I am not a big gamer, but parfois (sometimes) I like playing les jeux vidéo (video games) in between having to study and work. Recently un jeu (a game) from my childhood, StarCraft, was released for free. L’entreprise (the company) behind the game, Blizzard, is getting ready for a new HD release of le jeu this summer. Naturally, I had to have fun with un jeu from my childhood and practice French at the same time!

Photo by Marco Wutz on Flickr. Licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

Les jeux vidéo are a fun way to not only pass the time, but also pratiquer une langue (practice a language). Story-driven games like Final Fantasy are an immersive experience where you have to spend hours reading or listening as you make your way through l’histoire (the story).

You woldn’t think an action-based game would provide the same level of immersion, but by changing the language of le jeu, you can keep learning even if you’re not getting sucked into une histoire.

Now, StarCraft has une histoire that you can spend days playing, but most of my memories of le jeu are from playing it en ligne with my friends. I was never very good at StarCraft, but I played it so much I can easily remember the names of all the units and characters.

Ce matin (this morning) when I went to installer StarCraft pour la première fois en plus de 10 ans (for the first time in over a decade), I was greeted with a language select screen. Feeling a bit guilty about putting off work to jouer à un jeu (play a game), I decided to installer le jeu vidéo in French.

I was surprised to see everything in French, but I quickly learned to enjoy it. It was le même jeu (the same game) I remembered from my childhood but all the names, voices, and menus were different! While having to relearn some things can be frustrating, it’s interesting to experience un jeu I spent hours playing as a kid en français!

It might not be the most intense way to étudier (study), but installing and playing StarCraft en français has been a fun way to keep practicing when all I want to do is relax and have fun.

If you remember le jeu vidéo and are looking for a nostalgic experience that helps your French, jouez au jeu en français !