Practicing some Japanese with Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp

Video games are a very fun and challenging way to practice languages. I am currently in the beginning stages of learning Japanese so, needless to say, there are multiple books and resources online that are excellent tools to help build up vocabulary and grammar for beginners like me. However, on days when motivation is lacking, that's when video games come into play! They are a great way to get a couple minutes of studying on days when you're not really feeling up to it. 

I've already been leisurely studying a bit of Japanese through "Game Grammar"'s videos on YouTube where he plays games such as Animal Crossing and Pokemon, as well as the Japanese Game Analysis series on the YouTube channel "Learn Japanese from Zero!". I really enjoy these videos and greatly appreciate the precious help and entertainment they provide. That being said, nothing beats playing games first hand!

I have always enjoyed the Animal Crossing series ever since I first played it on the Game Cube, years ago. Its laid back simple gameplay, flamboyantly cute characters and catchy tunes are all elements that make it so memorable and nostalgic for me.

Although it can seem quite daunting (and yes... it can be a very painful process to get through some very long gaming dialogues), it is well worth it when you get that great sense of satisfaction after finally figuring out your first phrase in Japanese. After testing out the new Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp by Nintendo (available free for iOS and Android devices), I believe it is a great way to have fun practicing reading Japanese (not to mention its aesthetically pleasing graphics keep you going at times when you might be discouraged by the foreign dialogue). 

Since i am very new to learning kanji and considering there is no furigana in the game (from what I've seen), I've resorted to taking screenshots of the dialogues I wanted to translate and transferring the pictures one by one to the Google Translate app in order to get a romaji version of the text as well as a rough translation. (Of course, the famous online Japanese-English dictionary "Jisho" was also very helpful!)

Switching up studying methods is an excellent way to avoid stagnation in the language learning process, thus ensuring a greater chance of keeping up with the language on a regular basis, which is essential! Of course, for beginners, I do recommend practicing with a game that has furigana to make things a little bit easier. Nonetheless, it was a fun exercise that allowed me to add many new words to my vocabulary list and familiarize myself with some kanji.

Speaking of which, here are some vocabulary words I came across during the tutorial section of the game that you might enjoy glancing through:

利用 (りよう) - use; utilization; utilisation; application​

同意 (どうい) - agreement; consent; same opinion; approval​

無料 (むりょう) - free; no charge​

基本 (きほん) - foundation; basis; standard​

有料 (ゆうりょう) - toll; fee; charge; admission-paid​

違う (ちがう) - to differ (from); to vary​; to not match the correct (answer, etc.)​

開始 (かいし) - start; commencement; beginning; initiation​

突然 (とつぜん) - abrupt; sudden; unexpected​

気分 (きぶん) - feeling; mood​

自然 (しぜん) - nature

触れる (ふれる) - to touch, to feel

遠く (とおく) - far away; distant

のんびり - carefree; at leisure​

過ごす (すごす) - to pass (time); to spend​

普段 (ふだん) - usual, habitual, ordinary

場所 (ばしょ) - place; location; spot; position​

思い切り (おもいきり) - with all one's strength; with all one's heart; resignation; resolution​

走り回る (はしりまわる) - to run around

たっぷり - full, in plenty, ample

止める (とめる) - to stop

出発 (しゅっぱつ) - departure

何処か (どこか) - somewhere, anywhere

作成 (さくせい) - drawing up (e.g. legal document, contract, will, etc.); preparing; making

選ぶ (えらぶ) - to choose, to select

見た目 (みため) - appearance

変更 (へんこう) - change; modification; alteration; revision

姿 (すがた) - figure, form, shape

宜しい (よろしい) - good, OK, all right, fine

やり直す (やりなおす) - to do over again; to redo; to start over; to remake; to resume; to recommence​

指 (ゆび) - finger, toe, digit

動かす (うごかす) - to move; to shift; to stir; to budge; to change position​

続ける (つづける) - to continue, to keep up

話しかける (はなしかける) - to address (someone); to talk (to someone); to begin to talk, to start a conversation

初心者 (しょしんしゃ) - beginner

確認 (かくにん) - verification, confirmation, review

場 (ば) - place; spot; space​

管理人 (かんりにん) - manager; administrator; supervisor​

念のため (ねんのため) - (just) making sure; just to be sure; just in case

性別 (せいべつ) - sex, gender

外見 (がいけん) - outward appearance​

他 (ほか) - other (place, thing, person), the rest

可能性 (かのうせい) - likelihood; possibility; availability

ご注意 (ちゅうい) - caution; being careful; attention; warning, advice

最大 (さいだい) - biggest; greatest; largest; maximum​

文字 (もじ) - letter (of alphabet); character​

ご案内 (あんない) - acquaintance, knowledge

頂く (いただく) - to receive; to get; to accept; to take; to buy​; to have (as one's leader); to live under (a ruler); to install (a president)​

持ち込み (もちこみ) - bring-your-own (e.g. food and drink); carry-on (e.g. luggage)

家具 (かぐ) - furniture​

自由 (じゆう) - freedom, liberty, as it pleases you

通り (とお) - avenue; street; way; road​

状態 (じょうたい) - current status; condition; situation; circumstances; state​

是非 (ぜひ) - certainly; without fail​

貰える (もらえる) - to be able to receive; to be able to take; to be able to accept

任せる (まかせる) - to entrust (e.g. a task) to another; to leave to​; to passively leave to someone else's facilities

早速 (さっそく) - at once, immediately, without delay, promptly

そういう - such, like that, that sort of

それでは - well then..., in that situation, in which case

材料 (ざいりょう) - ingredients; material​

お手伝い (おてつだい) - maid; helper​; help; assistance

開ける (あける) - to open

わさわさ - restless, fidgety, lively, busy

美味しい (おいしい）- delicious

品 (しな) - article; item; thing

頼みごと (たのみごと) - favour

叶える (かなえる) - to grant (request, wish); to answer (prayer); to fulfill (conditions); to meet (requirements)​

何度も (なんども) - many times over; often​

仲良く (なかよく) - on good terms with; to make friends with

入れ替わる (いれかわる) - to change places