Summary
- Video games like Bookworm provide interactive gameplay that can improve English language skills.
- World of Warcraft and Civilization 6 offer opportunities for players to learn English vocabulary in a gaming context.
- Baldur's Gate 3 includes English voice acting with subtitles in many languages, making it a great choice for language learners.
It's a popular endeavor to learn another language, and English is one of the most popular when it comes to this demand. There are thousands of apps and programs for acquiring the ability to speak English, with varying degrees of success, but the best way to learn any language is to use it.
10 Best Fictional Language in Video Games
Fictional languages are becoming progressively more common in video games, and here are the best ones.
There's a collection of video games that can help players learn and practice the language even though they aren't specifically labeled as "educational" or "language learning apps." Games that include interactive dialogue and detailed descriptions of items or locations are equally useful for those who hope to learn English or for native speakers looking to improve their existing skills.
6 Bookworm
Great For Basic Spelling And Vocabulary
Bookworm
- Released
- February 25, 2003
- Developer(s)
- PopCap
- Platform(s)
- Mobile, Nintendo Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, PC
- Genre(s)
- Puzzle
Bookworm is a simple game that has inspired other digital games like Wordle and was itself inspired by old-school physical games like Scrabble. It's wonderfully intuitive, totally PG-rated, works on virtually any platform, and scales well with the player's level, so it's equally fun for advanced speakers.
The goal is to make as many words as possible to advance to higher levels, with extra points given for longer words, those that are featured as bonus words, or words that use the rare green or golden tiles. Once the tiles start burning, they have to be used and extinguished before they burn down the whole library.
5 World Of Warcraft
Various Global Servers, Many Of Them Multilingual
World of Warcraft
Using an MMO is a better choice for more advanced learners, but someone who wants to learn can start on a lower curve if they choose. When it comes to World of Warcraft, this works best if the player creates their character on an English-speaking server, but another option for beginners is to join an English-speaking guild.
World Of WarCraft: Every Expansion In Chronological Order
New to World of WarCraft and overwhelmed by Chromie Time? If you're interested in seeing the story from the beginning, play the game in this order.
Players who already know the game's vocabulary in their native language will be able to recognize many of the words used for basic gear, special locations, and key spells or abilities. It doesn't matter if it's retail or Classic WoW either since both modern and classic versions have bilingual item descriptions and world-chat options.
4 Firewatch
A Complex And Compelling Narrative
Firewatch
The language in Firewatch is used to drive the story of Henry, a fire lookout working in the Wyoming wilderness in 1989. The specific region under his care is Shoshone National Forest, and his only contact with the outside world is his supervisor Delilah, who is available only by walkie-talkie.
Henry's interactive conversation with Delilah is fairly limited, making it easier for ESL learners to follow, and the vocabulary follows the themes of forestry, wilderness, and safety terms, so it's easier to interpret in context. Players can either explore the game as an open world or follow an audio tour, the latter of which is ideal for more advanced learners keen on practicing directions or instructions.
3 Civilization 6
A History Of Human Language
Sid Meier's Civilization 6
Civilization 6 is usually cited as ideal for learning history and geography, but it's also great for learning English. The vocabulary neatly fits into categories like politics, war, and resources, just to name a few, and some diplomatic relations will help for learning dialogue.
Civ 6: 26 Tips On How To Get A Diplomacy Victory
This way of victory takes a lot more strategy and cunning than the other, more straightforward ways that come with the base game. Here are some tips.
Despite the cultural differences when it comes to choosing leaders, as long as the overall game is in English, any option will do. It is possible to be Teddy Roosevelt or Queen Victoria for a more authentic historical experience when it comes to how English became one of the vernacular languages of the global community.
2 Season: A Letter To The Future
Vocabulary And Conversation For Written And Listening Practice
Season: A Letter to the Future
Season: A Letter To The Future is based on the tale of one person who is recording the story of all people, or the whole world, on the eve of some unspoken and profound change. Some players interpret this to mean the world is ending, but that might not be the case, and even if it is, there's little to indicate what this ending will look like.
The theme of this game is writing and recording things, which includes taking pictures, which means that most of the vocabulary focuses on descriptions, directions, and using the past tense. The tone and register are simple and direct, with little or no slang used in either the spoken or written portions of the game.
1 Baldur's Gate 3
Engaging Interactive Conversations
Baldur's Gate 3
- Released
- August 3, 2023
- Developer(s)
- Larian Studios
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, macOS
- Genre(s)
- RPG
The writing and dialogue in Baldur's Gate 3 are on point, which is a great start, but several other factors make this RPG ideal for those hoping to improve their language skills. BG3 is available in a variety of languages when it comes to subtitles and descriptions, but the voice acting is always going to be in English.
The 10 Best Ways To Use Games In Language Learning
Learning languages can be extremely difficult, but thankfully there are fun ways that gamers can learn through the use of video games.
That means virtually all of the audio has a text translation, including the narrator, so players are going to learn some basic vocabulary and common phrases no matter what. Another helpful layer to this is that most of the voice actors in the game have clear but distinct accents and use little or no slang because of the fantasy setting, which makes translation a whole lot easier.