
conducting research and offers an overview of different types of reviews, as well as
some guidelines to how to both conduct and evaluate a literature review paper. A
literature review includes the process of identifying, searching and selecting
documents that contain information on the research problem.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Improving reading skill

While playing a RPG games, some students maybe not recognize how this games
can paired with their reading skill. Studies show that reading role-playing games
(RPGs) exposes players to a variety of terminology, sophisticated storylines, and
deep plots, all of which improve their reading skills. For example, research conducted
in 2007 by Zagal and Bruckman shows how role-playing games (RPGs) offer a rich
language environment that promotes literacy and cognitive development.
Furthermore, Squire (2008) discovered that students' reading comprehension and
vocabulary learning significantly improved when they played narrative-driven role-
playing games. All things considered, the increasing amount of research backs up
the claim that RPGs can improve students' reading comprehension by putting them in
dynamic, text-rich situations. How the complex text make students have to find what
the meaning of the text, how their understand the context of the text.
Moreover, how they understand the context of the text, can develop a mindset that
sometimes they choose not to care about. for example how they read the entire
content of the text, when in reality most of them choose to only look for the important
points. in this case their understanding only focuses on the points they get and do not
get a comprehensive understanding. indeed looking for important points is not wrong

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 The Impact of RPG games to Enhance Reading skill | Irsyadul anam

but if you want to improve reading comprehension, you should read the whole text
even though slowly but they can get a good understanding.
Engagement through Immersive Narratives
RPGs often feature complex storylines and character interactions, requiring players
to engage with detailed narratives. This immersion encourages students to read
extensively to understand the plot, character motivations, and the consequences of
their choices within the game world (Jackson, 2019). As students become invested in
the game's story, they develop a natural inclination to comprehend the text more
thoroughly, leading to improved reading skills.
Because RPG stories are so intricate, players must interact closely with the text.
Players must read a great deal in order to properly comprehend the plot, paying close
attention to dialogue, task descriptions, character biographies, and lore strewn
around the game environment. Since understanding different textual elements is
necessary to advance in the game, this immersive experience motivates students to
actively participate in the reading process. Furthermore, role-playing games
frequently expose players to moral conundrums, branching narratives, and character
relationships that call for critical examination of the implications. Students have an
innate desire to understand the language more fully as they grow emotionally
immersed in the game's plot. They assess the effects of their decisions in the game
environment, predict story turns, and examine the motivations of the characters. This
attentive reading of the story encourages
Reading comprehension
Students can learn in a unique setting where reading comprehension is closely linked
to gameplay growth through role-playing games, or RPGs. RPGs immerse players in
complex, narrative-driven worlds where comprehension and interaction with the plot
are necessary to advance in the game, in contrast to standard learning methods. This
immersive experience demands players to read enormous volumes of text, ranging
from chats between characters to descriptive sections outlining landscapes and
quests. Players must piece together information from multiple sources, draw
connections between occurrences, and forecast future outcomes as they progress

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through these narratively dense landscapes. (Gee, 2007) claims that RPG players
frequently use deeper reading techniques like summarizing and drawing conclusions.
Due to the fact that they force players to look past simple comprehension and
consider the deeper meanings and implications found in the game's narrative
structure, these cognitive processes are essential for comprehension.
Furthermore, by promoting active interaction with the content, the interactive aspect
of role-playing games improves the educational process. Instead of being passive
consumers of information, players are required to engage with non-player characters
(NPCs), explore virtual environments, and make choices that impact the plot.
Because players must analyze and apply information in real-time circumstances
within the game, this active engagement promotes a deeper grasp of the subject.
According to Whitton (2010), this participatory interaction helps people remember the
material. Players strengthen their grasp of important ideas and details by actively
engaging in the story and making important choices. Deep learning and
comprehension are further supported by the iterative structure of the gaming, which
allows players to go back and reevaluate their decisions in light of new information or
results.
The delivery of RPG games
Role-playing games, or RPGs, are widely used in educational settings and are
renowned for their capacity to draw students into an immersive and participatory
learning environment. RPGs frequently have complex plots, nuanced character
interactions, and fully realized settings that demand a high level of textual
engagement from players. In order to advance in the game, pupils are motivated to
read a lot because of this immersive narrative setting. Players are exposed to a
variety of textual materials as they go through the game's challenges and missions,
such as dialogues, descriptions, and background lore, all of which improve language
and vocabulary acquisition. RPGs and other game-based learning environments,
according to (Prensky, 2006) offer intrinsic motivation that can boost engagement
and maintain interest in reading. Players in role-playing games are more than just
information consumers. but engaged participants who, in order to fulfill their

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objectives, must understand and engage with the story. Players are encouraged to
read carefully, deduce meaning from the text, and use that understanding to make
strategic decisions in the game via this active interaction with the plot. Additionally,
the cooperative elements included in many role-playing games support a social
learning environment that raises reading motivation and passion even more. For
instance, in cooperative role-playing games, players frequently work with others to
solve puzzles, plan attacks, and advance the storylines of the games. This
cooperative gameplay encourages participants to communicate clearly and
cooperate to attain shared goals, which in turn builds a sense of camaraderie and
accomplishment. Through these exchanges, students improve their social and
collaborative skills two critical competencies for success in both academic and real-
world settings as well as their reading comprehension.

Vocabulary development

RPGs (role-playing games) play a significant role in enhancing vocabulary

development among players by immersing them in diverse and context-rich linguistic
environments. Within RPGs. (Gunel & Top, 2022) state that For instance, vocabulary
learning in students who play games is higher than the ones who are subjected to
traditional teaching methods such as directing students to learn through
memorization and recitation techniques. players encounter a plethora of vocabulary,
ranging from specialized terms related to fantasy realms or science fiction settings to
historical references and sophisticated language used in dialogues and narratives. To
progress through the game, players must understand and interpret these various
linguistic elements, which prompts them to expand their vocabulary and develop a
deeper comprehension of language usage in different contexts. Research conducted
by DeHaan, Reed, and Kuwada (2010) supports the notion that video games,
including RPGs, effectively contribute to language acquisition and vocabulary
development. The interactive nature of RPG gameplay engages players in repetitive
exposure to vocabulary through reading dialogues, interacting with characters, and
exploring virtual environments. This active engagement reinforces learning and aids
in the long-term retention of new words and concepts. By encountering vocabulary in
meaningful contexts within the game, players are motivated to learn and apply new
terms, thereby enhancing their overall language proficiency.

CONCLUSION

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 The Impact of RPG games to Enhance Reading skill | Irsyadul anam

In conclusion, while RPGs may initially be perceived as entertainment, their

educational value in developing reading skills is increasingly recognized. As
evidenced by the research reviewed, RPGs offer a dynamic and effective approach
to improving academic reading skills by integrating narrative complexity, active
engagement with text, and collaborative learning experiences. Embracing RPGs in
educational settings holds promise for nurturing a generation of students who are not
only proficient readers but also critical thinkers capable of navigating complex textual
environments. Future studies and applications should continue to explore and
harness the full potential of RPGs in advancing literacy and cognitive development
among learners of all ages. The exploration of role-playing games (RPGs) as tools
for enhancing reading skills reveals compelling evidence of their educational benefits.
RPGs immerse players in complex narratives, requiring extensive reading and
comprehension of diverse textual elements such as dialogues, descriptions, and lore.
Research, including studies by Zagal and Bruckman (2007) and Squire (2008),
consistently demonstrates that RPGs promote vocabulary growth, improve reading
comprehension, and foster critical thinking skills through interactive gameplay. The
interactive and immersive nature of RPGs not only engages students but also
motivates them to actively participate in the learning process, enhancing their ability
to understand and retain information. Furthermore, RPGs provide a unique platform
for collaborative learning and social interaction, further boosting engagement and
enthusiasm for reading among students.
REFERENCES
Drachen, A., Drachen, A., Hitchens, M., & Montola, M. (2016). Role-Playing Games : The
State of Knowledge Role-Playing Games : The State of Knowledge. November.
DeHaan, J., Reed, W. M., & Kuwada, K. (2010). The effect of interactivity with a music video
game on second language vocabulary recall. Language Learning & Technology, 14(2),
74-94.
Gee, J. P. (2007). What Video Games to Teach Us About.
Gunel, E., & Top, E. (2022). Effects of Educational Video Games on English Vocabulary
Learning and Retention. International Journal of Technology in Education, 5(2), 333–
350. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijte.225
Prensky, M. (2006). “Don’t bother me Mom, I’m learning!”: how computer and video games
are preparing your kids for twenty-first century success and how you can help! 254.
Snyder, H. (2019). Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines.
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Journal of Business Research, 104(August), 333–339.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.07.039
Squire, K. (2008). Video games and literacy: Exploring the benefits of RPGs in education.
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Whitton, N. (2010). Learning with Digital Games: A Practical Guide to Engaging Students in
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Zagal, J. P., & Bruckman, A. (2007). The Game Ontology Project: Supporting learning while
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