Wulong Academy: The newly launched online English learning game in China

Image source 1: http://page.hjenglish.com/page/26047/
Image source 2: http://www.wulongonline.com/gameintro.aspx


This week, I happened to find an online English learning game launched on March 1st, 2008 in China. Wulong Academy(Sorry there is no English verstion on the Web. Please watch the game trailer on the Web for some visual information.) which is called “the first online green game in China,” is especially designed for Chinese people to learn English. Actually, it is the first time for me to come across “Green Game.” I guess, as“Green Food" indicating the food that is good to health, “Green Games” should be different from the games that are blamed due to their negative aspects such as violence. According to one article in Chinese online (There is no information about "Green Games" in English. I'm not sure if it is a term in the field of gaming in China), the so-called “Green Games” refer to the games whose development, launch and management is favorable for transmitting history and culture, in which scientific knowledge, cultural essence, and entertainment are well integrated. Since Wulong Academy, as an edutainment, is to enhance people’s English learning while playing, it is labeled as a “Green Game."

On the official site of Wulong Academy, it says “Playing game can learn English. Have you heard that before?” Other advertising slogans, such as “I am a happy game fan and I can still get first rank in tests” and “Learning English is fun; Getting a promotion and raise is easy,” imply that the game is test-oriented. According to the game introduction, the developers of the game find that some people who speak little in real life tend to be very active on the Internet. When one’s real identity is hidden, a person can easily overcome shyness, anxiety and fear to communicate with others. It is also claimed that speaking and listening are the most practical in English learning but it is not insufficient in current English teaching in China. Using VOIP techniques, the developers create a virtual English learning environment. There are three avatars for gamers to choose: a naughty and smart fairy, an honest and ingenuous boy, and a willful but cute benthal creature. The player will be brought to a fantastic planet, where there is a special culture. All residents speak a language that the gamer has to learn to communicate with them. The language is English. It is not clear if there is a story line but it implies the player will have a wonderful journey and bizarre encounters on the planet, which requires the player to fulfill tasks to go further. All the tasks are English learning embedded. It seems that there are a lot of word games combined in the whole process.


Since the game’s launch in March, it has attracted a lot of Chinese people. In the first two weeks, there were more than 10,000 people who registered for the game. Every day, more than 2,000 gamers were online. Statistics showed that of the 2,000 online players, about 1,400 were females. Some people like this game since they are glad that English learning occurs while playing. There are some parents who play the game with their children. However, some experienced gamers think that Wulong Academy is more like an English testing bank rather than a game. They say even for those whose English is good, they cannot play for a long time. Those people who are not good at English, it goes without saying, feel bored after a while. One gamer said: “Wulong Academy borrowed the format of game for a real purpose of testing players’ English level. Who would enjoy English drills?” He even predicts that no kid would be into this game.

Now, the players are given 20 free hours after registering for the game. After 20 hours of free play, the players will be asked to pay online. Some players complain that it is not wise to charge for online play only after one month of game launch. Also, the game is not stable. In the forum on the official Website, it is not unusual to see players report offline problems and bugs in the game.

When I just found the game, I was very excited for the first online game designed for English learning. I applaud that Chinese educators have realized the value of game in learning. But, having read the introduction and watched the video clip, I was a little disappointed. The conception of engaging people to learn English in playing is really good, but the game turns out to be not so attractive. So far, to me, it seems to move the vocabulary test questions into the game environment. Also, the written and verbal instructions in Chinese diminish player's exposure to English. Thus, players do not really benefit from the strength of e-gaming, in which langauge learning opportunities are maximized due to rich situated meaning embedded in visual cues. By contrast, other English games, for example, the Sims 2, invite English players to be completely immersed in English only world.

It is interesting that the game integrates some Chinese cultural elements based on an ancient Chinese myth. I plan to have a try to know more about it. It may have some characteristics which are good for English beginners. Anyway, this game deserves attention and recognition as a pioneering game in China.

Note: Please check out the URL below for two video clips about the game. If the video is choppy, you may need to click the pause button to allow the entire video load before watching.

http://page.hjenglish.com/page/26047/