What language do we speak most often to a foreign person? We bet that most people from all across the globe will have a similar answer – it is English.
Why is it so popular? There are quite a few reasons for that. First of all, English is considered the language of business. Another reason why it has spread throughout the world so quickly is because of popular American culture. Finally, it is a universal language for education. Students from all over the world apply to foreign universities, and, in most cases, they take classes taught in English.
On the one hand, it is great to have such a universal language. In the modern world, it is essential that we can communicate with each other. Thus, it is vital that people see eye to eye with each other. However, on the other hand, learning English is not an easy endeavor.
While some people have a specific set of mind that helps them master foreign languages with ease, others struggle with it for years.
If you can relate, know that not everyone is born with a skill of mastering a foreign language. There are many ways how you can make your life easier if good command of English is an obstacle.
For instance, you are an international student (or even a native speaker) having issues with all the assignments. Be it burning deadline, picky prof, or you just don’t feel confident in language – buying essay without plagiarism may be an option for you. In the meantime, better concentrate on mastering your English!
We have some useful and fun solutions!
Video Games in Education: Are They Effective?
The effectiveness of gaming for studying may sound doubtful. However, there are scientific studies that claim its benefit.
Do you know how many schools and colleges integrate various video games into their programs? It actually makes sense! It appears that people learn better with the help of video games.
Alex Berezow from the Real Clear Science, explains this phenomenon. He claims that experienced action video gamers possess superior cognitive abilities. His study shows that players have better eye-hand coordination, attention skills, and even have more gray matter in different areas of their brain.
Thus, gamers with vast experience have enhanced functional connectivity between brain pathways. This explains how gaming can actually be useful, rather than a complete waste of time.
We can highlight three significant reasons why gaming can help people learn languages faster:
- it provides in-context learning. People learn more quickly when they have to use the gained knowledge regularly in real-world situations. Video games allow students to use the information in practice, which increases progress.
- It makes studying fun. One of the most significant issues of modern education is that it generates a great deal of anxiety and stress. This may hold students back from progress. Gaming, on the contrary, makes the learning process fun and reduces stress.
- It improves cognitive development and linguistic skills. Video games were noted to help even the most struggling students to improve speaking, comprehension, and reading.
Top Games for Fun English Learning
Now, when you already know how video games can enhance the learning process, you are probably wondering what games are the best for this purpose. Below, we have collected the top five options that will help you master English with less effort:
Influent – Beginner
The action takes place in an apartment full of different clickable objects. The Influent is designed for beginners, to help them expand their vocabulary and make the first steps in learning English.
The plot is simple. A player is exploring the apartment. He has a special device that can be used to scan objects and see their names in English. There are native audio pronunciations, fun mini-games, and quizzes.
Civilization – Intermediate
Our next pick is a fun and extremely educating strategy. Although Civilization is not meant to be a learning game, it just has so much audio and visual content in English that players start learning unconsciously, not even realizing it.
The game turns you into the ruler of a whole civilization, and there is stiff competition with others. Players need to maintain the city, develop it, build relationships with other cultures, and create an army.
Deponia – Intermediate
Deponia is a point-and-click adventure. It is quite funny and features neat graphics. The world by the plot is covered in junk, and your character dreams about escaping from it. The whole game tells a story about Rufus, his life, romantic relationships with a girl named Goal, etc.
The content is presented in English, and all objects are clickable. Thus, it is another excellent way to enhance your skills while playing.
Orwell: Keeping an Eye on You – Intermediate to Advanced
https://store.steampowered.com/app/491950/Orwell_Keeping_an_Eye_On_You/ is a Dystopian simulation based on the novel “1984” written by a famous English writer George Orwell. This game is pretty fun and engaging. It always puts players in tricky moral situations and requires making difficult decisions.
The game requires lots of reading, so it is a great way to expand vocabulary and enhance your skills.
It is worth noting that playing Orwell requires having a particular base, so it may be too hard for beginners. Unfortunately, it lacks audio narration, but it is still a great option!
Firewatch – Advanced
This is a mysterious adventure game with a thrilling plot. For those of you who already have a solid base, Firewatch will give an extra boost to the English language skills. It includes lots of conversations, which provides great listening practice. The dialogues take place between the main character, Henry and his supervisor Delilah, who communicate via the radio.
In the dialogues, both characters get to know each other closer and learn lots of secrets about one another and the Wyoming forest, where the story takes place. It also contains lots of sarcasm and jokes, so it is not only fun but also quite educating. However, beginners may find it too complex to understand.
Wrapping Up
We hope our list proves that there are many options to turn to learn English into fun. You only need to choose the game that is right for you and clear your schedule to have some free time to play.
Do not hesitate, dive into the world of gaming, and get more benefits from it!
