This is a project submitted to MIT Reality Hack 2023. As one of our teammates had a very hard time learning English as a second language, he proposed the idea of a VR language learning app that helps people practice languages. From that prompt, I remembered the activities we did to practice Mandarin in my high school classes. We always performed skits based on daily activities. That gave us the idea behind Vrlingo.
Vrlingo is an ecosystem that helps language learners practice speaking a language with other learners around the world. Multiplayer lobbies are set up with contextual environments and grabbable items including restaurants, department stores, parks, and many more. Virtual prompts will give people suggestions on what they can do with the items and other people in the world.
The ecosystem is based on a points model, where you spend points to learn languages and gain points helping people practice your native language. Joining a lobby in your native language will tag you as a mentor so that people can ask questions about vocabulary, grammar, or other terms. We aim to be another learning tool on top of things like textbooks, watching movies, or even Duolingo.