kosneo Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 Hello everyone, I've played CMI and I absolutely loved it. I also remember being in my late teens and staring in fascination at Amiga screenshots from the previous two MI games. Now, I'm a college English instructor, and I have a rather unusual but serious question to ask all you die-hard fans: If you were a student learning English as a Second Language, do you think a Monkey Island-type game could be a valuable tool for practicing your English skills? ............................................. Some modifications and customizations would probably have to be made to maximize on the pedagogical benefits of such a game. Yet currently, I find that the MI games have certain qualities that make them pedagogical tools-in-the-making: - They are rich with spoken dialogue, which allows students to hear a variety of English speakers utter a wide variety of sentences (Listening skills) - Text can appear on the screen, so you can read it while you hear it spoken (Reading skills, incl. skimming) - They feature a variety of objects on the screen, which can be spoken and labeled for students' benefit (e.g., porthole, cannonball, and plank but also non-pirate-specific words such as cabana, reservation, and lemonade) (Vocabulary/pronunciation development) - They are fun (most software in college-level ESL labs is boring or very ancient, which is hardly a turn-on for today's students who are accustomed to slick graphics on the Web and recent video games) To boost the pedagogical aspects, new features could be added to a Monkey Island-type game. For instance, if a student learns the name of a new object (e.g., a mansion) he/she can right-click it and have it saved to a clipboard of sorts for future study (e.g., it could be added to the student's list of new vocabulary words, or it could be included in a multiple-choice quiz that the software creates automatically). Moreover, the game could offer a wider variety of objects from more common situations (e.g., the doctor's office, the airport, the college campus), which would require its context to be expanded from the current "pirate" context. I'm not saying that the game should copy MI; I'm saying that the humour, graphics, controls, puzzles, and linguistic characteristics of the game could possibly be put to good use for pedagogical software. If you agree, let me know why you think such a game could be of good use to college-level ESL students. If you disagree, tell me why or let me know what you would change from what I've suggested above. Cheers, kosneo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray Jones Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 Quite cool idea. It's that learning by doing thing, eh? Yes, i totally agree. I stepped on to play games in german / english to find out if they could translate the jokes'n'stuff or if they've translated it proper. ..OR if it could've been translated it in a more senseful way. But if you wait too long.. then mankind will have established a unique language. Otherwise it would be helpful to get to this language ..! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scabb Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 That's a great idea. I mean, using adventure games as a means to teach language. The puzzles could be centered around understanding particular words, and the complexity of the language could be built up throughout. If you're interested in making a game yourself, that's quite easily done as well, check out Adventure Game Studio. Sadly, This is probably what adventure games will turn into though, nothing more than tools of "edutainment". You'll probably get some more intelligent feedback in the AdventureGamer forums. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RicardoLuigi... Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 good idea. actually, that's my guess. i didn't read any of it. i just saw "posts:1" so, being the kind person i am, i felt the urge to post and welcome you. :newbie:s rule! take this button and wear it with pride! or don't wear it. whatever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Sixty Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 I learned my enlish In MI2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabez Posted June 21, 2003 Share Posted June 21, 2003 i wuz tort engliss throo munky iland and looc at mee nowe Hehe, just kidding! I think it's a great idea! Perhaps one of the reasons why there is a variety of people from different languages who can all type great english in this community is because the MI games are so rich in, er, language stuff. And they're fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kosneo Posted June 22, 2003 Author Share Posted June 22, 2003 Originally posted by scabb That's a great idea. I mean, using adventure games as a means to teach language. The puzzles could be centered around understanding particular words, and the complexity of the language could be built up throughout. Exactly what I'm thinking. The first levels could be for beginners, while later levels could be for intermediate and advanced learners (you would have the option to skip to those levels). In other words, as an alternative to software suites such as "Learn English" or books like "English for Dummies," users could simply play the game and actively "pick up" skills/knowledge about common phrases, everyday vocabulary, syntax, listening skills, slang, colloquialisms, and more advanced vocabulary, etc. The puzzles would also probably have to be a bit easier and more logical than, say, those in CMI (the logic is sometimes a bit of a stretch...students should not be frustrated, yet humour is good). Also, there could be some "variety games" thrown in to spice things up. E.g., the cannon-fighting in CMI, but proficiency in mini-word games determine your success, not just mouse-pointing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spitmaster Posted June 27, 2003 Share Posted June 27, 2003 I fully agree!!!. I play adventure games since the beginning of lucasfilms games and one things I said its the ability to learn English. I remember that whenever I ad a doubt in a dialogue I always search the word in the dictionary. With that I created a kinda english data base in my head. I joke with my friends to play adventure games to learn some english. But its true!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kosneo Posted June 27, 2003 Author Share Posted June 27, 2003 Originally posted by Spitmaster I fully agree!!!. I play adventure games since the beginning of lucasfilms games and one things I said its the ability to learn English. I remember that whenever I ad a doubt in a dialogue I always search the word in the dictionary. With that I created a kinda english data base in my head. It's true that most of us pick up a lot of our knowledge of a language during the first 10 years of life by listening and speaking to people around us. There's something to be said about the benefits of a fun, educational software title: you learn at your own pace, and it's fun. It's no wonder, then, that you've managed to learn how to communicate in English by playing language-rich adventure games, Spitmaster. Of course, more advanced topics and nitty-gritty rules require the guidance of a trained instructor. Now imagine if you didn't have to interrupt your game to check the dictionary. Imagine if you could click on a difficult word, phrase, or idiom and have it saved to a database. Imagine also that the software could take those saved items and convert them into fun, computer-based exercises for you to practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kosneo Posted June 27, 2003 Author Share Posted June 27, 2003 So here's a question that I put out to you folks: what other features should a fun, educational, language-rich adventure game have? Feel free to reply to this post with your ideas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.