Presentation's Eve

All right, so this is it. The time has come for us to deliver our presentation tomorrow in class! :)

I am sure we will do well, because the topic is interesting to all of us. Come on, everyone loves games, and anyone claiming not to like them is sure to be a secret-gamer, really.

And while we are at it - gaming, I mean -, why not use these pastime activities to our advantage? They can be used for language learning purposes in surprisingly effective ways. Our presentation will hopefully shed light on many of these.

That's all for today, because a good night's rest is essential for our rhetoric side's flourish tomorrow! :D

Good night,
Tomi

IMHO

Okay since i believe this will be the last post for this semester, I will give my two cents on the matter.

Gaming for language learning
This is definitely an area that can be exploited to great results. However, it must be said that the students themselves must be interested and motivated enough to learn. If not, it becomes just another mindless game. I have to admit, I myself used to play Sims for a good 6-7 years and it has never occurred to me to use this as a language learning tool.

Can we replace traditional classrooms with virtual ones?
I highly doubt that will happen. It could happen, however, in extreme circumstances such as a place where the language learner has absolutely no other source of acquiring the language. However, I doubt that things such as prosody, intonation and perhaps even grammar can be acquired adequately. As such, games and virtual reality can only act as a supplement for traditional teaching as best. It needs to act on a basic knowledge of the language and serve as a tool for practice and enhancement instead of a total replacement of traditional methods.

What are the most important factors in a game for language learning?
I believe if a game specially catered to language learners were to be made, it shouldn't present tasks that are too daunting for the language learner. I liked the idea of using visuals and feedback from characters (such as in The Sims) to provide external feedback and corroboration for the game instructions. It might also be good to include voicing to provide speech samples of the target language so as to give the language learner a sound production to strive for.

However, it must be said that as in all forms of learning, the most important factor and largest motivating force is possibly the interest and will to learn. Even in playing games, hard work is needed in order to succeed in one's aim. (:

Music games, part 3.

Better late than never, here comes the final part of music games! Last week we left off at rhythm games which required arm movement, and today I'd like to talk about one of the most famous members of this sub-category.

Guitar Hero:

It originally spawned from a Japanese idea of having plastic guitars and drums as controllers, and is the most famous party and music game in Europe. Older versions of the game only included guitar and bass play but the newer instalments also have a drum kit and a microphone too. You can play alone but naturally it's more fun if you have 3 or 4 people to really simulate the feeling of having a band.

You're not just simply enjoying yourself during game-play but also polishing your reflexes, and developing great leg and arm coordination while on the drums. Specific sounds are associated with their appropriate coloured buttons on the guitar and items on the drum, such as the high hat, the bass drum and the other parts of a drum kit. It takes some time to master this game but once you've got the hang of it, you've acquired some useful skills for life.

 The upper pitch line is for the singer, while the other bars are for the bass, drums, and guitar, respectively.

III. Whole body movement:

The last sub-category in rhythm games is the one where you have to move your whole body to the beat, according to the indications on screen. I'll introduce three games, made for three different platforms with slight modifications.

Dance Dance Revolution (DDR):

Originated from Japan in 1998 as an arcade game, this franchise has spread to America, Europe and even Australia over the years. Undoubtedly the most popular dancing game in the whole world, which is available in arcades, on the PC and on almost every gaming console. In fact, it has gained such popularity that some schools in America have started using DDR for their physical education classes. It was even awarded with the title "The most widely used video game in schools" by the book of Guinness World Records.

Several clones exist for this game, such as Stepmania, a free open source PC version, or the Korean counterpart, called Pump It Up. Despite the abundance of games available, the core game-play is the same in every version. Arrows pointing to 4 directions are coming up on the screen and as soon as they reach a certain point, you have to step on to the corresponding arrow on the dancemat. These chains of steps then evoke a full dance pattern with occasional jumps and spins. It probably goes without saying, but just like Guitar Hero, DDR is quite hard to master as well.

If you want to try this game, you can do so at Westend City Centre.

Just Dance:

 

A similar dancing game for the Wii, but instead of stomping on a dancemat, you have to swing the Wii's motion detecting controller, the Wiimote. In this game you have specific moves to copy shown on the screen. Accuracy is key importance here because you don't just have to reproduce the steps on time but also accurately. In other words, you can have a good sense of rhythm but if you swing your right arm instead of the left one, you still get 0 points!

Dance solo or in pairs; up to 4 players can join the fun!

Dance Central:

One of the Kinect's launch titles, this game was made for the Xbox360 and uses its brand new full body motion detection camera, the aforementioned Kinect. You don't need any controllers for this game, since the Kinect detects your whole body movement, as long as you stay in front of the TV, within its range.

The game-play is similar to Just Dance, where specific dance moves come up to the screen and you have to follow them. An added bonus of this game is that the moves now have their own names written above them, such as "tap front", "step side" and so on. You also get to initiate your own dance moves during the song, in the special freestyle mode.

Playing without a controller feels like you're just doing a dance instead of a game.

Summary: 

In conclusion, I think we can state that music games have greatly shaped our lives. Nowadays these games are more than just free time activities for the kids; they appear in schools, worldwide competitions, and are targeting adults and children alike. Music games are not just great fun but they also bring people together with their multiplayer abilities, and they better our reflexes, singing, and sense of rhythm. For a language learner, they provide easier learning with the aspect of playing, motivation, and interactivity. All in all, I think it's worthwhile to use music games in the world of education and sports for their useful characteristics.

Presentation pre-cap

Hey all! I thought it would be right on time to devote this week's entry to the upcoming presentation. Last week I have taken the brave step of coining a title to our little talk, which would be: What You Play Is What You Learn, or WYPIWYL for short. If you girls agree to it, that is. :)

So, what we know already is that we will have app. 20 minutes altogether. That would mean about 6 minutes for each of us in turn, plus a little introduction in the beginning, and a summary at the end of it. We also know that we need to merge our ppts into one whole. I think the best would be if all three of us made a short ppt for our own topic, so that we have something to merge. :D I think we should be ready with this part by Sunday the 27th.

I hope to meet you all tomorrow, when we will have a chance to discuss how we are to go about all this personally.

Cheers,
Tomi

Introducing... Simlish

Hi! The second part of my research involves simulation games. In this genre i will be focusing on two main games: Second Life and The Sims.

Firstly, an introduction. As nicely defined my wikipedia, "a simulation game attempts to replicate various activities in "real life" in the form of a game for various purposes: training, analysis, or prediction. Usually there are no strictly defined goals in the game, just running around, playing as a character." Hybrids of such games may arise, and one example is Second Life.

Second Life
Second Life marries simulation games with MMORPGS, allowing you to create an online version of yourself in a virtual world that mimics the real world. Where does language acquisition come in? In Second Life, players can literally enter a language classroom to learn language. Besides these online lessons, teachers have also used this as a platform to branch out into other modes of teaching (such as via Skype or Msn Messenger. The MMORPG platform also allows users to communicate with each other in the target language, as well as communicate with native speakers of the language! While this is a rather straightforward method of teaching, popular computer game The Sims provides a more indirect form of teaching.

One of the most popular computer games, The Sims is a simulation game where you create characters and basically 'play God'; that is, you control their lives. In Sims 3, EA games has even incorporated MMOG into the game, allowing you to share your Sims online. Here is a trailer:



One of the most fascinating things about The Sims is also the fact that the language they speak in the game is one that was invented by EA games. Simlish, the language used by the Sims, was created by experimenting with fractured Ukrainian, French, Latin, Finnish, English, Fijian and Tagalog. The purpose of this was to create 'gibberish words that couldn't be translated, so that its meaning would be left open to the imagination of the player.'

So far, this seems to be posing no problem in gameplay for the game's legions of fans.

So, how can this be used as a language learning tool?
In this paper, Ravi Purushotma outlines how he had set the game's instructions in the target language (german), then had a separate laptop by the side to translate lexical items he was not sure about. In addition, the gameplay would also provide clues as to what the instructions were. For instance, if one were unable to understand the meaning of the 'Energy' bar, the Sim would first yawn and draw attention to itself with a large red bubble containing a bed above him. Upon depletion of the energy bar, the Sim would simply fall asleep on the spot. Such extralinguistic clues would reinforce the learner's knowledge of the language, providing a graphical representation of the happenings in the game.

Based on the popularity of the game alone, (according to The Realtime Report, The Sims Social on Facebook has 4.6 million players daily), using The Sims as a platform for language learners to practice using a language is a highly advantageous situation. With some modification, this could morph into a very powerful language teaching tool indeed.

Music games, part 2.

Last time I talked about pitch games which were based on the traditional idea of karaoke, so the players use their voice to participate in the game. This time I'd like to introduce a slightly different  sub-category of music games, namely rhythm games.

Game types:

The point of rhythm games is to test how much you are in sync with the music, and for that they require spot on movements from the player. The movements can range from as small as pushing a button on time to following complicated dance steps and jumps on screen. Either way, these games are mighty fun to play and also to watch someone else playing it.

However, the key factor for education purposes is that they have actually much more use than one would think. While they offer great entertainment for a large group of people, the players also learn to polish their reflex, and ability to promptly follow instructions on the screen. Let's take a closer look at some of the games.

I. Finger movement:

The most basic but not always the simplest  rhythm games are when you have to mash buttons in time with the beat of the song.

PaRappa the Rapper:

One of the first and most influential game in this category is PaRappa the Rapper, which first came out for the Playstation in 1996. The idea was to listen to a sequence and then repeat as accurately as possible. The player is graded for every single step, based on their accuracy. Although it's a good game for children due to its cartoony characters, easy to understand game-play, and its striking similarity to the popular children's game, Simon Says, the evaluation process is quite strict. If the player happens to miss a couple of steps or score too low in a row, they fail the song and have to start from the beginning. This can indeed make you frustrated after a while so it's advisable to only play for 30 minutes at a time.

Repeat and rap – The buttons you have to push are displayed on the top of the screen with an indicator showing when to do it. The score and the rating lets you know how well you’re doing.

Gitaroo Man:

A similarly frustrating although entertaining game for the Playstation 2, where instead of mimicking a previously heard sequence, the player has to push certain buttons when prompted. The game-play has three parts: First you build up your defence by following the curvy "beat" line with the analogue stick, then you have to avoid the enemy’s projectiles by pressing the right buttons at the right time while they come towards you from all four directions. Finally, you attack the enemy by repeating the first part. Does it sound difficult? It's even more difficult to play, that's why there are only 10 songs in the whole game!

Charge, guard and attack – Note the initial difference between the two life bars on the top of the screen. If you fail to charge your energy, then you start the battle handicapped!

Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan:

While this Nintendo DS game was not released outside of Japan, it has gained such popularity worldwide that fans made a free counterpart of it for the PC, called Osu!, and a very similar game was released for the DS in Western countries, labelled Elite Beat Agents.

Cheer girls from Ouendan and beat boys from Elite Beat Agents – you can play as either gender in both games.

The goal of the game is to simply cheer for someone in need by touching the numbered bubbles in order and in time with the music. This is done via the touch screen of the DS with the pen provided, called the stylus. Besides touching the bubbles, the game-play also features following a trail and spinning the stylus in a circle as fast as you can. It’s also important to keep your eye on the “zeal bar” on top, which is gradually going down, unless you cheer with all your might! :)
 

Elite Beat Agents: Make the agents dance on the lower screen by tapping and spinning, while a story unfolds on the top screen. You get regular feedback of your performance during the short breaks in the song.

The fan-made PC version, Osu! follows the same idea, only with a mouse instead of a pen and a touch screen.

In this game, you can even make your own beatmaps and share them with other players.

Rhythm Heaven:

I'd like to introduce one more small game on the Nintendo DS system, which is in fact a collection of mini games and it's known as "Rhythm Paradise" in Europe. 

The game-play is based solely on the touch screen but it features lots of different types of movements, for example touching, tapping, swiping, etc. It's a very fun game for all ages and besides its fun factor, it helps to develop and polish motoric movement in young children.

II. Arm movement:

As if moving your fingers wasn't challenging enough, the second sub-category features music games which require you to move your arms and upper body too. The game-play is generally based on the same concept as before; hit a specific button as it reaches a certain point on the screen. Thus paying very close attention to the screen while coordinating your body movement is crucial, making these type of games somewhat more challenging than games of other genres.

Pop'n Music:

Unfortunately this arcade game never reached the Western shores but it has become increasingly popular in Japan, ever since its first release in 1998. It's a seemingly fun children's game but don't let appearances fool you - the harder levels pose quite a challenge, even for those blessed with a good sense of rhythm. This game is played with a special keyboard, consisting of 9 big, colourful buttons. All of these buttons stand for a specific sound (piano, drum, whistle, etc.) in each song, rather than being associated with a certain instrument. The ever changing association of sounds to buttons is a core difference compared to other music games on the market, yet it's not a detrimental aspect to game-play.

Taiko no Tatsujin (Taiko Drum Master):

Another Japanese gem, which just had to be added to the list. Similarly to the previous case, this fun arcade game can only be found in the country of the rising sun; however it's not unheard of in other countries either. Instead of a regular controller, the player has to beat the rhythm on 2 Japanese styled taiko drums. The franchise has gained massive popularity in Japan, probably partially due to the fact that the taiko drum is a traditional Japanese instrument, but nevertheless, different versions of this game came out on the Playstation 2, PSP, Nintendo DS, Wii, and even on mobile phones.

My post has become bigger than I originally intended to so I'm going to leave the most famous rhythm games for next time, in Music Games part 3, coming up next week! :)

World of Warcraft - is it worth it?

I am in a really comfortable position with my chosen genre being mmorpgs. All I have to do is look for articles on the topic and select the most appropriate ones, because writings on this topic are in abundance nowadays. The article I selected for exhibition this week concerns the pros and cons of using World of Warcraft as a language learning tool with a class. Let me quote parts of it:

Much of the current research in second language acquisition (SLA) stresses the social aspect of language acquisition. Creating a learner-centered environment that a) fosters collaboration and communication, b) keeps learners motivated and on-task, and c) gives them a say in choosing their goals and how to achieve them, can be extremely challenging. Students will benefit from a framework that offers a wide variety of solutions to a given "real life" situation--solutions that require different amounts of time as well as vocabulary and grammar in the target language.

MMORPGs

Many of these goals can be achieved using simulations or gaming. For foreign languages, games—especially massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs)—create a simulated environment of language immersion where students are given the opportunity to apply their language skills toward "real life" goals within an extensive context that is, by design, supportive of a wide variety of solutions. Because this framework already exists, the teacher is free to spend his or her time playing the role of guide, making sure students stay on task and receive the additional information they need to overcome obstacles on their way toward achieving their goal.

For those not familiar with MMORPGs, they are online role-playing games where players move, act and communicate with other players in an internet-based virtual three-dimensional environment. "Winning" is usually not the point of a MMORPG; rather, players group together online to achieve certain goals and thereby progress through the game. Communication plays a central role in the game. Audio and video are embedded throughout the environment, and it is also necessary to communicate with other players in the game through audio messengers or text chat programs.

World of Warcraft

I chose to focus on the game World of Warcraft for several reasons:

• At the moment, it is by far the most popular MMORPG and has a truly international scope with dedicated servers in the U.S., Europe and Asia.
• It allows for localization of the game into different languages.
• The structure of the game is similar to most MMORPGs.

World of Warcraft is a fantasy game populated with elves, dwarves, and other fantastic characters. Players choose their "race" and are given "quests" or tasks. In order to complete these tasks, the player is required to speak to characters controlled by the software, read texts, and speak and collaborate with other players through text chatting and messengers. This final aspect separates MMORPGs from other more traditional games. By making communication among the players a central aspect to the game, it provides a unique opportunity for teachers to make use of an already-existing virtual environment that requires students to use the target language to communicate with native speakers in order to achieve a goal.

Getting Started
World of Warcraft is flexible enough to accommodate beginning-to-intermediate level students. There are some issues to consider:

• Not every student is going to fall in love with the idea of playing games as homework. Instructors need to emphasize that the game, like any homework, is practice ground for what is being taught in class with the advantages mentioned above.
• There is a cost involved. Each student would require a subscription of $15 per month. Over the course of a semester, this would amount to roughly the same cost as that of a workbook.
• I would like to point out that playing the role of "guide" is an ideal task for a teaching assistant. It does not require nearly as much experience in lesson design and classroom management as a traditional classroom. Rather, it provides an environment where the tasks, roles, and goals are already set. The guide only has to point the students in the right direction, and provide corrections or help when necessary.

If you decide that World of Warcraft is worth a try, you will need the following to get started:

• The European version of World of Warcraft
• World of Warcraft language packs
• World of Warcraft requires regular updates as the world expands.
• /chatlog is the command to save your text chats.
  
   Although games like WOW have exciting possibilities as learning tools, I believe we that we need to tread carefully around the ethical implications of their use. More research is needed to determine whether the language learning benefits of World of Warcraft (WOW) are worth the risk of exposing our students to what appears to be a potentially addictive pastime with possible negative social consequences.

Casual Gaming and Language Acquisition

Hi guys, sorry for the absence during the autumn break. I have decided to talk about casual gaming, perhaps along with second life as well.

Casual games are video games targeted at a mass audience. Casual games can have any type of gameplay, fit in any genre and are typically distinguished by their simple rules and lack of commitment required in contrast to more complex hardcore games. (Basically, one that you can stop playing once you have something more important to attend to) Casual games started out on the internet on sites such as miniclip.com, but are now progressively seen on portable devices like mobile phones and gaming devices as well.

Why is casual gaming significant?

The sheer availability of casual gaming ensures that it is more likely to reach a wider audience than games that require a certain amount of commitment. The increasing portability of casual games also makes them far more easily accessible than traditional games.

Let's take games on mobile phones as an example. According to Digital Buzz Blog, "Apple has sold almost 60 million iPhones world wide, while Google’s Android OS is growing at 886% year on year and now activating over 160,000 devices a day, across 60 devices in over 40 countries." On the iphone, users can download games such as Words with Friends, where users can challenge one another to a game of scrabble. Here is a demonstration of the game:



Another iphone app, Hanging with Friends, works on the same concept but with Hangman instead.

The ease of availability of the game in terms of time and location means that one can be thinking of a new word to beat your friend on the bus, in a lecture theatre and even in the bathroom. As a new learner of english, this could be very beneficial as language learning can continue even outside the classroom and away from more traditional (and perhaps, boring) mediums such as reading the newspaper. The element of competition, a mark of social gaming, is probably motivation enough for many people to learn new and obscure words in order to beat their friend. The added bonus here is that even if you do lose, you learn new words along the way as well, be it yours or your friend's.

MMORPGs' impact on language learning motivation

 I have found a highly relevant writing about massively mulltiplayer online role-playing games. I would like to quote its section about the positive impact on motivation:

"MMORPGs supply a social infrastructure that permits likeminded
game players to form groups as evident in multiple
user dungeons and other role-playing games. The social practices that exist in MMORPGs model
cultural norms that are emphasized in game playing activities
and define the community of players. In a similar
manner, second language teaching methodology encourages
foreign language students to participate in cultural practices
associated with the target language. As a result,
students develop proficiency in the target language as they
communicate with native speakers. Video games represent
computer-based, highly participatory, multi-media environments
that engulf the player in a virtual world that appears to
be real. Therefore, video games can
close the distance between foreign language students and
contact with native speakers.
Research shows that second language students interact
more in virtual chat rooms and online discussions, suggesting
that virtual environments create non-threatening learning
environments. Additionally, online chat rooms promote a democratic
learning environment that is conducive to both introverted
and extroverted learners, evolving into learnercentered
environments in which students of different language
levels accept more of the responsibility for developing
target language proficiency.
MMORPGs supply authentic environments for learning,
complete with sufficient opportunities for students to practice,
develop and test their emergent communicative abilities.
The practice of producing language that is evaluated for
meaning by other role-playing characters constitutes authentic
dialogue between native and non-native language speakers.
Furthermore, computer games emulate the experiential
approach of second language acquisition by providing an
immersive learning experience. Moreover, text is displayed
on the screen, giving visual cues to determine context of
meaning and language content as well as identification of second language vocabulary. Thus, language becomes a necessary
artifact of successful gameplay. MMORPGs are designed
to create and support social networks of gamers. Powerful
alliances play a key factor in gamers’ abilities to defeat
enemies and accomplish tasks that are virtually impossible
to perform alone. MMORPGs sustain social interaction between
players and serve as the catalyst for fostering students’
grammatical and conversational competence as students chat
in a foreign language while playing the game. Social interaction
is a prerequisite to students’ language proficiency.
Without social interaction, students lack motivation, opportunities
for practicing target language skills, and immediate
feedback; all three components are crucial if students desire
to increase their communicative abilities in the target language.
Online role-playing games are transformed into computer
assisted language learning tools for successful second
language acquisition for novice, intermediate and advance
language students. For these reasons,
we believe that MMORPGs create an ideal learning
environment for language students."

Source: Y. Rankin, R. Gold & B. Gooch / 3D Role-Playing Games as Language Learning Tools

Tomi

Music games, part 1.

One of my chosen genres was music games and now I'd like to introduce it in a bit more detail.

Early stages:

Music games are available on a wide variety of consoles, computers, or even just on tapes. Teaching by music has been present for a long time in education. If you think back to your childhood you can probably recall "London Bridge is falling down", "Baa Baa Black Sheep" and many other children's songs that you used to listen to during English class. As for my personal experience, this method was used mostly in kindergarten, with us acting out the scene. But even though the amount of time spent on these activities has lessened in primary schools, the presence of singing along to tapes stayed for a couple of years.

A sing-along game of nursery rhymes for youngsters.

Karaoke, sing along:

Music will guide us through adolescence too. As we grow up, we are bound to foster a liking to some English speaking bands and singers. And sometimes upon our curiosity to understand what's been sung, we look up the lyrics of the song and try to sing along - just as we used to as a child.

Now that we have seen that music in fact has always been an internal part of language learning, it's obvious that music games provide a great help too.

Singstar, Lips, Ultrastar:

Same idea, different platforms. 

Singstar was the first on the market and it was originally made for the Playstation 2 but now with the advancing age of technology, it's also available on Playstation 3.

Ultrastar is a free counterpart of it on the PC, for those who don't have money or interest to invest in a home console

And finally, Lips on the Xbox360, which has a slightly different system but was based on the very same idea as its predecessors.

Game-play:

The goal of the game is to basically sing along with the singer and try to match your rhythm, pitch, and pronunciation the best you can. To help you with that, there is a guideline which shows the expected pitch and the lyrics on screen. As you sing along, much like at a karaoke club, the lyrics move forward and the line gets coloured to show how well you managed to mimic the voice of the singer.

Lips: The golden line shows how much bonus points you got so far for every perfect syllable, while the microphone on top shows your current score.

Singstar: You can see your current score on the top, while the green line adds up your bonuses for every perfect syllable. Counter in the left corner shows how far you are in the song.

Evaluation:

At the end of the song, you will get graded based on your performance. The newer generation home consoles, namely the Xbox360 and the Playstation 3, also have unique award systems which make gaming all the more interesting: achievements and trophies, respectively.

Scoring in Lips: points, medals, achievements, and a happy, dancing avatar. :)

Social aspects:

These types of games are not just great fun but also help the learner's speech and pronunciation. But the biggest motivation factor is not actually the grade or the achievement you get after the song, but the competition with friends. These days any console can connect to the internet, just like a computer, and you can view your friends' grades and points they achieved for each song. So even if you're not playing in the same room in a duet battle, you can still beat each other and show off via the internet and the power of social media

Part 2 is coming up next week so stay tuned! :)