The thesis intends to investigate the use of digital games in education, and comment on how they could be used to improve learning outcomes. The theoretical part discusses various formal definitions of games, and presents an overview of the beneficial impacts which playing digital games could have on learning, such as improved motivation and engagement. It also lists possible approaches to incorporating games into a lesson. The practical part of the thesis describes the process of developing a video game for teaching literature within an EFL class at the upper-secondary school level. It aims to answer the question, whether such a game can provide the same beneficial effects on learning as commercial entertainment and learning games.