I need to join up in a game like this, because currently all I can really remember is how to count in French, and my proficiency in the Asian languages amounts to a few phrases from the song "Mr. Roboto" by STYX! Students have it so much easier (well, at least cooler) than I did, because one teacher has created a MMO to teach Mandarin and Chinese culture. In my day we had Oregon Trail to learn from, and we were happy just to have that.

From the article:

The use of games as an educational tool is a growing trend, but researchers at Michigan State University are trying a new approach to educating students in Chinese language and culture. Given the notorious difficulty of teaching Mandarin in the classroom, Professor Yong Zhao (left) realised that mere instruction wasn’t enough to help students learn China’s official language.

Zon - The New Chengo Chinese is an experimental MMO (design doc here) which is meant to allow students and instructors to interact and role-play while learning Mandarin as well as Chinese culture and history. Currently being developed in partnership with the Chinese government-sponsored Confucius Institute, Zon is a five-level course designed to prepare students for participation in Chinese advanced placement offerings in MSU’s virtual high school program.

Read the full article over at gamepolitics.com