ABSTRACT

Informed by the stories of transnational youth’s participation in massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) in Mexico, this study explores the language/identity development and successful (re)integration of these youth in Mexican schools and communities. Drawing on students’ voices, we utilize a multimodal systemic functional linguistics framework to explain how engagement in MMORPGs allows youth to creatively demonstrate fields of knowledge and critically reposition themselves with positive in-the-moment and imagined identities. We call for teachers to create third spaces for youth to meet and play MMORPGs. Findings suggest that creating these blended affinity spaces may create opportunities for transnational youth to translanguage, find sanctuary within peer-interest-based communities of practice, maintain meaningful online connections with friends in the United States, form new important friendships, and create the identities needed for successful (re)integration in Mexico.

摘要

根据跨国青年参与墨西哥大型多人在线角色扮演游戏 (MMORPG) 的故事，本研究探讨了这些青年在墨西哥学校和社区中的语言/身份发展和成功（重新）融入。利用学生的声音，我们利用多模态系统功能语言学框架来解释参与 MMORPG 如何让年轻人创造性地展示知识领域，并以积极的当下和想象的身份批判性地重新定位自己。我们呼吁教师为青少年创造第三个空间，让他们见面和玩 MMORPG。研究结果表明，创建这些混合的亲和力空间可能会为跨国青年创造跨语言的机会，在基于同伴兴趣的实践社区中找到庇护所，