What's new

Learning to play Japanese games?

Nekobe42

Registered
18 Dec 2016
1
0
11
Hey guys, new to the forums. So I want to learn Japanese basically exclusively to play Japanese exclusive video games for the PS4, PS VITA and so on and so forth.

What exactly should I learn in specifics? How should I go about this? I have a lot of free time, and I'm dedicated to learning.
 
Welcome to the forum. To answer your question: honestly, I don't think the goal of wanting to play games changes much in the required learning process. You'll still need to learn vocabulary and grammar. You'll still need to practice listening for games that don't have subtitles. You'll still need to learn kanji for games that aren't aimed at little children.

Perhaps the only difference with a "regular" student of Japanese is that you have no need to be able to write kanji by hand. As such, you have the option to completely skip this handwriting practice and only learn to read the characters. For me, this worked; but others may tell you that it's only handwriting practice that helped them to really remember.
 
What exactly should I learn in specifics?

The language.

Japanese grammar. Japanese vocabulary. Standard Japanese. Colloquial Japanese. The ability to recognize implications of different speech levels. The ability to recognize some different regional dialects. A familiarity with different styles of speaking depending on age and or gender. An ability to recognize obsolete grammar if you play things set too far in the past. Three systems of writing Japanese. Hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of characters, often each with multiple readings.

There is no game-specific subset of the language that you can use to shortcut the process.

How should I go about this?

Take classes if possible. Study on your own with good quality proper textbooks if not.

I have a lot of free time, and I'm dedicated to learning.

That's good. Otherwise the countless hundreds of hours this will require from you over a period of many, many, many years would eat into your game playing time to the point you might get discouraged and either give up entirely or do a pointlessly half-assed job of it like just about everybody who decides to start learning Japanese for the sole purpose of being able to play a video game. I'm glad to hear you are dedicated to the project.
 
Last edited:
It is depend on the TC's purpose.
If you want to understand the menu, tutorial...etc, I don't think it is necessary to dig deep into grammar. Basic grammars and some technical vocabs is enough.
But if you want to understand story, that is by far a really big problem.
 
Last edited:
I hope the OP's silence doesn't mean he has decided to give up before he even started.
 
Back
Top Bottom