Costello (online game)

Costello
Developer(s)	Adrian Cohen, James Hobbs, Jason Hitt
Engine	MudOS
Platform(s)	Platform independent
Release date(s)	1995
Genre(s)	Educational MUD
Mode(s)	Multiplayer, Single-player (CD version)
Media/distribution	Online, CD-ROM
System requirements Java; Web browser or CD-ROM

Costello is an educational MUD — a text-based online role-playing game — designed for teaching English as a foreign or second language.^[1] It is offered online as a free service.^[2] Created in 1995,^[3] it was innovative in its use of the MUD medium for EFL/ESL instruction,^[4]and has received positive critical response.^[1]

Characteristics

A screenshot of Costello's login screen as seen in the Java applet client

Costello is intended to function both as an engaging game and a teaching environment,^[2] following the reasoning that players will be more motivated to learn if their skill acquisition aids them in their game-play. To avoid degrading the value of language skills acquired, the game's command parser avoids support for ungrammatical shorthand forms; where a typical MUD might allow a player to examine a hat with the syntax l hat, Costello requires look at the hat. An integrated dictionary provides explication of unfamiliar terms.^[1]

The game may be played through a Web browser using a Java applet^[2] or using a Java client distributed on a CD-ROM with the course textbook.^[5] A non-networked standalone application version of Costello is also included on the CD-ROM.

Costello's tagline is "Quest-Based Learning", reflecting its structuring of learning experiences through quests.^[6] An earlier tagline was "English Through Imagination".^[1]

Technical infrastructure

Costello runs on the MudOS game driver and a version of the Ain Soph Mudlib from Lost Souls, with customizations engineered by former Lost Souls developer Jason "Rand" Hitt and others.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Gromik, Nicolas (03 2005). "Costello—English Through Imagination". TESL-EJ 8 (4). http://tesl-ej.org/ej32/m3.html. Retrieved 2010-04-27. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} "Costello Online". Costello Publications. 2005-10-12. http://costellopublications.com/online_index.html. Retrieved 2010-04-27. 
3. ^ "About the Authors". Costello Publications. 2005-07-29. http://costellopublications.com/textbook/about_authors.html. Retrieved 2010-04-27. 
4. ^ Ono, Michiko. "Translations of Seven Poems by Kenji Miyazawa". Scholarly and Academic Information Navigator. National Institute of Informatics. http://ci.nii.ac.jp/naid/110004868487/en. Retrieved 2010-04-27. "This paper discusses how the underlying conflict between textbooks and computer-based packages served as the driving force behind the creation of Costello: Quest-based Learning (Cohen & Hobbs, 2005), a package that combines a paper textbook with a virtual reality computer game for language learners. [...] Arguably, this represents a radical and innovative approach, in which the computer adds an extra dimension to the learning experience, but does not stifle the human interaction that many regard as a vital ingredient in the language classroom." 
5. ^ Cohen, Adrian (2005). Costello: Quest-based Learning. Costello Publications. ISBN 0955052505. 
6. ^ "Costello—Quest-Based Learning". Costello Publications. 2005-11-10. http://costellopublications.com/. Retrieved 2010-04-27. 

External links

• Official website