It’s common knowledge that you can implement music and movies into your language-learning routine. What is a less common suggestion is video games. They can be very useful tools. We live in a world of an overflow of information, and video games are one form of that constant content we get. Every language learner has their own method for music and movies, but how do you use video games as sources? How can we learn a language with video games? What should we be careful about when it comes to video games? Should you use these as sources even if you don’t already play any games in your free time?
Things have improved a lot
I remember when I was a kid, there was an alternate version of one of my favorite games, but it was exclusive to Japan. I wanted to play the game, but the process to play foreign language content in the 2000’s was a nightmare. Usually, devices were region locked, preventing content from playing on devices bought in another country. This was not exclusive to video games. American cassettes would not work on a European VCR. Japanese DVDs would not play on American DVD players. You had to buy another machine or use a convoluted method of hacking the machine to trick it into thinking it’s a disc from another country.
These days, it’s amazing to me how things have improved. To cut costs, manufacturers create devices in one factory and sell that same device in all regions, so region locking would actually increase costs. For consumers, that means your Japanese Nintendo Switch game will work on your American Switch because the factory does not differentiate between Japanese and American Switches.
This is on top of Steam on PC allowing players to change their language features on the fly. I made a video playing Mini Metro in all the languages I know that the game offered. It is something that I can change in the settings. This is in addition to the fan-made language patches that allow players to play games in languages that the developers did not think was profitable.
Games on iOS and Android match the language of the phone for the most part. It makes more sense for developers to consolidate all files into one version that can change the language on the fly.
This means that language learners have never had freer use of video games as a language learning resource. Chances are that it is pretty simple to learn a language with video games.
All platforms can help
It does not matter whether you are a big gamer that buys the newest Sony or Nintendo or Microsoft devices. All people probably have access to games that can comfortably be used for language study.
Smartphones are good for language learning because you can switch languages in seconds. You can easily access the app stores of different countries by changing your location.
Most people have access to a computer. Regardless of the operating system, you have access to many computer games that allow you to also switch languages on the fly. Even if you don’t buy modern games, you have a collection of retro games that you can play if you have access to the ROM and ISO files, (whose method of access I will not be discussing).
Essentially, this is not something that is only possible for those people with the gaming chairs and shining controllers. Any language learner can dabble in this.
Did you like Pokémon as a kid? Have you considered getting a ROM of Pokémon Crystal in French?
Do you like Candy Crush? Why don’t you try just changing your phone settings to Japanese when you do that? Regardless of the device, you can try to learn a language with video games.
Take things seriously or take them passively
Depending on the style you want, you can take things more like a lesson, or you can use games like passive content. In the same way you probably don’t take notes on every word in a podcast, you might not want to take notes on every word of a video game, especially when you can’t pause.
For some people, that is just what they need. They need some way to relax their brain. They need some way to incorporate their target language into their daily life. I am sure most people have plenty of textbooks, but too many language learners lack good comprehensible input.
For me, when I play Final Fantasy VII Remake in French, which I have made a YouTube video about and continue to show my progress in on Instagram, I take things actively. When I encounter a lot of new words, I save a video replay. Then, I write down the words that I don’t know. Once I understand the scene, I continue. It helps that I already played the game in English, so I understand the context for the most part.
On the other hand, when I play Animal Crossing, I do things passively. The atmosphere of this particular game is very relaxed, so I don’t want to break the flow of gameplay to check the dictionary. On top of that, the dialogue of the game is rarely critical to understanding the situation. Even if I did not understand a word, I could understand that someone just handed me a present because I can see it on my screen.
Games do comprehensible input very well
Like in Animal Crossing, you will also see something similar when you play a game in your target language. Even if you don’t understand a word, you can tell that someone said something angry and is coming to attack you. You cannot miss that part. Later, when you hear that expression, you might come to realize that word was related to attacking or fighting.
Something that games do much better than movies or books or music is comprehensive input. Game designers spend lots of time and energy subconsciously telling you what to do next without words. The classic example of game design subtly pushing you without language is World 1-1 in the original Super Mario Bros. For example, you must jump over the Goomba before you continue to the rest of the stage. There is nothing else you can do at that moment.
If we analyze games on the level of language, we can still see that games use non-verbal cues in every moment of the game. Even if you don’t understand the word 攻撃力, you can see you deal more damage when you increase your 攻撃力. You can then conclude that this word must be related to your offensive ability.
This sort of learning by context is much more valuable for the brain. Your memory accepts this much easier than rote memorization. Your brains like reasons, so if you see the reason that a word has a certain meaning, you can easily incorporate that into your vocabulary.
This is a skill that is uniquely ubiquitous in video games. Context clues exist in every medium, but the amount of contextual learning in video games is, by design, immensely higher in video games. Comprehensive input is becoming more and more possible if you learn a language with video games.
The powerful tool for many
Video games should be another important tool in a language learner’s toolbox. We cannot replace textbooks and TV shows and music, but we can definitely add to this diet of language input.
I am a huge advocate for video games as a learning resource. I can recommend it to any language learner. Even if you are not a hardcore gamer, chances are you enjoy some sort of simple game like Candy Crush or Angry Birds. It costs nothing to change your language settings, but it can help you incorporate so many common words into your vocabulary, and you can learn those words much more naturally than if you had flash cards.
If you have no interest in this, that is alright. I wouldn’t say learners must use music to learn a language. Language learning is easier when we are engaged with our language input. For me, I really enjoy my way to learn a language with video games, and I think it could be helpful for you, too.
You can read more articles about language learning on my website.
You can watch some language-related videos on my YouTube channel.
I made a more precise video about how to change language settings on my YouTube channel a few months ago that I also recommend:
Make language learning fun for you! Good luck!
