「遊戲」一詞在語言教學領域中寬鬆之使用已使其詞義相當模糊。本文考察文獻中遊戲之各項定義，設法找出遊戲活動之主要特色，結果發現遊戲含有下列五項主要特質：目標、規則、競爭、趣味、不定性。傳統中華文化中有一種對遊戲持負面看法的觀念，認為遊戲是會干擾學習的。為了探索遊戲在語言教學方面的潛在作用，本文接下來探討遊戲之主要特色在語言教學方面之含義與運用，詳細檢視其主要特色如何在語言課堂遊戲的架構中適切有效的發揮其作用。結論是規劃經營良好的遊戲有助於學生積極學習語言，因此語言遊戲之價值與正面作用不容低估。

　　　　　In the field of language teaching the word game has been used so loosely that it has become a very vague term. This article identifies main features of a game in various definitions given in the literature. It is found that games have the following main features: goals, rules, competition, engagingness, and unpredictability. In traditional Chinese culture, there exists the concept that games distract the mind from learning. To work out a game’s potentialities in language teaching, this article continues to explore the implications of the main features of a game for language teaching. At the same time, the ways in which the main features can function properly and beneficently are examined in detail within the framework of a game in the language class. The conclusion is that well-conceived and well-managed language games are useful in making learners more active participants in their language learning. Therefore, we should not belittle the value and significance of language learning games.