The practice of a foreign language through computer games

Computer games are a good example of how long a person can keep attention on one task. Why don't we take advantage of this for learning the language?

In the article I want to share my opinion on what types of games are suitable for learning a language, and give a list of those that seemed to me effective. I hope in the future there will be more games suitable for this purpose. Better yet, if developers begin to lay the possibility of learning the language in the basis of gameplay. I’m sure this would increase the demand for games, given that many regard them as a way to kill time ineptly.

Good and bad games in terms of language learning

There are two types of games that are suitable for learning languages:
I. Any online games that require communication with other players.
Ii. Singles that can be played with interest only if you know the language
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Under the first type of suitable online games with a joint passage , as they create additional incentives for communication. Unlike practice with language partners, online tutoring and language exchange, in games you always have a topic for conversation and quite often there is a need to quickly convey critical information to win. This makes some online games a very good tool for learning the language.

A few examples:

• Karl, a boy from Denmark, became the best in English class, playing WoW.
• Dione, a freelance writer, wrote a PhD in Spanish through WoW; 8 months of the game jumped 2 levels of proficiency.

Ii. Singles, which can not be played with interest without knowing the language . That is, shooters, RPGs, races, strategies and sports simulators do not fit this type, because they can be played, as a rule, without any sound at all. If you take Skyrim as an example, a player may not hear a word at all for a few hours of the game, wandering around the caves and killing goblins. The perfect game of this type is text quest . Below is a list of games that I also consider suitable.

List of singles for learning the language

The list is not complete, waiting for your additions in the comments.

Games will be listed according to the following pattern:

• The name of the game and the link to the site.
• Minimum level of knowledge of the language for the game.
• Supported platforms.
• Video gameplay.
• Description - briefly about the game.
• Pros and cons from the perspective of learning the language.

1. Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments

Minimum level: pre-intermediate
Platforms: PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4.ZabAbJfSk



One of the best language learning games. Since the plot in the game is non-linear, and you decide who committed the murder and how to punish the criminal, there is an interest to really understand the situation. And for this you need to carefully listen and reread the dialogues, read all the letters, notes, articles in books, etc., and build from the resulting premises a real picture of what happened (otherwise an innocent person will sit in jail (!)).
It takes a little time to search for evidence - in this respect, the developers did great work: they prevented hour reels in locations in search of objects.

Pros:

• It is possible to reread the dialogues;
• Slow clear speech, good diction, different accents;
• To complete the game, you must read letters, newspaper clippings, pages from books, notes, etc .;
• It is necessary to operate with small text fragments in order to build chains of conclusions.

Minuses:

• Part of the time, you just need to walk and look for evidence.

2. The Walking Dead: season one

Minimum level: intermediate
Platforms: Windows, Mac, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, IOS, Android.



The game is similar to the film, the plot of which develops depending on the decisions of the player. Most of the time you need to listen to the dialogues and choose between different answer choices. The time for choosing dialogs is limited - you need to quickly read and decide on your choice, otherwise the character will simply remain silent.

Pros:

• Many dialogues;
• There is a mobile version.

Minuses:

• Sometimes you have to spend time walking;
• Requires a good knowledge of the language (you can not pause).

3. The Walking Dead: season two

Minimum level: intermediate
Platforms: Windows, Mac, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, IOS, Android.



Continuation of the first part. Most of the time, listen to the dialogues.

Pros:

• Many dialogues;
• You can pause to read everything;
• There is a mobile version.

Minuses:

• You have to spend time walking;

The Wolf Among Us

Minimum level: intermediate
Platforms: Windows, Mac, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, IOS, Android.



As in Walking dead, most of the time you need to listen to the dialogues, make difficult decisions and follow the developments. Good story, the outcome is unexpected.

Pros:

• Many dialogues;
• You can pause;
• There is a mobile version.

Minuses:

• We have to spend time walking.

Game of Thrones: a telltale games series

Minimum level: intermediate
Platforms: Windows, Mac, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, IOS, Android.



Excellent opportunity to practice the language for fans of the same series. The game starts around the end of the 3rd season; As the game progresses, we interact with characters from the series, which are quite similar both in appearance and characters.

Pros:

• Many dialogues;
• You can pause;
• There is a mobile version.

Minuses:

• We have to spend time walking.

The stanley parable

Minimum level: pre-intermediate
Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux



In the game you just need to go and listen to the story. Depending on which door you enter, the story changes. There are a total of 16 endings, so you need to go through the game several times.

Pros:

• There are subtitles;
• Almost always listen to the speech.

Minuses:

• Little original game time.

Life is strange

Minimum level: intermediate
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One



The game in the interactive movie genre is similar to the games of Telltale games studio (all the games listed here, except for Sherlock and Stanley), but there are a number of advantages. Gameplay includes the ability to rewind time ago, which allows you to change your decisions, to conduct dialogues more effectively. This ability gives language learners the opportunity to rehear dialogues several times for better learning. In addition, the main character keeps a diary in which you can read everything that happens to you - this is convenient if you have missed something.

Pros:

• There are subtitles;
• You can rewind time and rehear conversations;
• There is a diary with narration;
• Many dialogues;
• Frequent game character comments.

Minuses:

• You have to spend time wandering.

Conclusion

Games are suitable for learning the language, because they allow you to keep your attention on one task for a long time. By and large, it makes no difference whether you read the text “The capital of Great Britain” or the text of the dialogue subtitles in the game; whether you are talking to a tutor or another player - a native speaker.

Two types of games are suitable for practice:

1. Online games, for the passage of which is necessary to communicate with other players. Playing with native speakers, jointly resolving game situations, you master a foreign language in a relaxed manner. Games provide additional topics for communication and create incentives to quickly convey the necessary information (in the target language).

2. Single games that are not fun to play without knowing the language and which encourage you to work with the text most of the time.