Building English Writing Confidence in Adult Learners: A Pilot Study on a Telegram-Based Text Detective Game

Interactive narrative games are used in language education as a more engaging alternative to traditional reading activities. In addition, playing AI-driven narrative games can be a low-stake way to practice foreign-language writing. This study introduces a pilot version of a text-based detective game with AI-powered characters, aimed at enhancing engagement and reducing writing anxiety in adult English learners. The characters adjust their language difficulty level (from A2 to B2) depending on the player’s choice. The game also provides in-context vocabulary explanation and on-demand feedback. Seven participants of different language levels (A2–C1) tested the game and completed questionnaires about their experience, and three of them participated in semi-structured interviews. The questionnaire and the interview results suggest that mystery solving made the writing process more engaging for the participants, though no statistically significance was found in the anxiety effect. Although for some participants writing tasks seemed too open-ended, in-game writing was not perceived as more stressful than everyday writing. The participants’ feedback will help to further adapt the game for writing-anxious English learners.