Rationale

Rationale

objectives | pedagogy | philosophy

Objectives

The game simulates a virtual journey into the Spanish-speaking world, which becomes a context
for the practice and learning of Spanish. The player is given a set of specific missions: he or she
tries to discover and photograph events related to the politics, economics, and culture of a given country. Each scenario invites the player to operate in situations that can happen to him or her
when she visits the given country: booking a hotel, asking for directions, learning the local
traditions. The game provides a context for developing one’s skills in grammar, vocabulary and
cultural awareness.

Pedagogy:

The game favors exercises in reading and listening, which are easier to implement with the
current tools of game design. However, it can be expanded to include elements of talking and writing,
if the game design team can afford to implement voice recognition and writing software.

Language Skills		Game features
Reading Comprehension		Menus for choosing actions and responses in conversations (in Spanish); Reading the Spanish signs of the city landscape; Reading background information related to the mission;
Listening Comprehension:		Listening to local people and officials addressing you in Spanish; Listening to the background: conversations happening around you, typical exclamations, local radio programs and folk music lyrics; Understanding the meaning of local proverbs and expressions used in appropriate context
Writing:		Creating written reports to explain the images taken at each mission Using spelling and grammar check to improve each essay Using peer and teacher evaluation to polish one’s writing style
Speech: (using voice-recognition)		Using voice recognition software and a microphone attached to the computer to test and correct the correct Spanish pronunciation of the player

Philosophy:

Encouraging cultural awareness: from stereotype to complexity

We aim at creating at least two levels of complexity build into each mission: short, superficial
exploration of each topic will make the photographer familiar with the stereotypical images and issues in a given event; an in-debt, long interviews with local people will allow him or her to grasp the conflicting views on each event. Ultimately, the player will be awarded when he or she brings footage of events that are not readily accessible to outsiders in the given culture.

Gender neutral play: a choice of activities to suit diverse tastes

The game offers a palette of activities that can accommodate the taste of both genders in the classroom. It includes diverse topics: politics, fashion, arts, economics, etc