A Turn-Based Serious Game for Learning Kanji for L2 Learners of Japanese

Abstract

Learning kanji is one of the hardest aspects of learning Japanese, especially for L2 learners of Japanese. Kanji are complex, and methods to learn them are often not motivating. This study researched if a serious game could be an effective tool to learn kanji with. Three different prototypes were developed and evaluated. Quantitative and qualitative results showed that playing the game resulted in significant improvement in kanji knowledge, and that players enjoyed the game. This study shows that serious games can be effective for learning kanji.