Lost in the Middle Kingdom: a second language acquisition video game

From the days of computer assisted language learning (CALL) [12], using computers as a means to acquire a new language has been a long standing research field. While typical class room strategies like memorization and drills have shown to be effective [13], they can be difficult, tedious, and time-consuming [9]. The goal of our research is to create a second language acquisition video game, called Lost in the Middle Kingdom, to provide an effective and inviting learning experience. Our approach employs theories of language pedagogy research that is integrated into a fun and interesting game. Our game exposes the player to an abundance of simple, comprehensible target language input, which provides an interesting, motivating, and low stress setting. Implementing this research into the game should allow the player to naturally acquire the language. Also Lost in the Middle Kingdom utilizes total immersion, focusing on the language's culture to create a holistic experience.