Language Learning and Pokémon Go (and mobile gaming/apps more generally)

Reality augmented with purple rats... purple rats everywhere!

Everyone is talking about Pokémon Go, the new Augmented Reality (AR) mobile game from Nintendo and Niantic Labs. National Public Radio is posting articles and talking about it on the radio! Go to any college campus or high-volume public space and you'll see why: people are walking around with their smartphones, pausing every few steps to catch the little critters. Language teachers aren't oblivious to Pokémon Go's popularity, and they're talking about it, too- (how) could Pokémon Go be used to support language learning?


In the specific case of Pokémon Go, I do not see much potential for language learning. The game itself lacks chat or messaging functions, so no in-game interaction with other speakers of your target language. Also, the game is pretty simple, and there's not a large quantity or variety of text- you would become familiar with the meaning of few messages and words/phrases pretty quickly, and ultimately there's not a lot of input provided by the game. On a side note, even after setting my phone and Google account to my target language, I couldn't get the game to display in Korean. I would say that the biggest potential for language learning with Pokémon Go is its ability to provide face-to-face interaction opportunities with a variety of speakers. In my experience so far playing, I've had a number of short chats with strangers, all quite pleasant. For a language learner on a college campus, the game could be a fantastic icebreaker that sparks some authentic, meaningful communication, which is key for language learning. This aspect of playing the game could be very helpful for international students who are shy or have trouble connecting with domestic student peers on campus.

Beyond Pokémon Go, I'm more interested in the underlying technology behind AR and context-sensitive applications. While displaying purple rats in random locations does not hold much promise for language learning, displaying useful phrases for sending a package when you get near a post office does. Especially if, let's say, you could "catch" the words or phrases that were new to you for flashcard-study later (the app could also remember to display those words prominently the next time you get near a post office). Apps could also keep up with your reading, listening, and/or viewing habits, and suggest articles/songs/videos of interest in a target language you have indicated you wish to learn when you're at home in the evening... and imagine if you could take a vocabulary size test periodically to help the app select appropriate material for you? I think functions like these are the future of language learning games and apps- useful resources keyed in to meaningful contexts good learning habits.