Improve Your Vocabulary by Playing a Video Game
New video game claims to improve your vocabulary.
Jan. 28, 2008 — -- A few years back, if a video game even hinted at being educational, it was the kiss of death. Not anymore.
In 2006 brain-training games became all the rage. "Brain Age" and "Big Brain Academy" were designed for the DS, Nintendo's hand-held gaming system. Now comes vocabulary training with "My Word Coach," a new video game that claims to increase your vocabulary with just 20 to 30 minutes a day of play.
"My Word Coach" offers six vocabulary training games, tracking your improvement as you play. Along the way, you're exposed to more than 16,000 words and definitions from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary, found in the game as a searchable dictionary. The game was inspired by the ongoing research of Thomas Cobb, a professor of applied linguistics at the University of Quebec.
To start, you enter a training program called an "Institute," and select from one of four word coaches to guide you. A simple test determines your "Expression Potential," which also also takes into account your age.
If you are a child, your words will be easier than if you are an adult. As you progress, new words are added. The better you do, the harder the words become.
Four of the games focus on words and their definitions.
In "Split Decision," the upper screen displays a word. You touch arrows displaying "left" and "right" to toggle between two definitions and select the correct one.
With "Word Shuffle," you toggle between four definitions. "Pasta Letters" shows you a definition on the top screen, and you must unscramble alphabet noodles in a bowl of soup. In "Safecracker," a definition appears, and you spell the word using a dial to rotate to letters.
Best for ages 10-up
From Ubisoft, http://mywordcoach.us.ubi.com , $29.99, Nintendo DS
Jinny Gudmundsen is the kid-tech columnist for the Gannett News Service and USA Today.com, and is also the editor of Computing With Kids Ezine.
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