Games learning Japanese

[Willem]

Hi people!
I am currently learning the Japanese language, and i was thinking if that's possible through playing games.
Like educational games, wherein you while enjoying the game learn new Japanese words, kanji etc..
My japanese currently is -VERY- basic, and i know alittle of around the 20-30 different kanji.
Thanks in advance!

 

[bsmith23]

Some guy mentioned in a youtube video that he learned the super basics from a game called "Knuckles in China Land". Just search for it on thepiratebay or something to download. Once you can read and write better, Final Fantasy XI and XIV are MMORPGs that are cross-region. This means you can freely communicate with Japanese players online while playing. To me, this is a great way to keep up your skills while making new friends in Japan.

Edit: I've also read there are apps for iPhones and the like that teach very basic reading and maybe writing too. I have not seen them as I don't own a smart phone yet.

 

[Tsuyoiko]

My Japanese Tutor for DS is OK.

I also play video games with Japanese audio and English subtitles. I either quickly read the subtitles and then listen out for the words I know, or listen first and try to work out what the subtitles will say. Sometimes I can tell when they have rephrased stuff in translation. Disgaea III, Agarest and Star Ocean: The Last Hope, all for PS3, have this feature. It's good practice because you have to work so fast.

 

[levis103]

The Japanese language is actually very simple but so unlike English that many English speakers find it difficult to learn Japanese. The goal of this 10 free Japanese lesson course is to help you study the basics of the Japanese language and to teach you how to learn Japanese in a way that is, hopefully, fast and easy to understand.
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[Subfocal]

If you have a PSP I would reccomend this -

TALKMAN (can't provide link because stoopid forum doesn't allow me) :>(

It's not really a game as such, it's designed more specifically for learning languages. It's got a good selection of common Japanese phrases etc. It even uses the microphone add-on hardware for voice recognition, this is supposed to help with pronunciation....but I'm not sure it's that effective to be honest.

Anyway, overall it's pretty good actually.

 

[thejapanguy]

I actually wondered about this same question. I think video games are so much fun, and Japanese is something I need to learn more about...so I wonder if combining the two will be a way to make learning Japanese fun. I wouldn't know exactly how to pull it off, though.

What game titles/genres would be best for doing video-game, Japanese language learning?

 

[Jericho Desu]

I've also been thinking about this, but other than games which are specifically made to teach Japanese (which are usually always aimed at beginners) there isn't many games suitable for like intermediate students, even advanced students would problem find alot of the stuff in games hard to grasp because of the kind of non everyday kind of vocabulary that is used usually.

Having said that I think the best games to go for are "slice of life" type games, ぼくのなつやすみ seems to be a good one although it might be too easy for some however I don't know since I've yet to buy the game due to the cost of importing (might be good for those already in Japan). Also dating sims might be worth looking into, there are ones without sexual content and I would suspect the language to be not so complicated and of the everyday type.

 

[Bulbasaur]

Having said that I think the best games to go for are "slice of life" type games, ぼくのなつやすみ seems to be a good one although it might be too easy for some however I don't know since I've yet to buy the game due to the cost of importing (might be good for those already in Japan). Also dating sims might be worth looking into, there are ones without sexual content and I would suspect the language to be not so complicated and of the everyday type.

That is a good suggestion though unfortunately when I got around to playing it at a friend's house, I didn't really know much Japanese at all so struggled to play it properly (Did a lot of wandering around... and managed to catch a few bugs!). If Willem knows some kanji and what not, they'll probably have much better luck than I did at that time!

I would like to suggest Animal Crossing or どうぶつの森 . I have three versions: UK, US and Japanese.
I found playing the Japanese version great fun and I feel it would be a good resource for a bit of silly study.
I really ought to return to it on that note.... heed my own advice a bit more seriously and see what I can read now!