Practice a foreign language through computer games

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

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

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 for the passage of which requires communication with other players.
II. Single games that you can play with interest only if you know the language.

The first type is suitable for online games with 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 information critical for victory. This makes some online games a very good tool for learning a language.

A few examples:

• Carl, a boy from Denmark, became the best in class in English, playing in WoW.
• Diona, a freelance writer, wrote a PhD in Spanish through WoW; for 8 months of the game I jumped over 2 levels of language proficiency.

II. Single games that cannot be played with interest without knowledge of the language . That is, shooters, RPGs, races, strategies and sports simulators are not suitable for this type, because they can be played, as a rule, without sound at all. If you take Skyrim as an example, a player may not hear a word at all for several hours of the game, wandering around caves and killing goblins. The ideal game of this type is a text quest . Below is a list of games that I also find suitable.

List of singles for learning a language

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

Games will be listed in the following pattern:

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

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 offender, there is an interest in really understanding the situation. And for this you need to carefully listen and reread the dialogs, read all the letters, notes, articles in books and so on, and build from the resulting premises a real picture of what happened (otherwise an innocent person will go to jail (!)).
It takes a little time to search for evidence - in this regard, the developers are great: they prevented clock wandering around locations in search of objects.

Pros:

• There is an opportunity to re-read dialogs;
• Slow, clear speech, good diction, different accents;
• To complete the game you need to read letters, newspaper clippings, pages from books, notes, etc .;
• It is necessary to operate with small text fragments in order to build output chains.

Minuses:

• Part of the time, you just need to walk around 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 like a movie, the plot of which develops depending on the decisions of the player. Most of the time you need to listen to the dialogs and choose between different answer options. The time for choosing dialogs is limited - you need to quickly read and decide on the choice, otherwise the character will simply remain silent.

Pros:

• Lots of 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 we listen to dialogue.

Pros:

• Lots of dialogues;
• You can pause to have time to read everything;
• There is a mobile version.

Minuses:

• 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 dialogs, make difficult decisions and monitor developments. A good plot, the denouement is unexpected.

Pros:

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

Minuses:

• You 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.



A great opportunity to practice the language for fans of the eponymous series. The game starts around the end of season 3; during the game we interact with characters from the series, which are quite similar both in appearance and in character.

Pros:

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

Minuses:

• You 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 are entering, the narrative changes. There are 16 endings in total, so you need to go through the game several times.

Pros:

• There are subtitles;
• We listen to speech almost constantly.

Minuses:

• Little original playing time.

Life is strange

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



The game in the genre of interactive movies is similar to the games of the Telltale games studio (all the games listed here, except for Sherlock and Stanley), but there are a number of advantages. The gameplay includes the ability to rewind time back, which allows you to change your decisions, conduct dialogs more efficiently. This ability gives language learners the opportunity to listen to dialogue several times for better learning. In addition, the main character keeps a diary in which you can read everything that happens to you - it is convenient if you miss something.

Pros:

• There are subtitles;
• You can rewind time and listen to dialogs;
• There is a diary with a story;
• Lots of dialogues;
• Frequent comments on the game character.

Minuses:

• You have to spend time wandering around.

Conclusion

Games are suitable for learning a language, because they allow you to keep your attention on one task for a long time. By and large, there is no difference if you read the text “The capital of Great Britain” or the text of the subtitles of the dialogue in the game; Do you speak with a tutor or with another native speaker.

For practice, 2 types of games are suitable:

1. Online games, for the passage of which you need to communicate with other players. Playing with native speakers, jointly resolving game situations, you master a foreign language in an easy way. Games provide additional topics for communication and create incentives in order to quickly convey the necessary information (in the language being studied).

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