Play Afterwind, help science!

Hello guys, my name is Radu Rovin and I am a student at the University of Oxford's Internet Institute. I am currently working on my MSc thesis titled "What makes an online game a successful language learning application? A cross-application analysis", and I would like to enlist your help. The goal of my research is to determine whether social online games such as Afterwind are good educational tools.

With the help and permission of Ivan, I have set up a survey that is directed to non-native English speakers that are at least 18 years of age (age limit only for methodological purposes, everything I do is totally and completely SFW), and I would like to invite you to take it and help me and the science of online games. The survey does not take long, and I will report back on the results once I write the report - sharing your help back to you!

Like any other social surveys, this survey needs as many participants as possible to be a reliable measure of the educational value of Afterwind, so please take the 10-15 minutes to go through it. I will be eternally grateful, I promise.

Link to the survey

Thank you very much,
Radu

- Quote: The goal of my research is to determine whether social online games such as Afterwind are good educational tools.

I tried the survey, just 2 questions in it:
- Are you older then 18? (answered Yes)
- Is your native language English? (answered No)

How can you determine whether social online games are good educational tools with this information?

Hi Hugosch, technical error that has been corrected - I got the conditional screening the other way around.

Would you be so kind to try again? I am very sorry, and thank you for pointing this out!

Edit: The apologies and plea to try the survey again go to all the people who had accessed the form before 15:12 GMT. Thank you!

Done, it worked now

Thank you!

Well, i have 17 years and anyway i hate surveys.
But i want comment this:

I play online games since i have 12 years.
Im from Spain, the communities of games in spanish are very limited, and i was forced many times to try to speak english.
This in a way improve a bit my english, i learned some expressions, words, insults (hehe).
And i can read and understand the english.

I usually write in english without help but sometimes i make mistakes.
For that reason sometimes i use translators to check how to write properly a word:
For example to write this post i checked "Communities" because i doubted the quantity of "M".

In my opinion, online games can improve the english of players when they need cooperation but just in Read-Write.
My pronunciation is horrible and i cant understand anything when i hear english.
Spanish and English are very similar in some words, but pronunciation is completly diferent in some consonants and expecially vocals.

Thank you very much, raetahcodeupon, you make a very good observation that this kind of games limit the improvements in English for speaking and listening. Your writing here shows a good understanding of English, so keep playing to keep learning!

Muchos gracias!

Kirjoittanut Guest, 19.07.2012 at 10:33

Thank you very much, raetahcodeupon, you make a very good observation that this kind of games limit the improvements in English for speaking and listening. Your writing here shows a good understanding of English, so keep playing to keep learning!

Muchos gracias!

I correct you a bit, is "muchAs gracias".
Determiners of quantity in english arent associated with a gender.
Much and many are "mucho and muchos" when you are talking of a masculine noun but when you are talking of a feminine noun is "mucha and muchas".

This is just for curiosity.
In June i posted this in off-topic:
-Deceased Dictator of Spain "Speaking English"
This video:

If you dont get it, he was saying this:
"Thanks to the thousands of souls who follow our movement in defence of civilization and thanks to all those who hear these words, to spread them all over the world. Country, religion, family. This is our aim and dream. ¡Viva España!"

The educational significance of this games goes far beyond the narrow aspects of language. I am currently studying geopolitical science and international relations and Aftwerwind helps me in my studies to an astounding degree. This is mainly due to just how broad the community is as I am able to get first hand information from around the world that only falls short to actually visiting these places. Information I obtain from merely talking to regular global citizens is far more valuable then anything I could gather from various media outlets representing extreme degrees of bias or even textbooks. The community itself is the most important reason I love this game, which extends past gameplay.

Kirjoittanut NateBaller, 19.07.2012 at 15:55

The educational significance of this games goes far beyond the narrow aspects of language. I am currently studying geopolitical science and international relations and Aftwerwind helps me in my studies to an astounding degree. This is mainly due to just how broad the community is as I am able to get first hand information from around the world that only falls short to actually visiting these places. Information I obtain from merely talking to regular global citizens is far more valuable then anything I could gather from various media outlets representing extreme degrees of bias or even textbooks. The community itself is the most important reason I love this game, which extends past gameplay.

1) lold, half the people here can't speak english. according to you, talking to undisputed is like talking to all bosnians. interesting...

I agree with Nate, people seem to forget that play is actually one of the first natural learning processes in human childhood (and arguably not only). Platforms like Afterwind do provide a nice international discussion hub free of most media gatekeeping, for example, but one should be reminded, as SV pointed out, that people who play games or people who go to the Internet are not representative samples of the general population of any country.

Kirjoittanut VAGlNEER 2.0, 19.07.2012 at 18:02

Kirjoittanut NateBaller, 19.07.2012 at 15:55

The educational significance of this games goes far beyond the narrow aspects of language. I am currently studying geopolitical science and international relations and Aftwerwind helps me in my studies to an astounding degree. This is mainly due to just how broad the community is as I am able to get first hand information from around the world that only falls short to actually visiting these places. Information I obtain from merely talking to regular global citizens is far more valuable then anything I could gather from various media outlets representing extreme degrees of bias or even textbooks. The community itself is the most important reason I love this game, which extends past gameplay.

1) lold, half the people here can't speak english. according to you, talking to undisputed is like talking to all bosnians. interesting...

Half the people here are Turks.

Kirjoittanut VAGlNEER 2.0, 19.07.2012 at 18:02

Kirjoittanut NateBaller, 19.07.2012 at 15:55

The educational significance of this games goes far beyond the narrow aspects of language. I am currently studying geopolitical science and international relations and Aftwerwind helps me in my studies to an astounding degree. This is mainly due to just how broad the community is as I am able to get first hand information from around the world that only falls short to actually visiting these places. Information I obtain from merely talking to regular global citizens is far more valuable then anything I could gather from various media outlets representing extreme degrees of bias or even textbooks. The community itself is the most important reason I love this game, which extends past gameplay.

lold, half the people here can't speak english. according to you, talking to undisputed is like talking to all bosnians. interesting...

How many languages do you speak vaglneer? No, talking to undisputed is like speaking to a bosnian. While it is nearly impossible to get a unanimous opinion among even a small group of individuals, much less an entire country, there is something to be said for first hand sources. I understand you feel quite comfortable living your life in the condensed and superficial world you see around you - most people, and especially many Americans, do.

Kirjoittanut Guest, 19.07.2012 at 09:13

Hi Hugosch, technical error that has been corrected - I got the conditional screening the other way around.

Would you be so kind to try again? I am very sorry, and thank you for pointing this out!

Edit: The apologies and plea to try the survey again go to all the people who had accessed the form before 15:12 GMT. Thank you!

Yeah, I'm getting the same error, it only goes up to the 2nd question about English. Could you look at it again please?

Kirjoittanut NateBaller, 19.07.2012 at 21:41

Kirjoittanut VAGlNEER 2.0, 19.07.2012 at 18:02

Kirjoittanut NateBaller, 19.07.2012 at 15:55

The educational significance of this games goes far beyond the narrow aspects of language. I am currently studying geopolitical science and international relations and Aftwerwind helps me in my studies to an astounding degree. This is mainly due to just how broad the community is as I am able to get first hand information from around the world that only falls short to actually visiting these places. Information I obtain from merely talking to regular global citizens is far more valuable then anything I could gather from various media outlets representing extreme degrees of bias or even textbooks. The community itself is the most important reason I love this game, which extends past gameplay.

lold, half the people here can't speak english. according to you, talking to undisputed is like talking to all bosnians. interesting...

How many languages do you speak vaglneer? No, talking to undisputed is like speaking to a bosnian. While it is nearly impossible to get a unanimous opinion among even a small group of individuals, much less an entire country, there is something to be said for first hand sources. I understand you feel quite comfortable living your life in the condensed and superficial world you see around you - most people, and especially many Americans, do.

Your syntax is okay, but what you're saying literally has no substance. Undisputed believes that 9/11 never happened. Undisputed is also 95% illiterate, and he has an unbelievably bad attitude. Is it fair to characterize all bosnians as violent, conspiracy-conforming, ignorant idiots? Probably not. And if creating stereotypes based on people you meet in a small game is your idea of a non-superficial world, I'd rather not live in it. I think you're the one who does what most americans do, and that's creating stereotypes off of a small group of people. You need to gain a better sample size. In no way, shape, or form, is one person an acceptable representation of a pool of, in some cases, millions of people.

tl;dr: you're wrong

Kirjoittanut Mathdino, 19.07.2012 at 22:25

Kirjoittanut Guest, 19.07.2012 at 09:13

Hi Hugosch, technical error that has been corrected - I got the conditional screening the other way around.

Would you be so kind to try again? I am very sorry, and thank you for pointing this out!

Edit: The apologies and plea to try the survey again go to all the people who had accessed the form before 15:12 GMT. Thank you!

Yeah, I'm getting the same error, it only goes up to the 2nd question about English. Could you look at it again please?

I think I know what the problem is. If you say "yes" to the question "is English your native tongue" it ends the survey because basically, the survey takers don't care about your data, they care about the people learning english.

Kirjoittanut VAGlNEER 2.0, 19.07.2012 at 22:39

Kirjoittanut NateBaller, 19.07.2012 at 21:41

Kirjoittanut VAGlNEER 2.0, 19.07.2012 at 18:02

Kirjoittanut NateBaller, 19.07.2012 at 15:55

The educational significance of this games goes far beyond the narrow aspects of language. I am currently studying geopolitical science and international relations and Aftwerwind helps me in my studies to an astounding degree. This is mainly due to just how broad the community is as I am able to get first hand information from around the world that only falls short to actually visiting these places. Information I obtain from merely talking to regular global citizens is far more valuable then anything I could gather from various media outlets representing extreme degrees of bias or even textbooks. The community itself is the most important reason I love this game, which extends past gameplay.

lold, half the people here can't speak english. according to you, talking to undisputed is like talking to all bosnians. interesting...

How many languages do you speak vaglneer? No, talking to undisputed is like speaking to a bosnian. While it is nearly impossible to get a unanimous opinion among even a small group of individuals, much less an entire country, there is something to be said for first hand sources. I understand you feel quite comfortable living your life in the condensed and superficial world you see around you - most people, and especially many Americans, do.

Your syntax is okay, but what you're saying literally has no substance. Undisputed believes that 9/11 never happened. Undisputed is also 95% illiterate, and he has an unbelievably bad attitude. Is it fair to characterize all bosnians as violent, conspiracy-conforming, ignorant idiots? Probably not. And if creating stereotypes based on people you meet in a small game is your idea of a non-superficial world, I'd rather not live in it. I think you're the one who does what most americans do, and that's creating stereotypes off of a small group of people. You need to gain a better sample size. In no way, shape, or form, is one person an acceptable representation of a pool of, in some cases, millions of people.

tl;dr: you're wrong

You completely misinterpreted what I am saying. Never did I say that one person can represent an entire culture or country. What I am trying to express to you is that AW allows you to speak with individuals who come from entirely different backgrounds. I don't really understand why you are using undisputed as an example as I have never really had a talk with him about anything relating to Bosnia. You know as well as I do that there are plenty of educated people in the community from around the world. I would like to see you try to explain to me the error of attempting to explore the world through first hand accounts.

I find afterwind to be a good tool to supplement my studies. Finding out what a Greek thinks about a a certain international monetary issue affecting him personally or even learning about how Croatians feel about different sports in no way gives me evidence to base stereotypes. It merely gives me insights to worlds, and opinions, I may never get to experience otherwise.

Let me give you a specific example. I was interested in learning about life inside of Iran. My options were fairly limited... I could search various american media sources, but these would surely be biased. On the other hand there is a certain user on this game who lives in Iran. It is only logical to think that he would have a better understanding of life for Iranian citizens then some journalist or professor making generalizations who are actually stereotyping themselves.

It was a inherently flawed statement for you to say that speaking with people causes you to create stereotypes. In reality, it does the exact opposite as they provide a who new vantage point to view the world from.

I won five pounds off a quiz machine cos of Afterwind. The subject was Capital Cities and we were given:

_ _ / _ _ Z

La Paz mother fucker. Thanks Amok and Ivan.

Kirjoittanut Barrymore, 20.07.2012 at 01:56

I won five pounds off a quiz machine cos of Afterwind. The subject was Capital Cities and we were given:

_ _ / _ _ Z

La Paz mother fucker. Thanks Amok and Ivan.

I'm actually doing a similar paper on how the gaming ideology as a whole could affect/enhance learning, which will also require surveying people.

I was already a wiz in Geography and History in school....then I started playing Afterwind O.O
97+ average I have in Geography.

Kirjoittanut Barrymore, 20.07.2012 at 01:56

I won five pounds off a quiz machine cos of Afterwind. The subject was Capital Cities and we were given:

_ _ / _ _ Z

La Paz mother fucker. Thanks Amok and Ivan.

Happened to me once but I got no money off it. (Reason I know geography is mainly because I play AW.)

Kirjoittanut Deray YG, 20.07.2012 at 10:57

Kirjoittanut Barrymore, 20.07.2012 at 01:56

I won five pounds off a quiz machine cos of Afterwind. The subject was Capital Cities and we were given:

_ _ / _ _ Z

La Paz mother fucker. Thanks Amok and Ivan.

(Reason I know geography is mainly because I play AW.)

Same here lol.

Done, on behalf of science
huehue

I learned how to spell english better, im from USA but i was a shit speller when i came to Afterwind from reading all the text here i learned how to spell people finally lol. Anyway i also learned a lot of useless facts that are not needed for a 14 year old like how Serbian people hate almost everyone in the Balkans and vice versa also how nearly everyone in AW hated the Turks that were here but i learned stuff

Afterwind: Teaching Americans how English works since 2010.

I think spelling has to do more with reading in general then online social interactions that games like AW provide. That's great that Afterwind improved your spelling, but reading a book probably would have been better in that regard.

Well this game didn't teach me to spell and only slightly increased my geographical knowledge.

What Afterwind has done for me:
Me: Hey, I'm a moderator on a moderately frequented browser based strategy game. Pretty cool right?
Cute girl: Ummm, what?

J/k this never happened LOL.

(On a serious note I totally see what Nate means. I adore the international nature of Afterwind and the way in which I can make great friends with people from all over the world.)

I'm not sure if you still needed it, but I've answered it

Responses still welcome, I will close the form down and announce this hear later today. Thanks for helping out!