Our interest in this study thus goes beyond its inherent
value to language learning and teaching. Computer games
today excel in the visual representation of reality but are
limited in the nature of player interactions. Language
limitations in particular are evident in the narrow scope of
dialogue within games. This is largely because, when it comes
to interactive and intelligent design, smooth natural-language
processing is still a distant goal. This area is full of challenges,
with many problems to overcome that are insusceptible to
brute-processing solutions. But there are so many areas of
potential application-in gaming, simulation, design-tool and
human-computer interaction (HCI) design generally-that this is
an exciting area. This study describes only solution and
ambitions-those relating to the learning language programwhile seeking to make an additional point: that we need better
linguistic resources if we are to improve design-tools generally
and create more accessible, effective and engaging game and
simulations. To dream convincingly, this study needs linguistic
tools to fill the gaps in this game-based representation of reality.