Language Immersion Tool: The Let's Play (実況プレイ)

こんばんわ！

With some free reign on this post, I thought I would take some time to discuss a language immersion tool I stumbled quite recently: the "Let's Play".

For those who do not know, a "Let's Play" is the common designation given to a video series wherein someone plays a game. That's it. A "Let's Play" video is literally a video of someone playing a game. Please, hold your dismay until I finish.

The Friendzone- a Polaris show on YouTube

Most "Let's Plays" are watched, I think, for the personalities behind the microphone, not to vicariously experience a game through another person. Sometimes the latter is the case, but rarely. Nothing compares to playing a game yourself. But there are people out in the world who are just fun, humorous to listen to and even endearing. Think of "Let's Plays" as akin to talk-shows, but with B-reel footage of random videogames. One of my favorite "Let's Players" is Jesse Cox, a very funny man who just loves people and games and likes to entertain.

Why is any of this relevant? Because in a "Let's Play," the videomaker is talking as much as they're playing the game (in most cases). What does this mean for a language student? That a "Let's Play" video is a pretty adequate way to listen to a native speaker of the language you're trying to learn. If you find the right person making a "Let's Play," you can access a whole list of videos, each with plenty of regular, everyday speech to listen to. As an aid, the "Let's Play" seems like a great way to get some more exposure to a language, especially if you enjoy gaming. Common syntax, pronunciation, particle usage--these are the elements of language you can pick up on. While "Let's Plays" are not a magical boost for comprehension, I do think they present a fun way to get in some extra exposure.

Currently, I've found this energetic guy by the name of だいだら. Check him out!  He doesn't talk terribly fast, so I find that sometimes I can pick up words and particles. だいだら plays a lot of Nintendo games, but also a fair amount of other Japanese-developed titles and some Western creations.

Splatoon- a Nintendo game that is popular for "Let's Plays"

I got the idea from two sites:
An article on "Talk Amongst Yourselves" of Kotaku

A post on the "Learn Japanese" subreddit


Alright, that's me for now.
ありがとう　ございます。　
じゃあ、　また。

カイパー