Il gioco si fa serio. Giocare per apprendere attraverso l’Edutainment e i Serious Games nell’esperienza didattica dell’Italiano per stranieri – L2/LS

This article explores the role of edutainment and serious games in teaching Italian as a second language (L2), highlighting how digital technologies can transform traditional and monomodal teaching practices. The integration of interactive and game-based tools, such as immersive simulations, dialogic scenarios, and voice recognition exercises, fosters personalized learning, increasing student engagement and motivation, also through the use of educational software designed for learners with special needs. Through a theoretical and methodological analysis, the study examines the synergies between game-based learning (GBL) and constructivist, situated, and socio-cultural pedagogical paradigms, illustrating how gamification and game-based learning can facilitate language acquisition in a less anxiety-inducing and more stimulating context. Special attention is given to emotional aspects and their influence on knowledge construction, emotion regulation, and the role of social interaction in educational video games.