DEALL PhD candidate Ai-Ling Lu, along with Computer Science and Engineering students Caden Conde and Nikhil Dhayagude, have won first place at the World Language Appathon.

 

The competition, hosted by The Center for Languages, Literatures, and Cultures (CLLC), OHI/O, and The Ioann Crane Advanced Language Institute Endowment, brought together expertise in technology, language education, and interdisciplinary innovation. Teams composed of language and computer science students collaborated to design immersive VR apps for language education.

 

Ai-Ling Lu’s team wowed the judges with “Night Market Mission,” a VR game that transports players to a lively Taiwanese night market. Players step into the shoes of a student living in a homestay, receiving a food order from their host mom via text. With the phone battery nearly dead, they have only a few brief chances to check the message before rushing to fulfill the order. Using voice recognition, players interact with night market vendors, practicing ordering food with correct measure words. The game blends a compelling storyline, pedagogical rigor, cutting-edge technology, and a beautifully rendered, authentic night market environment, offering players a fun, interactive, and realistic language-learning experience.