Study Japanese with Video Games

[Teedyan]

Hi all and thanks for having me on the forum.

I have recently created a new project that I would like to share with any Japanese learners out there.

The project is about playing video games in Japanese (I in-game text out loud) while also discussing words I don't understand, showing them on screen for people to be able to learn. It's a combination of a Japanese study session and a "let's play".

This is just me trying things out and if even a small amount of people are interested in this kind of content I would love to continue doing it. If you have any interest in this, please have a look and get back to me with feedback as I would loooove to make more content that combines Japanese studies with games in the best way possible.



(I got permission to post this from the admins).

Edit: Did I perhaps post this in the wrong forum section? Maybe the admins can move it to a more appropriate part if it's in the wrong section? Newbie alert from me here.

 

[mdchachi]

Doing this on YouTube may be lonely. How about doing it live on Discord? Eventually you may find a community interested in this kind of content.

 

[Teedyan]

I have actually been thinking about that @mdchachi but rather to have the live sessions on Twitch (since I'm already streaming regular retro game playthroughs over there). Then the format will obviously be a bit slower since live discussions will happen at the same time but I think this could be a really fun thing to try out.

The reception to this first video has been much better than anticipated which motivates me to go for it with this type of content, thanks to anyone that have interacted with the video in any way. I've also received valuable feedback but for sure want to hear more so keep it coming.

 

[mdchachi]

Sorry I meant Twitch not Discord.

As it's such a niche thing I don't think you'll become wealthy from this kind of video but I would say if you enjoy it, go for it.

 

[日本語 Class]

I didnt finish the video yet but the idea is great, I myself would watch videos like this whenever I can！I like the language and games so its the thing for me

 

[Teedyan]

Sorry I meant Twitch not Discord.

As it's such a niche thing I don't think you'll become wealthy from this kind of video but I would say if you enjoy it, go for it.

It's for sure a niche thing, but that niche thing has helped with growth more then the generic way I did things previously. I'm definitely not doing this for the money though, this is more as a carrot on a stick for me to stay motivated for my studies since I'm hopeful to be able to help others out in the process.

I didnt finish the video yet but the idea is great, I myself would watch videos like this whenever I can！I like the language and games so its the thing for me

Really happy to hear that you like the idea, great to have you onboard! I'm hopefully able to get the next part out in a few days.

 

[Teedyan]

I went and created a simple website for the project. In case you're curious: it can be found via this URL: Learn Japanese with Video Games

And the second part of the series is live as well and can be found here:

 

[日本語 Class]

Thanks, will check both

 

[Buntaro]

Hi Teedyan and welcome to the forum.

Your idea looks promising. I am looking forward to seeing how it turns out.

By the way, I have found that a huge problem for many beginning students of Japanese is learning hiragana. Do you have a way of teaching hiragana in your game? I didn't see one.

 

[bentenmusume]

Do you have a way of teaching hiragana in your game? I didn't see one.

If it wasn't clear, it's not "his" game -- i.e. he's not creating/making a game himself.

He's making videos to try to help people learn Japanese through video games (like, just regular video games in Japanese, not educational/"edutainment" games specifically designed for language learning). The game in his videos here is a classic game from the famous Final Fantasy series.

His videos are clearly targeted at intermediate learners who already know all the kana and a decent number of kanji/vocab words, so I don't think it's an issue that he's not specifically covering hiragana. There are infinite resources on the internet already for that.

 

[Teedyan]

@bentenmusume You nailed everything in your post describing my content for @Buntaro there. Just like you say, my content is aimed at people that want to take the next step to actually consuming content made for Japanese people, rather than being stuck in books that covers the basics of Japanese for non-Japanese speakers. I kind of see it as me holding your hand to try out this kind of content before you're ready to do it on your own, OR for these times when your brain want to study Japanese, but still want a little bit of English to lean towards.

I have been streaming this kind of content on Twitch for a few weeks now (right now it's once a week on thursdays). If you want to join in on the live sessions, you can see the schedule in your time zone via the following link:

 

[Teedyan]

I've recently made the decision to split my first channel (so that it can continue to focus on Retro & indie games) and have created a new channel for my "Learn Japanese" stuff. I just made a new video today about Dragon Quest IV so if you've liked my previous stuff you should bring out the notebook and study alongside me in this latest video on my new channel: