摘要：This is an interview study of Eldin, a 14-year-old Bosnian boy living in Swedensince the age of six. The aim is to investigate how Eldin became a gamer and howhe, strongly motivated, learned foreign/second (L2) English mainly through selfaccessgameplay. Using language learning motivation theories, Dörnyei’s (2005,2009) L2 Motivational Self System and Dweck’s (2006) concept of mindsets, thequestions are: (i) By whom and at what age was the learner introduced to videogames?, (ii) What was it about the games that kept the learner motivated for twoyears before he started to play ‘for real’?, and (iii) How does the learner himselfdescribe his process of language learning? Data consist of an in-depth interviewand three university-level vocabulary/multiple-choice tests measuring Englishproficiency. Guided by the questions, interview data were analyzed qualitatively.Eldin’s mindset seems to favor naturalistic language learning, matching hisinterest in gaming. Experiences of having fun and daring to use ‘trial-and-error’ ingaming have contributed to his English proficiency, which is equivalent to apassing grade at second-semester university level. Elements of gaming (inparticular, competition, stories, and escapism) appeal to Eldin, thereby indirectlycontributing to his successful learning of English.
关键词：CALL; gaming; self-access; young learners; Ideal L2 self; motivation
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