Features of using game technologies when teaching Russian as a foreign language

The article is devoted to the peculiarities of using gaming technologies in teaching Russian as a foreign language. Particular attention is paid to the concepts of “edutainment”, “gamification” and “game technologies”, which are considered as a type of innovative technologies in the modern educational process. The game is the basis of these concepts. The article describes the functions of the game and its linguodidactic potential. A brief history of the emergence of these terms is examined and an attempt is made to differentiate them. The effectiveness of using gaming technologies in teaching Russian as a foreign language is proven by creating a comfortable atmosphere in the classroom, increasing interest in the language, activating students and their involvement in the educational process, activating existing and obtaining new knowledge, its practical application, consolidating positive emotions from learning the language. We give examples of a variety of game tasks aimed at developing various personal qualities, as well as testing residual knowledge on previously studied grammatical and regional studies topics. The article concludes that the use of gaming technologies in the process of teaching Russian as a foreign language helps in solving many methodological problems, enabling to form various competencies by over-coming the language barrier and creating special conditions for learning.