Gaming and Language Learning: An Unlikely Alliance

When you find yourself planning to or required to learn a new language, there are many ways you can go around achieving your goal. However, most of them will include tedious and lengthy classes that can end up having the adverse effect of losing interest in the language. As such, we’ll discuss the unlikely assistance coming in the form of gaming.

The Gamification of Education

When it comes to education, regardless of what you’re trying to learn, people can potentially locate two options that are gaming-related. The first option is games that are specifically created for the sole purpose of learning something. Here you’ll find a wide variety of options that cover every type of topic, including languages.  

Alternatively, there are games which you can accidentally learn from. For instance, let’s say you enjoy playing casino games like jackpot slots. Here, you’ll find a diverse selection of options with a wide variety of themes, from retro to mythology. This can introduce you to more words in a shorter timeframe and all in one place. Moreover, thanks to the fact that it is a game of chance, it could potentially also help you understand statistics better.

The gamification of education has been an ongoing process with plenty of solid evidence to back up its effectiveness. It has ensured that learning doesn’t become a chore and instead becomes an educational form of entertainment. Moreover, it has ensured that learners aren’t just passive recipients of data, thus increasing the engagement levels of students. 

How Gaming Improves Language Skills

One of the main things that every game tries to achieve is a high level of immersion. This is because it inevitably results in people actively engaging with all of the elements in front of them and playing the game for longer. Even whilst playing games that are not created specifically for language learning purposes, players, in time, will subconsciously start memorizing what they read. 

Plus, when paired with vivid imagery and interesting soundtracks, it ensures your brain stays invested whilst playing. In time, you will encounter more words that you will either need to check online to understand or will get the information through context. This makes it an organic and achievable way to expand your lexicon. 

Apart from the aforementioned example, another option that is helpful to the process of improving your language skills is to try out multiplayer games. This will push you to converse with other people speaking your target language. Such forms of interactions simply can’t be replicated by any professional textbooks. 

All of this can ultimately result in improved reading and listening comprehension skills but in a more interactive and enjoyable way. This also increases the chances of long-term memory retention. This is due to the fact that as gamers are more invested in the game, they have a better chance of remembering any phrases and words encountered. 

While many might not have expected that languages and games would go so well together, it doesn’t change the facts. As such, if you’re trying to jazz up your resume, or simply try to find a common language with friends - make sure to try out a few games to improve your vocabulary in a way that won’t leave you yawning.