However, for both video games and biology, it is not a case of “anything goes” – this is not a permissive “progressivism” writ large. You must inhabit the identity that the game offers (be it Battle Mage or field biologist), and you have to discover what the rules are and how they can best be leveraged to accomplish goals (Gee, 2005, p. 34).

I think this quote serves as a perfect motivational poster for life. It goes a little along the lines of if you want to succeed you have to know how to play the game. I can also definitely hang up this poster in my second/foreign language class. To succeed in learning a language, you have to know the rules of the language AND the social and cultural rules to navigate that world.

Just like in a video game you use a character/avatar, the people of the target language give the learner an identity (observer, foreigner, or immersion status point of view). However, my students can take ownership of how they want to be perceived and help them work towards that identity (a respectful non-native speaker who engages in conversation with the native speakers, etc). How they want to perceive themselves is important. They can either care or not care and this will affect their performance and participation in class. It is not enough to be able to introduce yourself, but how you direct yourself towards a homie or his grandmother is a huge difference. You can without a doubt accidentally create a negative identity of yourself. Henceforth, language teachers need to remind students to reflect on their goals and respect the world of the target language by comparing and contrasting it with the student’s own language and culture.

Furthermore, learning another culture can also be compared to playing a video game where it can be entertaining. Successful language and cultural learning engages the students to act and speak differently. In addition, successful language classrooms move away from just drills and superficial texts to add cultural adventures and authentic texts to prepare students for the real world. Needless to say, I enjoyed this article because it was also comparing and contrasting two different worlds. The takeaway point I learned, play more video games. It’ll help me become a better teacher!