Language apps turn learning into a game

Philipp Mattheis knew his gaming app was addictive when he realized he kept checking his phone - hooked by the brightly colored reminders telling him to play again or risk falling from the triple-figure level he had reached.

Gripping the German journalist's attention was not Candy Crush, but one of a new generation of Chinese language apps that are using tricks traditionally employed by online games to get users hooked on learning.

For years the thrill of studying a new language has been tempered by the tedium of rote learning and repetition required to be truly accomplished - particularly the case for memorizing a character-based system. However, language apps are now increasingly turning to the same praise, reward and challenge format used by popular games such as Candy Crush.