Learning English through computer games is already a well-established practice. This is because games combine good leisure with the opportunity to fully immerse oneself in the language ecosystem, learning it effortlessly.
Today, we will look at quest genre games that are perfect for enhancing your language skills and will certainly provide a lot of enjoyment to players. Let's go!
To start, let's talk about why quests are good for language development.
Quests are a special genre of computer games where the main gameplay revolves around narrative storytelling and direct interaction with various objects.
It is the combination of these two features that makes quests an excellent tool for learning English.
The storyline engages players and prompts them to empathize with the characters. Players listen to dialogues and read texts. Quests have a better impact on memory because they stimulate the creation of associations.
According to Dale's cone of learning, quests can be placed at the middle level, alongside observing demonstrations and actual actions. Essentially, you control the actions of a character who interacts fully with the world.
Thus, ordinary reading yields only 10% retention, watching videos results in 30%, while quests and other games yield 50%. This is quite good for a leisure activity.
The 'point and click' system or interaction with objects allows for vocabulary learning. In many genre games, simply hovering the cursor over an item or clicking on it will reveal its description. For example:
Players always have a bunch of diverse items in their inventory, and the descriptions often come with a good dose of humor and creativity.
Additionally, in quest mini-games like 'find the item,' players must locate these items by their names. Naturally, this is in English. Most items to find will be quite familiar, but the names certainly won't be known to everyone. So make sure to have a translator on your phone or quickly type the words into a dictionary app for further study.
Usually, it goes like this:
1. You see an unfamiliar word on the screen and have no idea which item you need to find. In this case, we have 'garden hose.'
2. Look up the word in a dictionary on your phone. In our case, the phrase 'garden hose' means 'garden hose.'3. Next, just enter it into — the phrase will come up every day until you memorize its meaning. Profit!
But enough of the boring stuff. Let's discuss the best quest genre games that can help you learn English.
Syberia
A legendary game, the first part of which was released in 2002. It tells the story of a lawyer named Kate Walker, who arrives in a small Alpine town to finalize a deal for purchasing a factory, but gets caught up in a series of rather strange and exciting events.
The plot of the game is gripping. Well-developed characters and many interesting dialogues compel you to play through to the very end. Moreover, with each new installment, the story becomes increasingly intricate and engaging.
As for the gameplay, it features a lot of 'point and click' mechanics. You need to solve puzzles and figure out where to use certain items. The gameplay itself is not particularly challenging—interacting with most items is quite logical.
Regarding language learning, the dialogues in the 'Syberia' series are very literary and well-crafted.
Despite the fact that the original script was written in French, the English version is also considered primary—the publisher released the game in both languages simultaneously.
English difficulty: 5 out of 10.
Level: Intermediate.Most phrases in dialogues and cutscenes are simple and contain quite common vocabulary. However, to navigate the inventory and descriptions of items, you'll need a dictionary.
Deponia
Another quest series. But this time set in a peculiar dystopia. Rufus, the main character, considers himself an inventor and wants to escape from his home planet, which has turned into one big dump.
This desire leads Rufus to new acquaintances, a series of ridiculous situations, and it turns out that the entire Deponia— the planet on which the hero lives—is in danger.
Overall, a rather amusing quest with unusual humor and very unconventional gameplay. In fact, the gameplay itself is quite standard — the well-known 'point and click' — but the use of most items in the inventory can be surprisingly quirky.
In one episode, Rufus has to put a sock on the doorknob to open the door, and in another, he makes coffee from chili peppers. It's strange, but fun.
The original game is published in German, but the English localization is very, very good. It accurately conveys the essence of the original idea. Moreover, the humor remains on point — which is probably one of the most important features of the series.
English difficulty: 6 out of 10.
Level: Intermediate.The dialogues in Deponia are quite simple grammatically, but slang and colloquial words often appear. Yes, they enrich the game's atmosphere and make it more interesting, but sometimes they hinder complete understanding, requiring you to consult a dictionary.
Nancy Drew
A vast lineup of computer games, which as of February 2020 includes 33 complete stories!
The games tell the story of a young female detective investigating strange and unusual cases. She examines evidence, questions suspects and witnesses, and solves puzzles. In general, she engages in typical detective work (what a surprise).
The charm of the game lies in the interaction with objects. There are simply a huge number of them in each series. Moreover, most are thematic. For example, in the series Ransom of the Seven Ships, where Nancy searches for the treasures of a sunken ship, there are many items and dialogues specifically related to maritime themes. So you can learn quite thematic vocabulary right during gameplay.
Of course, the games are crafted by a whole team of writers and editors, who have changed several times since 1998. Therefore, the style of English in different series will vary. In our subjective opinion, in the later games of the series, the English is better — the dialogues are more polished and logical, and the vocabulary is broader and more interesting. But keep in mind that the series' writers enjoy complex sentences.
English difficulty: from 4 to 7 out of 10 (depending on the series)
Level: Intermediate — Upper-intermediate.An excellent series of quests for expanding a diverse vocabulary. You'll interact with objects a lot, so the names practically memorize themselves.
King’s Quest
King’s Quest is a true veteran and one of the pioneers of the quest genre as a distinct direction in game development. It was the first to use animations in adventure games. The first part was released back in 1984. A total of 7 parts of the series were created, not counting the complete reboot of the first one in 2015.
Let’s warn you right away that the graphics here are subpar. While the 7th part, for instance, resembles a Disney cartoon, the first looks like a drawing from Paint. For 1984, the graphics were groundbreaking, but now they only evoke nostalgia.
At the same time, the plot is quite good. The story revolves around the royal family of the kingdom of Daventry and narrates various adventures that the family members encounter. All of this is set in a pleasant fairytale environment, where the theme of English mythology and folklore is well revealed.
For learning English, the game holds special value because the dialogues are quite simple, and the text is voiced in slow and clear speech—ideal for even beginners to comprehend.
English difficulty: 3
Level: Pre-intermediate — IntermediateDue to the setting of the game, you will find a range of words that you’ll need to look up in a dictionary—mostly relating to folklore and mythology concepts. However, overall, the game's language is very simple and understandable. It can serve as a decent guide even for beginners.
What do you think, do quests really help in learning English, or are they only worth playing for entertainment? We would love to hear your opinion.
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