English vocabularies, particularly at the beginning stage of language learning process, are simply forgotten. Without an adequate repertoire of words, language users cannot understand others or express their own ideas. Vocabulary is vital across the core curriculum from “arts and social studies” to “mathematics and science”. It is commonly accepted that educational games are games that are intended to assist people to learn about particular subjects, expand concepts, reinforce development, understand a historical event or culture, or assist them in learning a skill during playing .Thus the present quasi-experimental study aimed at investigating the effect of game on Iranian young EFL learners’ vocabulary learning. Sixty male learners at elementary level participated in the study which lasted one academic semester. There were two groups –one experimental and the other control- with 30 learners in each. The collected data was analyzed by means of SPSS. The findings of the study provided strong support for the effectiveness of the games in word acquisition that might be due to their role in making a relaxed, less stressful, cheerful and enjoyable atmosphere for learning.
Keywords: Iranian EFL learners, Vocabulary learning, game
