Based on the rapid development of the times, marked by technology, learning language is no longer done as it used to be before technology. In the era of technology, we can use technology as a medium for learning foreign languages, such as English. Various technological innovations have been discovered, including popular online video games like Mobile Legends.
According to Kobis & Tomatala (2020), Mobile Legends can be an effective tool to learn English. According to Darihastining et al. (2020), Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) is a popular game in Indonesia, it is the variant of MOBA genre, and this game is played by fighting as a team, defending the team’s base and destroying the enemy base consisting of five players from each team with the Land of Dawn as a battle arena.
Surprisingly, the Land of Dawn, typically a battle arena, can actually serve as an effective classroom for learning English by enhancing communication skills, introducing vocabulary, and improving listening also pronunciation in a fun way.
Firstly, Mobile Legends can improve communication skills through the available chat and voice chat features. When playing games with MOBA genre, we will definitely be formed and compete in teams. In achieving victory in the match, communication is important. When playing we not only meet Indonesian players, it is also possible for foreigners to be on the one team in the game. This will force us to be able to communicate in English.
For example, by using the chat and voice chat features we can send many phrases such as phrases for apreciation like “Good game”, “Well played”, and “Great play”. Then there are phrases for commands such as “Push first”, “Push the gold lane”, “Attack the lord”, and many more. And prohibition phrases or appeals such as “Enemy missing”, “Gather at the lord”, “Retreat”, and “Beware of ambush”.
This need or interest in communication trains players to think and spontaneously in English This is also an opportunity for us to practice how to give instructions, ask questions, also give prohibitions is also an easy way to learn English.
Another fundamental way is that Mobile Legends teaches English through the acquisition of the rich vocabulary available from the game. Every element in MLBB from hero name such as “Lesley”, “Esmeralda”, “Alucard”, or “Hilda” with their own unique backgrounds to skill names such as “Combat Ritual”, “Art of Hunting”, or “Power of Wildness” are all presented in English.
Players are also automatically expose to words such as “burst damage”, “cooldown”, or “stun”. Furthermore, by understanding item descriptions such as “Lifesteal”, “Magic Defense”, “Immortality”, or “Armor”, this understanding is crucial to success in the game. According to Yudanto (2025), the research was conducted by sending questionnaires to 27 English Education students to find out that Mobile Legends is useful as a tool for learning English, revealing that 81,5% students agreed that they have obtained new vocabulary knowledge from MLBB. O
