Beyond play: Exploring Indonesian university students’ literacy practices in Roblox affinity spaces

Abstract

Traditionally, literacy is defined as the ability to read and write; however, in new literacy studies, attention has shifted to how students understand and interpret multimodal texts, such as audio, visual, and spatial elements, including those embedded in games. This study aims to examine how Roblox players, particularly students at an Indonesian public university, develop literacy skills, especially reading and writing, while playing games, using two relevant frameworks: affinity space theory and new literacy studies theory. The study examined real-world literacy practices that occur when students interact with Roblox, including reading game instructions, creating narratives, writing in-game dialogue, and chatting with other players. Further, this study aimed to understand better how game-based environments, such as Roblox, give students opportunities to acquire and apply literacy skills in meaningful, creative ways outside the traditional classroom through naturally occurring activities. Additionally, this study sought to determine the kinds of literacy practices that are included in games and the textual and linguistic characteristics of students’ reading and written work. Data were collected from in-game chats between players and interviews with ten Roblox players aged 17-19. Findings suggest that in-game experiences helped students develop and, to some extent, improve their literacy practice by helping them understand manuals, interpret symbols, and communicate with players. Although some students also experienced negative encounters such as being scammed and witnessed racial harassment, students still hoped that in-game experiences could be transferred to the academic setting, which then becomes the responsibility of educators, particularly literacy educators.