COMPUTER GAMES AND LANGUAGE LEARNING
At the FLRC we are working to find new motivating and innovative ways to use computer games both inside and outside of the classroom. Below are a few examples of our ongoing project here at the FLRC at Pomona College.
Most recently we have been very happy with our PlayStation 3 and some games that support multiple languages. Especially popular is the interactive quiz game “Buzz,” which supports German, French English, and Spanish.
We have also been testing and using the following games successfully:
- The Sims 2 (+ add-ons)
- Civilization IV
- Sim City 4
- Tabula Magica
- Verliebt in Berlin
- King’s Quest I + II
- Who Wants To Be A Millionaire (title diff. in various languages, e.g. German)
- Siegburg-Spiel: Die geheimnisvolle Anno-Schatztruhe
- Patrizier Online
- The Sims 2 Body Shop (Mac)
We’ve played adventure games both with conversation classes as well as during non-class hours.
Students have produced in-game videos with target language voice-over (machinima). Some students have created walk-throughs and tips in the target language.
Our experience so far has been that while games can be a great way to learn languages, computer games are not easy to set up and integrate into formal class settings. They are best used outside of the classroom.
