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Costello

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Costello
Costello "Quest-Based Learning" logo
Developer(s) Adrian Cohen, James Hobbs, Jason Hitt
Engine MudOS
Platform(s) Platform independent
Release date(s) 1995
Genre(s) Educational MUD
Mode(s) Multiplayer, Single-player (CD version)
Media/distribution Online, CD-ROM
System requirements

Java; Web browser or CD-ROM


Costello is an educational MUD — a text-based online role-playing game — designed for teaching English as a foreign or second language.[1] It is offered online as a free service.[2] Created in 1995,[3] it was innovative in its use of the MUD medium for EFL/ESL instruction,[4]and has received positive critical response.[1]

Characteristics[]

Costello login

A screenshot of CostelloTemplate:'s login screen as seen in the Java applet client

Costello is intended to function both as an engaging game and a teaching environment,[2] following the reasoning that players will be more motivated to learn if their skill acquisition aids them in their game-play. To avoid degrading the value of language skills acquired, the game's command parser avoids support for ungrammatical shorthand forms; where a typical MUD might allow a player to examine a hat with the syntax l hat, Costello requires look at the hat. An integrated dictionary provides explication of unfamiliar terms.[1]

The game may be played through a Web browser using a Java applet[2] or using a Java client distributed on a CD-ROM with the course textbook.[5] A non-networked standalone application version of Costello is also included on the CD-ROM.

Costello's tagline is "Quest-Based Learning", reflecting its structuring of learning experiences through quests.[6] An earlier tagline was "English Through Imagination".[1]

Technical infrastructure[]

Costello runs on the MudOS game driver and a version of the Ain Soph Mudlib from Lost Souls, with customizations engineered by former Lost Souls developer Jason "Rand" Hitt and others.

References[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named tesl-ej
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named costello-online
  3. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named costello-authors
  4. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named cinii-miyazawa
  5. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named costello-book
  6. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named costello-main

External links[]

  • Template:Official
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