Parasali: Innovation in Learning Balinese Script, Language, and Literature through Educational Games, Why Not?

Balinese script is an important part of Balinese identity. However, in practice, the use of this script is now limited to traditional, religious or ceremonial environments. In education, learning Balinese script does exist, but its delivery is often considered uninteresting - rigid, textual, and not in line with the learning style of today's youth. Many young people cannot even read or write in Balinese script.

In response to these challenges, the Parasali development team saw an opportunity to combine gaming technology and local cultural learning. With an “edutainment” approach-education through entertainment-Parasali aims to make learning Balinese script more fun, interactive, and relevant to the habits of today's youth.

The Existence of Balinese Script in the Present

Parasali stands for “Paplajahan Aksara, Bahasa, lan Sastra Bali”, which means new digital-based learning media in the form of a website that supports education and revitalization of Balinese language and literature through two-way interactive learning. This form of website was chosen to provide flexibility and ease of access to all levels of society, especially students from various devices owned by simply visiting the web address through a browser, as long as it is connected to the internet. The features in Parasali provide access for users to practice the four basic language skills which include listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills, with elements of collaborative games to hone critical thinking skills. The elaboration between educational and recreational media is the main reflection of this site.  The game's content is based on authoritative literature in collaboration with the Bali Language Center, to ensure cultural and linguistic accuracy.

TView of the Balinese Satua Feature on Parasali that implements 3 Languages

The main novelty and uniqueness of Parasali is the feature of song lyrics in three languages: Balinese (Balinese script and Latin script) and Bahasa Indonesia. The Gegendingan feature hones Balinese listening and reading skills as well as vocabulary absorption, while the translation of the lyrics into Indonesian helps with comprehension. Other features such as Satua Bali also use both languages. In addition, what differentiates Parasali from other existing apps is that Parasali provides features to learn Balinese script, language and literature in one platform, while similar apps only cover one of these topics.

Parasali presents three main focuses:

1. Balinese script: Players learn to recognize, read, and write Balinese characters through interactive games.
2. Balinese language: Users are introduced to vocabulary and sentence structures in Balinese, adapted to everyday contexts.
3. Balinese Literature: Players are invited to explore the richness of Balinese literature through stories, poems, and proverbs packaged in the form of interactive learning.

Parasali does not only feature teaching content, but is packaged in the form of educational games. One of its flagship features is “Maplalianan”, where players are invited to play while answering questions about Balinese characters. Not only that, users are also presented with other features, namely:

1. Malajah Aksara (Learning the Script)
   

   

   Malajah Aksara Feature View on Parasali

   
   Malajah Aksara Bali provides five basic Balinese script learning options, with audio support for pronunciation instruction and visuals to show how the script is written. The aim is to increase awareness and ability to write Balinese script conventionally, providing examples of script usage in vocabulary as reference.
   

2. Maplalianan (Games)
   

   

   Maplalianan Feature View on Parasali 

   
   Parasali's Maplalian feature provides Balinese language and script learning through three games: Aksara Card, Tebag Aksara, and Terjemah Aksara. Kartu Aksara trains memory by randomly pairing scripts, Tebag Aksara tests accuracy by guessing the name of the script from four choices, and Terjemah Aksara asks users to translate sentences with three levels of difficulty. This feature makes learning more creative, interesting and effective.
   

3. Nyurat Aksara (Script Writing)