【Abstract】GBL （GBL）， also named serious game， has become prevalent in many subject fields. Several studies claimed that GBL leads to the improvement in cognition， learning performance， and motivation. Echoing some researchers， fruitful GBL research should be conducted by teasing out the effects of specific game characteristics instead of treating GBL as a homogeneous research object. The aim of the study is to find out whether those game characteristics link to learning motivation from a learner’s experience and insights， or from a teacher’s perspective and practices.
　　【Key words】Game-based learning; learning motivation; competition
　　【作者簡介】钟振溢（1996.07.07-），男，浙江台州人，浙江师范大学外国语学院，硕士，研究方向：多媒体英语教学。
　　Theoretical Background
　　Game-based learning
　　GBL， or serious games， could be defined as using online games to entertain and to achieve learning goals. In the GBL approach， the game is a learning and playing environment that could include elements such as rules， goals， outcomes & feedback， story， and competition. However， some argue that sometimes the role of “serious game” is not determined by the developer， but by the intention of the player， because games such as Grand Theft Auto could be seen as a serious game if the player uses it not only for entertainment but also for training driving skills.
　　GBL and learning motivation
　　It was mentioned in some books that factors inherent in many games such as 1） goal achievement， 2） immediate feedback， 3） easy to access with different digital devices， and 4） adaptability to different learning styles， may contribute to learning motivation （e.g. D？rner et al， 2016; Reinhardt， 2019）. However， empirical evidence for the motivational benefits of GBL has been much less conclusive. Some argued that GBL may facilitate motivation across different learners and learning situations. Chen and Law （2016） suggested that when the activities are not engaging or too difficult， learners may lose the motivation to continue. Wouters et al. （2013） reasoned that while leisure game players could choose when and what games to play， students in GBL often do not have a similar sense of control， which could reduce motivation. Those arguments link to a significant construct that gauges learner motivation in gameplay-flow （Csikszentmihalyi， 1990），， whic9h refers to an inherent motivation that keeps us playing a game.
　　Competition is frequently integrated into GBL. But not all theorists agree it is a critical characteristic of GBL. Competition has been viewed as a negative force in learning environments from the lens of social interdependence theory. Research in 2013 suggested that competition in games is not significantly related to learning outcomes， and only partly related to students’ motivation. Thus， the relationship between competition features in GBL and learning motivation needs further discussion.