ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the nature, place and use of language within digital games, and by extension, of the forms of literacy and literacy practices entailed in interaction and game play. In this context, language is understood with reference to English, and the adaptation and use of English in written and spoken form. In relation to language and digital games, however, what is meant by key terms and concepts such as “language” and “games” warrants careful definition in the rapidly changing context of digital culture and online play. In this sense, there is a link to the broader fields of multimodality (Kress 2010, Jewitt 2009) and literacy studies (Street et. al 2009) and their contribution to English language studies (ELS), at the same time as an attempt to work through the precise features of game playing and the associated communicative practices (see also Chapter 30).
