China is becoming more dominant in the news as the Olympics approach so a Michigan State University professor has created an online video game that teaches Chinese culture and language.
Called Zon/New Chengo, the multiplayer Web-based role-playing game was created by Yong Zhao, MSU distinguished professor of educational psychology and technology. A native of a poor, remote area of the Sichuan Province, he has become a highly influential researcher in Chinese education, bringing in more than $20 million in research to the university.
"Games are supposed to be fun and educational," said Zhao."This game offers a vicarious, virtual experience of China."
Want to know more? Check out Detroit Free Press and the About Us section at Zon.
This looked really interesting so I decided to sign up. Once you have entered your new account information, you get to choose your character. There's not a ton of choices. You can choose between male/female and the female at least has four more choices for features & clothing (I don't know about male because I didn't think to look). Unfortunately, you can't personalize much further such as color of hair or style of hair. All you can do from there is choose the colors of your clothing. Once you have activated your free account, you're shown your passport that's been stamped by Zon. There, you're ready to play!
The scene opens in the airport and you can imediately start exploring. As you click on things you can hear the name of that item spoken in Chinese. There's also a background music you can choose not to hear. There are lots of people to talk to, including the other players. Once you're done in the airport yo're able to get a cab to talke you to your hotel.
For those not familiar with MMORPG's, you're in for a real treat. There are a ton of these games out there, taking place in whatever type of world you're interested in. While most of these do cost money to play, not all of them do and you just have to poke around to find them. I've always enjoyed thse because it gave me a chance to talk to real people in real time. That was a big thing for a young mother stuck at home in the middle of the country with a small baby and no one to talk to. And of course, the world that I played in was fantasy, my favorite genre.
So check this out. While it's not for smaller children since you need to be able to read to do most of this stuff, you can still sit a child on your lap and expose them to the language even if they can't take an active part. What a really fun way to learn about another culture and language.
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