Hello people!
I’m relatively new to the world of IF, and I’m only just discovering the possibilities of choice- or parser-based IF.
Now, being an EFL teacher, I keep wondering how could I introduce my students to interactive fiction (I can barely get them to read English books, but maybe they would be more interested if they got to choose themselves how the story unfolds and solve some puzzles along the way).
The main problem is the language barrier… Most of the games and stories I have seen being recommended for kids, would be great for native speakers, but not so much for foreign students trying to learn English as a second language.
Does anyone happen to have in mind any games or stories (either choice-based or parser) that are kid-friendly, with simple vocabulary that would make it easier for learners of English to enjoy?
Thank you so much!
Sounds awesome!
A lot of simple games have been created for the Text Adventure Literacy Jams, all designed to be kid-friendly:
However, you’re right, just because they’re good for native kids doesn’t meann that they’re good for EFL students. I play games in other languages all the time, and I find that games that stick to a very basic vocab set and avoid big clumps of words are a lot easier. So, for instance, The Lonely Troll is the top game in that search, and I think could be great (the pictures should help provide context), but it has a very long help text at the beginning that might be overwhelming, and uses some difficult phrases like ‘stub your toe’.
The game Free Bird uses only two words at a time. Even though some are advanced, it should help for those using translation:
My own game Swigian was designed to use simple language and very few words (a minimalist game) and the Middle School English teacher at my school assigns it to students each year since it’s based on a famous story:
The Impossible Bottle is a very popular parser game that uses some advanced language. However, it has the benefit of links on the bottom that work for 99% of the commands in the game. Whenever I play foreign language games, having the commands listed like this help a ton since even if I don’t comprehend a scene I know there’s some kind of path forward:
(I wrote a sequel to it called Impossible Stairs. It uses a similar system, but isn’t as good).
I almost always recommend The Missing Ring for kids (and for adults, it’s one of my favorite Twine games): The Missing Ring - Details
I just checked and it has pretty simple vocab compared to other popular games.
The Twiny Jam games are all really short games (500 words or less). Some fun ones include:
Hi, welcome to the forums!
What are the ages and language abilities of your students (e.g. using CEFR)? The issue with parsers are that they have their own syntax (e.g. TAKE BOOK or ALEX, HELLO) which may not be conducive to learning proper English.
I’m not sure if the vocabulary is simple enough for what you need, but another kid-friendly game you could look at is Esther’s.
I wrote a kid-friendly parser game called Kenny Koala’s Bushfire Survival Plan that is aimed at beginners, has a tutorial, has lots of native animals (kids love animals), has lots of jokes and is educational to boot. (It teaches you about Australian native flora and fauna.) Perhaps give it a go yourself to see if you think it’s suitable for kids learning English.
I haven’t played most of these but maybe one of them will catch your eye:
Inside the Facility is not loseable, has a limited set of actions, and seems to have simple language from a few glances.
I also agree with Hidnook that more information on the kids’ age & skills would help.
I suppose Birdland by Brendan Patrick Hennessy could work if you don’t mind choice + stats management. It’s a young adult romance story.