b. Advantages of Using Games
Conducting games as activities in the language provides some advantages that bring enjoyable atmosphere for students to reach new words, keep students’
motivations and enthusiasms, and provides the real world context into the classroom Huyen and Thu Nga, 2003.
Games are motivating and challenging Kim, 1995:35. Learning a language requires a great deal of effort and games help students to make and
sustain the effort of learning. They will not feel bored because games are a welcome break from the usual routine of the language class. According to Ersoz
2000 games are highly motivating because they are amusing and interesting. In line with this theory, Lewis 1999 in Mei and Yu-Jing 2000 says that games
add variation to a lesson and increase motivation by providing a plausible incentive to use the target language.
Games provide language practice in the four language skills Kim, 1995: 35. Furthermore, Kim states that games encourage students to interact and
communicate. They can be used to give practice in all language skills and be used to practice
many types of communication. While playing games, children practice the language with less pressure as games provide non-threatening
environment for coping new learning where children can be fun. During the practice, children are likely to take risks or make mistakes without the feeling of
failure Paul, 2003:50. Besides provide language practice, games can create a meaningful context
for language use. According to Hadfield 1990:Vii, games offer a context in
which language is used meaningfully as a tool to reach a particular goal. Games bring real world context into the classroom, and enhance students’ use of English
in a flexible, communicative way Huyen and Thu Nga, 2003.
c. Criteria of Good Games
Lubis 1988 states that games can add fun and variety to a conversation session. They are valuable both in manipulative and communicative phases of
language learning of course, for maximum benefit from a game either phase, the teacher should select only the best from the hundreds of games available. He also
states that a good game must fulfill the following requirements: 1 Games should have the aim of game, clear instruction and how to set up the
activity, materials to be photocopied for learners, the time allocation, and the main language focus for the learners;
2 Games should involve pair work and group work because they have the advantages that learners are working simultaneously and to be more active;
3 Games should be tried out first before they are implemented in the class; 4 Games should involve group monitoring because students will be constantly
correcting each other 5 Games should be played fairly
6 Games consider the language level and interest of the learners; and 7 Games should be presented by giving a demonstration first before they played.
Therefore, it is clear that not all games can be applied in any class. The teacher should choose the best for the students. So that the games are not only for
having fun but also for achieving a certain language skill.
In applying games in the classroom the teacher should consider some question. These questions may be helpful for the teacher to decide whether the
games are appropriate to play or not. The question Wright et al., 1983:78 are : 1 Will the games take the teacher a long time to prepare, compared with the
amount of useful works he or she will get from it? 2 Will it be relatively easy for the teacher to organize in the classroom?
3 Is it likely to interest the particular group of learner the teacher has in mind? 4 Is the language or is the language skill the teacher is concerned to reach
intrinsic to the activities? 5 Are the amount of the language and the type of using enough to justify the use
of the games or does the teacher have another good reason for introducing it? If the teacher’s answer is ‘yes’ then the teacher has in mind is highly
efficient means of satisfying the learners need. It means that appropriate games will be useful for the students in language learning.
d. Types of Games
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