![]() I may have missed it, but hopefully Tomb Raider included, "Putain de bordel de merde," which means, "Holy fucking shit," or "Jesus fucking Christ." Video games: teaching you the best French swearing. This is like saying, "For fuck's sake," or, "Fucking hell," in English. Bordel de merde – Literally, “brothel of shit”.Tir à la tête – Headshot! This appeared on the screen loads, seeing as I’m so amazing. ![]() It isn't until you're in a different language that you realise just how much information is relayed in text in a game like Tomb Raider. Other phrases and words I learned included: I would probably never have come across piolet in normal, day-to-day conversation (unless I happened to be jabbering to a committed communist parent while waiting for my kids in the playground), so playing in French quickly taught me new vocabulary. I quickly learned that the French word for “ice axe” is piolet, for example. A game like Tomb Raider does have a high level of speech, but written content is delivered in small, manageable chunks. This does happen in books, but it's usually less pronounced. Orders like “follow this," "find that" and "go to a location" are commonplace, and the names of gear and characters are endlessly regurgitated. The language used in most games is relatively basic. Understanding became easier.Īnother aid came in the form itself. Once on, though, the multi-coloured text at the base of the screen illuminated the plot. It's difficult even with subtitles, but nigh on impossible without. Also, game characters move their mouths like goldfish, so the non-native trick of lip-reading is out the window. Character exposition happens at breakneck pace, usually with stuff exploding on the side-lines, so without subtitles you’re screwed unless you’re fluent. Being able to see syllables unpicks the words when spoken at natural speed. Subtitles are a vital tool when learning a language, and most students have them turned on by default when watching TV. The opening sections passed with no subtitles before I realised any were even included. I had to play it for work (I’m writing the VG247 guide for Rise in November, and I needed to catch up), so I shrugged and decided to accept it a test of my French level. Microsoft’s insistence on keeping address and language locked together meant I downloaded the French version of Tomb Raider this month from Games With Gold. This infuriated me in 2013, as my French wasn’t good enough to even navigate the console properly, but after playing Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition in French I’m as glad as I was to be done with Monsieur Camus. I live in France, and decided to move my account to home soil when I set up my Xbox One, but, for some reason I still can’t fathom, you aren’t allowed to simultaneously have a French Xbox Live address and your Xbox One UI in English. It seems odd to me now that I never considered playing a game in French to be as important, but that changed recently thanks to an Xbox Live quirk. It represents the traversal of many, apparently endless plateaus, and the chest-bursting excitement you feel as you turn the final page is one of having finally made it. This unforgettable milestone is as significant as it is in your first language ( Five on a Treasure Island, for the record: I was six or seven years old). It was L’Étranger (The Stranger) by Albert Camus, as it was for many French 'A' level students due to the simplicity of its vocabulary. I’ve been chipping away at French for the last five years, and finally got myself to a level capable of handling a book this March. Lara Croft is now French to me.Įvery language learner remembers their first novel. I completed and understood my first French game, and I learned how valuable play can be as a language learning tool. Pat plays - and understands - his first game in French.
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