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Shout out to Game Gengo, my new language learning obsession

A perfect evening hang

Ichiban hesitantly pulls his exam results out of an envelope in Yakuza: Like A Dragon.
Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun / Sega

As some of you might be aware, I went to Japan earlier this year and had a great time. Off the back of the trip, I've finally decided to get my act together and pursue a long, arduous road to some degree of fluency. It's always going to be a work-in-progress, but I think I've settled into a language learning routine which leaves me with plenty of time for Love Island in the evening. DuoLingo's owl has been punted to the curb, too, because the bird is awful.

Naturally, I've turned to a textbook: Genki I. At first I thought there was no getting past it being a bit dry - I mean they aren't meant to be thrillers, are they? Until, that was, I discovered Game Gengo, a YouTuber who takes each lesson from the textbook, breaks them down into manageable chunks, all complete with loads of examples from video games. I spend most of my evenings with the guy, and what a treat it is.

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Ed Thorn avatar
Ed Thorn: When Ed's not cracking thugs with bicycles in Yakuza, he's likely swinging a badminton racket in real life. Any genre goes, but he's very into shooters and likes a weighty gun, particularly if they have a chainsaw attached to them. Adores orange and mango squash, unsure about olives.
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