Costello (online game)

Costello

File:Costello logo qbl.jpg
Developer(s)| Adrian Cohen, James Hobbs, Jason Hitt, Christopher Sprague, Ford Nickel
Engine| MudOS
Platform(s)| Platform independent
Release| 1995
Genre(s)| Educational MUD
Mode(s)| Multiplayer, Single-player

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,[citation needed] and has received positive critical response.[1]

## Contents

* 1 Characteristics
* 2 Technical infrastructure
* 3 References
* 4 External links

## Characteristics

File:Costello login.pngA screenshot of Costello'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.[4] 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.[5] 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 Gromik, Nicolas (March 2005). "Costello--English Through Imagination". TESL-EJ 8 (4). http://tesl-ej.org/ej32/m3.html. Retrieved 2010-04-27.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Costello Online". Costello Publications. 2005-10-12. http://costellopublications.com/online_index.html. Retrieved 2010-04-27.
3. ↑ "About the Authors". Costello Publications. 2005-07-29. http://costellopublications.com/textbook/about_authors.html. Retrieved 2010-04-27.
4. ↑ Cohen, Adrian (2005). Costello: Quest-based Learning. Costello Publications. ISBN 0-9550525-0-5.
5. ↑ "Costello--Quest-Based Learning". Costello Publications. 2005-11-10. http://costellopublications.com/. Retrieved 2010-04-27.

## External links

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