If Language Learning Were an (MMO)RPG

If Language Learning Were an (MMO)RPG

This may be one of the nerdiest articles ever written concerning language learning that doesn't use 47-syllable words straight from a Linguistics textbook. During my highschool and early college years I played video games for more hours than I care to admit and constantly got to hear “That's just a waste of time!” I didn't believe it, though, and now I believe those hours “wasted” have given me an upper hand in learning language (at least.. theoretically). Whether that is the actual cause of my language learning success or if it came from some other place, I think the parallels will be able to help fellow game lovers who have entered the terrifyingly enormous world of language learning.


1. Getting Started
When you first start a new MMORPG you probably have no idea what you're doing. It's a curious and exciting time where everything is new and shiny and, if you aren't playing one of these new-age MMOs that is carefully constructed so as to keep you out of harm's way, you probably die in any number of interesting and embarrassing ways. But, if you've played a -similar- game before you may be able to use your existing knowledge of how things work to lessen the number of embarrassing deaths and other such excitingly terrible things.
When you first start learning a new language, especially if the language is not closely related with your own native language, you start from zero and get to flounder around for a while until things start to make sense. You learn the ropes, you make embarrassing mistakes, and eventually you come to get a feel for the language. However, as adults learning another language, we have the option to take from what we know about language and apply it to our desired new language. Of course, just as in a new game, you won't be able to simply apply everything you know from past experience directly. You have to play according to new rules. You have to figure out new controls. You have to give up the way you -want- to say something because your new language probably says it in a completely new and/or unexpected way.

- You have to adjust what you already know about gaming/language so that you can effectively use prior knowledge to your advantage in a new context. -

This is very important and oft-ignored. In gaming, this idea is strikingly obvious. It would be ridiculous to expect everything from one game to carry over to another. In language learning, however, there's no convenient display to call your attention to this striking difference every second you spend in your new world. It's up to the learner to realize that, while the upper hand from prior language knowledge is great, one must throw out a large portion of what one knows concerning the workings of sentences, phrases and even individual words in order to meet a new language on its own terms and truly become fluent. To accomplish this in language learning one must simply look at how native speakers construct their own language. Constantly looking at these examples in news, books, TV, movies, etc. produced by and for speakers of your new language will create that “display” that a new game brings that guides your actions in line with new rules and environments.
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2. Leveling Up
In a normal RPG when you're gaining experience but haven't leveled up yet it seems as if there are no rewards for your actions. Then you level up and suddenly becoming stronger, gaining new abilities and etc. While you're grinding that XP you know that you'll level up in the future and all that hard work will be worth it so you can focus on that level and keep churning out the XP. If there happened to be a game in which you got absolutely nothing for leveling up it probably wouldn't be that popular, ya? Also you may notice that the first few levels go by pretty fast and without much difficulty but, as you progress it gets steadily harder to gain that next level. Luckily, as you gain higher levels your rewards for leveling up will also increase.

In language study there's no such thing as “levels” and “experience points” really, but you can feel something similar as you learn if you're paying attention. Doing something (anything!) in your target language is how you go about gaining that “XP.” Then, just as in an RPG, all you need to do to level up is to gain the required amount of experience. That's pretty clear, but what's a “level” in language study? In the beginning when you know nothing about a language, you should notice this kind of “level” come quickly. Once you've learned some basic grammar and vocabulary you go quickly from a “I don't know anything at all” level to a “Knowing the basics of a language” level. But, until you've really got the basics down, you won't realize you're at a new level of understanding. That first jump is probably the most noticeable “level” but there's surely more out there. As you keep studying you may suddenly realize that you can understand something new that you couldn't just a short time ago. For example, as you learn certain grammar you may notice your ability to comprehend websites or even whole books has gone up before you even realized it was happening. As you gather more and more vocabulary in context the entire language as a whole will become clearer. As you learn the way native speakers put together their own language you'll come to better understand all the material out there made by and for native speakers. But of course, as there is no actual “display” in your daily life learning a new language, it may be hard to realize that this “experience” and these “levels” even exist.

- If you could just -pretend- that these things exist, you may be able to better focus on your goal and do the necessary work required to reach it.-

It takes time to gain experience but, if you keep on moving towards your goal, you'll surely level up given enough time. Set your next level as “Know the Basics!,” or “Learn 100 Vocabulary Words!,” or even “Read a Novel!,” focus on that “level,” and just keep on working.
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3. Strategy Guides (Cheating)
If you want more detailed information about a game (or if the game is too hard) you can use a strategy guide. Most serious gamers would probably view this as cheating but that doesn't change the fact that these guides are pretty handy things to have around. Information is usually set out in a smart way and you can generally find what you're looking for without much trouble. But of course, no matter how much you read that strategy guide, it's not the same thing as actually playing the game. The strategy guide is simply a book that provides information and divulges all of the game's secrets so you don't have to work hard to find them. If you read the guide from cover to cover and become the world's most knowledgeable fanatic of a certain game but you never actually play it you'll never beat the game.
In language study, the “strategy guides” are textbooks. They teach you information -about- the language, give often stiff and unrealistic example sentences and attempt to explain grammar and vocabulary while giving little or no actual context. If language study actually were an RPG and textbooks were strategy guides, there's no way anyone would say, “Ok! If I just read this textbook I'll definitely master the language..!”

- A textbook provides information -about- a language and divulges some of its secrets but that's it. There's no way they can pass as a substitute for real language. -

No matter how much a language learner reads textbooks, if that's all one reads, that learner will more than likely never master the language. Of course, strategy guides and textbooks can give some pretty good information to those who use them. Even so, if one doesn't “play” their target language (through novels, movies, news, etc.) then they will never “beat” it. (In this case “beating” the language would be “mastering said language to native proficiency.”)
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4. If the Game is Too Easy, Make it Harder
If you play an RPG (and especially an MMO) long enough you'll get enough levels and gear that the game will more than likely become too easy. At that point, one of the only ways to continue enjoying the game is to make it harder on your own. In a regular RPG, you can take off gear, use less characters than required, set the game to hard mode – something like that. In an MMO, soloing something meant for a group or doing something meant for multiple groups using only one group (or even just a few people) are common ways to make the game harder. Doing so will certainly make things more difficult and the player will likely become better at the game by rising to these new challenges. However, many players find this kind of thing too difficult and would rather not make things harder on themselves. People who -do- opt to make the game harder almost always become more adept at their chosen game than those who don't.
Language Learning as well can sometimes become “too easy.” After reaching a certain goal, finishing a textbook, etc. you might think “Ok that's done.. now what?” At that point you'll have to set a more difficult goal. In Language Learning, however, that process of “Reach a goal, set a new goal, reach a goal, set a new goal” can possibly lead to a learning slump so it may be better to set a new goal before reaching your current goal.

- Or perhaps setting an extraordinarily hard goal, thinking of the stages required to reach that goal, and taking on those mini-goals one by one would be best. -

Of course you can get that warm, fuzzy accomplished feeling by completing a textbook or reaching a certain goal but that feeling can lead to the aforementioned slump so it would be best to avoid it if possible. Besides, it would be better to have fun and keep on learning than to work really hard and gain a temporary sense of achievement every now and then. A good “extraordinarily hard goal” would be, for example, to read a novel or to understand the news. If you have a goal like that it will likely take some time to achieve and you can likely take your time figuring out a new goal as you go. You should be getting a sense of achievement from reaching the mini-goals anyway. Then, once you reach your main goal, you'll have not only a sense of achievement but will have gained a valuable skill as well. (And will have had fun doing it!).

- And, after all, the best way to do something new in a new language is to just do it! -

In order to do something solo in an MMO that's meant for a group there's no real option other than just doing it. If you really want to you just give it a try and, while doing it, steadily learn the skills and strategies required. In much the same way, it's fine to gain the skills and experience “needed” to read a novel -while reading a novel-. Those “mini-goals” are exactly this kind of thing. You'll need various grammar and vocabulary – learning those is a mini-goal. Understanding new ways of speaking could also be a mini-goal. And what's more, the words and speech-patterns you learn in one medium can of course be applied to other media as well.
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5. More Than Ever Hour After (H)our Work is Never Over
This point is mainly a shared characteristic of MMORPGs but it's also possible in regular RPGs. In an MMO, even if you reach the max level there's no such thing as an “end.” In regular RPGs as well, even if you beat the game, there's always the possibility of harder, optional bosses. Furthermore, especially in MMOs, even once you reach the max level you can't really stop working on the game. You can always get more items, beat more enemies and find new and exciting ways to make the game more difficult.

- Language Learning, too, is infinite. -

New words are being created every day and you're more than likely also running into pre-existing words that you didn't know before every day. This kind of thing can even happen in your native language. So even if you reach the “highest level,” even if you become native level proficiency in your target language, you can never say “I won!” or “I'm done studying!” Also, if you don't use your new language for a long time it will steadily (or even quickly) slip out from your brain and cause a big mess. In order to accurately remember your target language (or even your native language) you have to continue learning every day. You have to keep using it every day.

- The absolute most important point is to simply never stop moving forward. -
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The End
I'm not saying that, by reading these 5 points, gamers will have some kind of advantage in language learning. I just thought that I would like to share some “Language Learning Tips” from my own experience. These 5 points are from my personal experience and I thought it would be good if other foreign language learners could put them to good use as well so I wrote them down.
It will probably be most easily understood by gamers but I hope I've written it in such a way so that non-gamers can get something out of it too.