[chokosaki]

In my classes with older students I typically try to play some games that are similar to video games the students like to play.

Here are two quick games you can play with some flashcards, a die, and a whiteboard.

Fighting game: Divide the students into two teams. Each team gets an LP (life points) total (generally around 30 points). The teams play paper, rock, scissors to see which team goes first. You then ask that team a question or show a flashcard (or any other language based problem). If they answer correctly, they can roll the die. Subtract the number rolled from the other team's LP. Then the second team goes. The first team to reach 0 points is the losing team (I generally have them perform some sort of task/dance after losing).

City Defense: This game is quite similar but instead of there being teams, the students are united as one. This works well with smaller groups or 1v1. The teacher takes the role of a monster attacking a city (you can draw it on the board or let students use their imagination). The monster is given LP like in the other game but the students are only given 3-5 boxes. As the monster you should ask them questions or have them perform a task. If the task is performed effectively the students should roll the die and subtract that number from the monster's LP. If the students answer incorrectly they get an X in a box. If all the boxes with Xs are filled the students lose. If the monster's LP reaches 0 then they win (I usually give them a small candy or something). This is very similar to the other game above but it's not competitive...it's cooperative.

When I make a game I want the game itself to be interesting and fun. I often look at popular video games to try and come up with a game like that. If you've played video games think about how you could turn it into some sort of tasked based classroom activity. Above examples were taken from Street Fighter and Final Fantasy.

I hope these can be of help to you.