Top 5 Video Games in Spanish to Powerlevel Your Fluency
When you’re well on your way to Spanish fluency, finding new ways to improve your ever-expanding skills can be difficult. I’m sure you’ve heard the classic tip of listening to some Spanish songs or movies, but have you ever thought about video games in Spanish? When I was a kid I played games in English, like Pokemon and Golden Sun, which helped me increase my English reading proficiency. Let’s learn how to incorporate games into your Spanish curriculum!
Learn While You Play
By playing video games in Spanish, you’re sure to pick up vocabulary along the way while having fun too! Most games will give you the option to change the language settings, so the best advice I can give you is to change your favorite game’s language to Spanish. If you already know what wood in Minecraft looks like, you only need to read the word madera to learn something new. If you’re feeling adventurous, I’ve compiled a list of five great games for you to try out in Spanish.
Involve Your Parents and Teachers
Some of the games I’ll mention are multiplayer, so maybe you can convince your teacher to focus a lesson around them. To learn Spanish with multiplayer games, you can write down words you don’t understand and start building a vocabulary list. Communicating exclusively in Spanish is a fun way to challenge yourself and other players while you’re gaming. When you’re focused on winning, you might find out you’re more fluent in Spanish than you thought!
Top 5 Video Games in Spanish
1. FIFA
FIFA is one of the most popular video games out there, especially in Latin America. This game gives you the option to change the base language and the narrator. Having a Spanish-speaking narrator will sharpen your listening skills as it familiarizes your brain with the specific pitch pattern of the language. Latin American Narrators in soccer are a big part of sports culture, and often go crazy when you score a goal in-game (and in real life too). I recommend you give it a try and see for yourself. Check our previous post if you want to get a head start on fútbol culture in Latin America.
2. Stardew Valley
If you like relaxing games, Stardew Valley is a great option to learn Spanish. This charming farming simulator puts you in the shoes of an office worker who is fed up with city life and decides to move to the country to take care of their late grandfather’s farm. The game allows you to tend to your crops and animals, go fishing, explore caves and interact with a cast of interesting characters. With this game, you’ll learn the names of fruits, vegetables, animals, and so much more! The relaxed pace of the game means you’ll have plenty of time to read and learn. I highly recommend it! Stardew Valley is available on every console as well as your smartphone.
3. Trivia Crack
You probably already know about this game, but did you know it was made by an Argentinian company? One of the top games in the Google Play and iOS stores, it’s Spanish counterpart is called Preguntados. This game will polish your Spanish in all of the different trivia categories it offers, such as geography, science, art, history, sports, and entertainment. Since it was created by Latinoamericanos, the Spanish version of this game won’t get lost in translation!
4. Overcooked 2
First, we were planting crops, and now we’re cooking them! Overcooked is a game where communication is everything, so grab a couple of friends and get ready for some kitchen mayhem! Up to four tiny chefs work together to feed scary creatures such as zombie bread slices, giant monsters, and rude customers. This game is not heavy on the vocabulary, so you’ll get all of your practice by communicating with your cooking partner in Spanish. Words like ensalada, sopa, and propina (salad, soup, and tips) will quickly become part of your restaurant repertoire after a couple of play sessions.
5. Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes
If you’re looking for an advanced communication challenge, this game is perfect for you. Catchy titles aside, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes is a game that will test your Spanish skills to the max. It’s not for the faint of heart! Tasked with defusing virtual explosives, you must follow the instructions communicated by your bomb buddy to save the day. But here’s the catch: only one person can see the bomb, while the other one only sees the manual on how to disarm it. Communication becomes essential to your success, so playing this game in Spanish will add some spice to the challenge.
Games and Education
As the videogame industry grows older, so does the audience that witnessed its birth and development. Once regarded as a kid’s toy, video games are now seen as an art form. They have evolved to a point where they tell us compelling stories and help us develop different skill sets while maintaining the entertainment factor that is central to the medium. By combining elements of art, music, game design and programming, video games are powerful learning tools. Hopefully, with these recommendations, you’ll learn useful things while having fun, too! If you want some more serious practice you can take a free class at HSA and start talking about videogames and more today!
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