Transcript UNIT 6: VIDEO GAMES

UNIT 6: VIDEO GAMES
Main Article
• The image of the video game geek is
changing. Not so long ago, gaming was
seen as a hobby for lonely teenage
boys – but nowadays, the average gamer
is 30 years old, and there’s a 42% chance
she will be female. Video games are truly
taking over the world.
• More than half of modern American
households have a games console, most likely
an “eighth generation” device such a Sony
Playstation 4, Microsoft Xbox One, or
Nintendo Wii U. However, it is thought that
this generation of consoles may be the last,
due to the increasing popularity of tablets. If
this prediction comes true, it will be the end
of an era which began in 1972 with the very
first home console, the Magnavox Odyssey.
• The Magnavox Odyssey retailed at less than
$100 and had just 27 games. One of them,
Tennis, was copied by Atari to produce their
famous Pong, which many people wrongly
believe to be the first ever video game. The
Odyssey’s inventor, a German-American
named Ralph Baer, took Atari to court in 1975
and won; however, it is still Atari, and not
Magnavox, which is a household name.
• During the late 70s and early 80s, the socalled “golden age” of video gaming, most
people did not own consoles. Instead, they
visited arcades to play Pong, Space Invaders or
Pac-Man on coin-operated machines. Games
like these, which were ground-breaking at the
time, have now become classics and are still
available as apps.
• It was the release of the Nintendo NES (also
known as the Famicom) in 1983 which really
marked the beginning of a new era in home
gaming. It sold almost 62 million units,
replaced joysticks with joypads, and
introduced the cheerful plumber Mario to the
world.
• Soon afterward, Sega launched its Master
System, and the two Japanese companies
remained market leaders for consoles
throughout the 1990s. They also
manufactured handheld machines, of which
Nintendo’s Gameboy was perhaps the most
enduring. Their only real rivals were home
computers produced by brands such as Sharp
in Asia, and Commodore in the USA and
Europe.
• One of the biggest shifts to take place
between the 1990s and the present day was
the move from 2D to 3D games, during the
fifth generation of consoles. It was also when
discs began to replace cartridges. The bestselling 3D games of this time, such as Tomb
Raider, paved the way for the more realistic
and complex adventures on sale today.
• The R-rated Grand Theft Auto V is considered
to be one of the best open world games of
2013. In it, players control three criminal
characters in order to complete various
missions. The game is huge and almost
infinite, because of its online multiplayer
option.
• It is interesting to note that Grand Theft Auto
V is not available for tablets, although earlier
versions of the game can be downloaded in
this format. This has led some people to
comment that, contrary to expectations,
eighth generation consoles may not be the
last.
Dialogues
Scenario 1
Two students are playing the demo sets of the next-gen game consoles,
X2 and P5, in an electronic entertainment expo.
Amy: Hey, look! You can try out the next generation consoles
in that store.
Neil: Shall we? I’ve heard the X2 is much better than the P5.
Amy: Really? I heard the opposite.
Neil: Well, let’s see. I’ll play on the X2, and you take the P5.
Amy: Right! Oh, look at this joypad. It’s made of clear plastic
so you can see inside.
Neil: That’s neat. But how does it feel?
Amy: Hmm, comfortable and light. How about yours?
Neil: I don’t know until I start playing! Aha, they’ve got
Final Fighters. I love this game.
Amy: OK. I’ll play that too. Actually, I’m not sure about
this joypad. It feels like the buttons are in the wrong
place.
Neil: Well, this one is brilliant. It moves really smoothly.
Check out these graphics, too!
Amy: That looks amazing. Maybe you’re right – maybe
the X2 is better.
Neil: I told you! Here, take the joypad. Try it for yourself.
Scenario 2
Two hosts of a game website are commenting on the Game of the Year.
Ben: It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for.
Cara: That’s right, Ben. Today’s the day we announce our game of
the year.
Ben: Thanks to everyone who’s visited out website to vote. It was a
close competition because so many awesome games have
been released in the last 12 months.
Cara: They have. But there can only be one winner.
Ben: OK, Cara. It’s the moment of truth. The winner is … Dead Sea
Adventure.
Cara: Wow, congratulations, Dead Sea Adventure!
Ben: What do you think about that result?
Cara: I think this game deserved to win. It’s innovative,
funny, and has exceptional gameplay.
Ben: I agree. Although I’m also sad that Mercury
Mouse didn’t win.
Cara: Mercury Mouse is another fantastic game, but
it doesn’t have the re-playability factor. It’s
possible to complete it in a few weeks,
whereas Dead Sea Adventure has infinite
possibilities.
Ben: Did you really complete Mercury Mouse in a few
weeks? You’re a better gamer than me.
Cara: Ha ha! Have you only just realised?
Cultural Notes
• Note 1 Problems with video games
• Is there a dark side to gaming? Some people
think so. Video games have been accused of
causing health problems, normalizing violence,
and encouraging addiction.
• The main health problems associated with
gaming are injuries to the wrists, neck and
eyes. However, links have also been made
between video games and epilepsy, a
condition which causes people to have fits
(sudden violent shaking of the body).
• On top of this, some commentators have
suggested that video games are responsible for
an increase in violent behavior in teens. Because
players are exposed to continued, extreme
violence in games such as Grand Theft Auto V,
they begin to think this is normal in the real
world as well as the virtual one.
• Finally, there have been cases of people
becoming addicted to video games. Australia,
Canada, China, the Netherlands and South
Korea have even set up clinics for people
suffering from this condition, whose
symptoms include anger and depression.
Sony Playstation 4
http://us.playstation.com/ps4/index.htm
Microsoft Xbox One
http://rookerville.com/2013/05/22/xbox-one-for-dummies/
Nintendo Wii U
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wii_U
the Magnavox Odyssey
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnavox_Odyssey_series
Ralph Baer
http://www.jcpe.tv/project/vice-ralph-baer-father-of-videogames/
Space Invaders
http://www.gameogre.com/reviewdirectory/reviews/space-invaders.php
Pac-Man
http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=10816
joysticks
http://www.syntaxerror.nu/joysticks.html
joypads
http://wall4all.me/wallpaper/854230-Nintendo-joypads
Nintendo’s Gameboy
http://revsym.blogspot.tw/2011/05/nintendo-always-gets-it-right.html
Tomb Raider
The R-rated Grand Theft Auto V
http://www.gamersheroes.com/game-pages/tomb-raider/#
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto_V
X2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mega_Man_X2