Thursday, September 10, 2015

Use Your DS as a Japanese Learning Gadget!

I'm studying Japanese again, on my own. I should have known that I will be needing this sort of skill and I would have probably enrolled myself to several classes right after my solo show, unfortunately it wasn't a priority back then. :(

Things have changed ever since the news for Monster Hunter X will be coming this year for the 3DS. I suddenly wanted to study the language again and hopefully be better at it.
I bought a DS console not too long ago and I'm pretty happy with it, the price was a steal and I love going back to the old games I missed.

The great thing about the DS is that there have been several games that teaches players to learn a language, some art skill, and even some guide to the Louvre. Nintendo wanted a console that not only play games for entertainment but also make education fun and entertaining to the user. That's why they always publish educational titles or accept them from third party developers.

I've recently been involved with game translations and the game that I'm translating is a very popular game franchise that is yet to be released in the West. Not gonna drop names but it is a very popular turn based strategy rpg game. I'm having difficulty translating the game therefore, I must study some more. The group that I'm with the translations, is very strict.

The DS game library has a lot to offer and I know that DS games can also be played with the 3DS.
But I had to separate them for organizational purposes.

Here are the games that are worth playing if you wish to learn Japanese in a fun and entertaining way:

My Japanese Coach



It is a simple game that provides decent knowledge in Japanese. There are trivial and geographical information of Japan. It does get difficult in the long run but it is a game that I have in my library that I currently play. So far it's very helpful in teaching vocabularies and grammar. A must have for learners.

Anpanman Franchise





Rainbows, UFOs, super heroes, and learning Japanese? Count me in!
This game is considered for kids but is still fun to play and learn with. Players should at least memorize the hiragana and katakana characters before proceeding. Anpanman is a famous anime/manga that started back in the 70s. He's popular and I guess he's still being sold to children up to now. There are many Anpanman games on the DS and they're all educational, some of them have been remade as well for the newer console.

Kanken DS Training


That funny trailer should explain very well what Kanken DS is about. Learning Kanji is a difficult thing and it's really nice to have applications like this to help out. This is for more advanced learners. Some people don't bother with Kanji much and just hone their skills in speaking, however, it is not going to be helpful when playing games because it requires a lot of reading.

End:

There are more games available for the DS to help out on your Japanese studies, all you have to do is search a bit. What I love about the DS is that it is a portable thing that is not very heavy like a book and learning is interactive. It's not boring and is actually very fun.