As some of you might have noticed. English is not my first language.
However, from an early age my parents wanted me to learn the language and forced me take English classes
something I'm grateful for now, but i hated it back then.
I took countless courses in different academies and despised every second of it.
I just didn't get it
I paid attention, did my homework... sometimes
and tried to read the books
but I just couldn't understand English very well.
The most frustrating part was watching my classmates improve while I was left behind.
My main problem was that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't "think" in English
Everything I wanted to say, read or write
I had to first do it in my native language, try to remember all the rules of the English grammar
and then translate it in my mind
that was a lot of work and took some time
And I knew that thinking in one language and then translating it to another was the wrong approach
but that was the only way I could rationalized it
After all, I only knew one language so how else was I supposed to do it?
And that's when it hit me!
I do know another language! one that I've been using to understand English for most of my life.
The language of videogames.
From where I'm from, most electronics are imported from the United States
So all software, including videogames, were in English with no option to change the language.
So since I've been an avid videogame player for as long as I can remember
I had to adapt and figure things out on my own.
When a game told me to jump because an enemy is coming
common sense told me I had to avoid the danger and I pressed the jump button
So I learned what jump meant
Even when the game gave me detailed instructions of what to do and I couldn't understand any of it
with time I ended up figuring it out and finishing the game
Understanding what the goal of a game was and how to achieve it became second nature to me.
My love for videogames broke the language barrier for me.
I still remember the day it all started to make sense to me
I was in the middle of an English test; part of the assignment was to name some body parts and pieces of clothing highlighted in a picture
I was seriously drawing a blank so I started daydreaming about what I would rather be doing.
And then I started thinking about creating a new character in game I was playing
changing the belt color
customizing the hat, putting a cool dragon tattoo on the back and...
Wait a second....
I know what all of these words mean! I've been using them all this time!
From that moment on something just clicked and English became so much easier for me.
I might still have problems with pronunciation but nowadays I find myself thinking in English very often.
This helped me realize how good game design is able to tell you what to do without the need for you to understand the language
in which the game was written in
so long as you understand how to pay games
Videogames have their own language, one that you also have to learn.
If you are a gamer, it's probably very easy for you to jump from game to game
no matter the console or the genre of the game.
You might not be very good at all the of them but you understand them very quickly
it's just a matter of learning what button does what and you are good to go.
I had a friend that could finish RPG's that were in Japanese, without understanding a single word of it
For the people who don't know, RPG's (or Roll Playing Games)
are the type of game where you have to do quest after quest sometimes following very detailed and complicated instructions.
And this was all before game guides online were a thing
so he just bore through it following game logic and having patience.
Compare that to people that have no background in videogames
notice how difficult it is for them to just move and look around in a first person shooter
or to remember that you can pause the game at any time by just pressing a button
It doesn't matter how many times someone explains it to them, they seem to have a hard time with very basic stuff
It's like you are speaking a foreign language to them...
and well, that's because you are
So if you are trying to teach someone how to pay a game, have a little more patience
it's not as easy for them as it is for you
But don't get me wrong
even though I credit videogames for making me understand English
the classes I took were necessary for me to learn grammar
and also gave me a platform in which I could practice my English, which is very important
And even though playing Videogames was what did it for me
I'm not suggesting you go out and buy a new console, put it in a foreign language and grind it out till you can speak it
Everyone has a different way of learning
what might have worked for me might not work for you
But I believe finding a connection between something you already enjoy and something you want to learn is the key
Nowadays you have amazing resources to help you learn a new language
there's apps, websites, online courses, etc
But other examples I've found for helping you learn
are to put a movie you've already seen in a foreign language with subtitles
or start watching foreign movies
Also you can put your phone in another language
you already know how to operate it, so you won't get confused using it.
And of course
one of the best way to learn a new language is having someone who speaks it help you with it
So if you can get one of those, awesome!
How about you? Do you speak more than one language?
What unusual ways of learning have you found work for you?
And if you are a gamer, what games have you been playing lately?
Lately I've been replaying all the Kingdom Hearts games, waiting for the release of Kingdom Hearts 3
Leave your answers in the comments. And see you next time.
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