Knowledge of more than one language contributes to the coexistence of different nationalities within a geographical area. It
also brings other tangible benefits, such as: increasing the mobility of citizens and thus increasing their professional
opportunities, stimulating the creation of new jobs, and stimulating the growth of the whole country or region. In addition to
the economic benefits, knowledge of EU languages facilitates the understanding of other cultures and lifestyles, which forms
the basis for the development of intercultural tolerance (European Commission, 2008b). One of the obvious consequences
of functioning in a European reality oriented towards international communication is the need to communicate in languages
with a global reach. Speaking different languages has been recognised as such an important skill in the age of globalisation
that it has been included in the list of key competences (Recommendation of the European Parliament and the Council,
2006).
Although in the age of globalisation, it seems that English language skills (English as an International Language has been a
distinct linguistic concept in applied linguistics for years) are the most desirable among workers, it is important to remember
that very often English is not the language of choice for professional communication. A good example is refugees and
immigrants who learn the language of the country they are currently living in. This leads to a situation where, for example,
German is taught as a foreign language to immigrants who want to integrate into the German labour market. Thus, a
Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) other than English is taught, but the LSP teaching materials are mostly in English. By
developing a multilingual scenario-based game, valuable teaching materials to support the learning process will be made
available to LSP teachers without having to transpose this content into the target language and environment. In this way, the
development of a multilingual LSP game complements existing courses and materials in English.
According to the formal language model developed by Lazear (1997), knowledge of languages should be seen in terms of
human capital. Knowledge of each successive language increases an individual’s capacity for both sales and consumption.
However, the process of learning a foreign language requires significant effort, time and financial resources. By allocating
time and resources in this way, language learners’ risk having less work experience or less education compared to
monolingual workers. The GAMEland project aims to equip learners with additional language competences with as little time
and effort as possible.
GAMEland will develop a serious game, as a learner tool, for teaching to the HEIs teachers and involving them as cocreators
of the game, starting from scientifically routed approach thank to 4 university language centres in EU. The final goal
is to innovate the language learning sector.