After teaching English for 30 years, I have found that playing games and having fun while using English can greatly improve fluency. Students are motivated by the desire to win and they are mentally and emotionally engaged in the activity. When this happens, your brain picks up on these emotions and gives priority to remembering the language used so that they can do even better next time.
Our Play & Practice Sessions provide you and your friends your choice from a variety of games—from fairly simple, low-level board games, to role-playing games—that you can enjoy with a native English speaker as GM. Most of these games were not designed as educational tools. These are not the boring five-minute grammar and vocabulary practice games common in text books and classes across Japan. These are real games. Most of them were designed for native speakers, and are fun in and of themselves. The fact that, in playing them, you get to practice your English communication skills is just a bonus.
Games
Board Games
Eikaiwa Master, Trivia Trophy,
Board Game Arena*
Role Playing Games
DnD, Shadowdark
After Dinner Games
Arrogance, Slip of the Tongue, Word Round
Trivia Quiz (very challenging)
After Dinner Trivia, Quick-Fire Quiz, Amazing Facts
There are a wide variety of board games available on Board Game Arena that we can play together.
We highly recommend trying out Eikaiwa Master. It’s a family board game designed to be fun for both native speakers and English language learners.
If there is a game you would like to play that isn’t in the list, feel free to mention it and, if we can find a way to work it, we’ll certainly be willing to try.
Cancellation Policy
Once the time and date for the session is set, you’ll be sent a link to the Zoom meeting. You will use the same link for every session. If, for whatever reason, you cannot attend a session, please contact your tutor at least 24 hours in advance. If you do so, we can reschedule the meeting.
You need to give us a 24-hour notice before canceling a session; otherwise, you’ll lose it with no refund or chance to reschedule.
If our tutor needs to cancel the session, we will let you know as soon as we become aware of this issue and will reschedule the meeting.
Video Call
For the Dinner Party Games, Zoom, Line, Skype, or Google Meet are all suitable for your session. All of them are free to download and work on all phones, tablets, and computers.
When using the VTTs (Virtual Table Tops) to play either the board games or the RPGs, we’ve found it easier to use Line which can be open on your phone while you have the VTT open on a laptop, tablet, or PC. This allows you to get the full experience of the VTT–rolling dice, moving tokes, etc—while also having a live video call running at the same time.
Note: The content of these sessions is not to be shared in any way, nor posted online, by either party without their recorded permission.
Deciding which video conferencing app to use can be done over email or during the initial meeting as, while all the apps are free to download, they’re not all free to use when hosting multiple people for extended periods.
Structure & Flow
Step 1: Start
Read all the rest of these steps before clicking on the ‘Apply Here’ link below. Especially pay attention to the Cancellation Policy and note on Video Calls. That way you’ll know what to expect and the limits of the program..
Step 2: Apply
The link at the bottom of the page will take you to a form. You’ll need to fill it out with some mildly personal information – name, email, the name of this program. It will also have a space for you to leave any notes you think are relevant. Once you’ve filled in all the information, press the ‘Apply’ button and, if the cyber gods are kind, that information will make its way to us.
Step 3: First Contact
When we get that information, we’ll send you an email. That email will contain a polite greeting, a link back to this page, and an invitation to a quick video meeting. Along with this will be a short list of questions that your tutor will ask during the trial meeting. We include these here just so that you can think about the answers before the trial meeting.
Step 4: Trial Meeting
The meeting with your GM will be quick, taking approximately 15 minutes, and they will discuss your session goals with you.
This is like a Session Zero. This meeting is intended for us to get to know each other a little, to see if we can play together. If you have questions about your GM or the game session, this meeting is your chance to ask them before any time or financial commitments have been made.
Step 5: Upfront Payment
If step four goes well, I’ll send you an invoice for the session. Once I have confirmation that payment has been made, we can move on to the next step.
Step 6: Play & Practice Sessions
The sessions will take place on-line via a video call, but may also include the use of a virtual table top (VTT).
Price: 30-min session = ¥1,500/person
After Dinner Games, Trivia Quizzes*, 3~8 people
The trivia quizzes can be challenging even for native speakers, not because the language is especially difficult, but because they challenge your general knowledge on a broad range of topics.
Price: 60-min session = ¥3,000/person
Board Games OR After Dinner Games, 3~8 people
Price: 3-hour+ session = ¥7,500/person
D&D or Shadowdark One-Shot*, 3~4 people
If you enjoy the one-shot, there is an option for starting an on-going campaign at a slightly discounted rate.
