I’m an avid lover of pool and have always enjoyed the top down style of pool games. They are often done but rarely hold a candle to Miniclip’s OG classic. I always remember playing the browser version as a kid but now having the availability to play this on mobile too makes it all the more convenient and easier to challenge and swiftly alienate your friends. As some of you may know, I have an odd soft spot for sports games, even though I am the antithesis of a sporty person. I’m also nerdy, which sums me up to be perfect for pool. Add in the ability to play it and read Japanese and you have a very strange trifecta.
Platform and Languages
8 Ball is only available on mobile and web browser. While the mobile game can easily be set into Japanese from the main menu, the web browser version is limited to English or your PC’s language settings, which for the variety and depth of the content isn’t likely worth changing.
The game is free to play but does feature in-game purchases, none of which will affect the readability of the game.
Glossary
Usability
This one will be more of a mini review. Whilst I’ve been playing a fair amount of 8 ball pool (almost too much) there isn’t much to go off in the ways of lengthy conversation or expansive vocabulary. I suppose this makes sense as pool in itself isn’t a fantastically wordy game. One thing you do get is a lot of contest-based and statistical language. The sentences featured throughout aren’t especially long but there is a lot of text to see at any one time. A vast majority is also katakana which can be effective for new learners that want to build vocab without bashing their head against kanji for hours.
As this is a competitive game, and as it’s league and timeframe based, you’ll find frequent pop ups highlighting which pool halls are recommended, who the top scorers are and what you can win. In most games these would be a tedium however here they are one of few types of content that supply anything substantial. An added bonus is that many of the pop ups have a small information button that brings up a more in-depth description of what needs to be done for each mode. I would recommend taking every opportunity to look out for these information buttons and reading through each one. Apply your knowledge of the gameplay and your learnt vocabulary in order to verify your understanding.
Statistical language is always an odd one when it comes to learning language. It is invariably necessary and we use it more than we even realise. It holds huge benefit for understanding the basis of descriptive language. A simple, short snippet referring to shot length allows us to understand grammar points such as quantifying adjectives. This in turn can be used for talking about lengths of materials, durations of films or activities and much much more. The double edged sword is that statistical language is much more difficult to invest focused time into, as it’s typically shorter and, let’s be honest, significantly less interesting than a good story. When you find a game that is mostly statistical, coupled with a highly visual and muscle memory dependant play style, it’s almost a death sentence.
I don’t like to be pessimistic, in fact, I have no regrets in playing through 8 ball as it is a pleasant nostalgia hit that does indeed provide a chunk of language. I wouldn’t recommend going out of your way to download it for the purpose of studying but if you have it already, or you’re a fan of pool, it’s no trouble at all to download it for free and smash out the vocab in an evening or two. Once you have read through everything to experience it isn’t really going to do you any favours to actively read through it all again but keep your reading head on if you play regularly.
Challenges and Methods
Information center
The before mentioned information buttons are little pockets of good vocabulary and deductive reading. Look out for them in the corners of any mode menus. Read through in order to ensure you understand all of the vocabulary, check through the grammar and context and then apply it to the item it’s describing in order to verify your understanding of the text.
Additional images
Games & Kanji 