It is generally recognised that games play a vital role in the general cognitive and meta-cognitive development of children. Games stimulate and motivate young learners, providing them with a rich environment that stimulates curiosity, exercises a wide range of skills and fosters growth.

In foreign language learning, game playing brings a crucial added dimension: it provides a meaningful context for young children to engage in L2 activity and interaction. Such contextualisation is fundamental to Second Language Acquisition in general and for young learners in particular: for further discussion, see The Natural Approach  (a brief overview of Krashen's theories, or for a more detailed analysis, Krashen & Terrell’s Natural Approach) and Modelli Operativi - A.L.I.A.S., Maria Cecilia Luise (downloadable file).

The appeal to children of computer games (at least for entertainment purposes) is more than evident: video games played on consoles or PC now occupy a significant part of many children's leisure time. As a result, to children computers are almost synonymous with game playing, and using them in the classroom context is often considered as a kind of game in itself (although the initial novelty value may well wear off if the "game" does not meet sometimes high expectations).

So when it comes to adopting multimedia to foster and enrich children's language learning experience, the game playing approach would seem to offer enormous potential, characterised as it is by a rich blend of multimedia material and a high level of interactivity.