Video games
Do you play video games? What kinds of video games do you like to play? Would you watch others play video games? Do people spend too much time playing video games?
Vocabulary
  • Controller (noun) - a device used to operate or control a machine, a computer game, etc.
  • Console (noun) - a piece of electronic equipment for playing computer games.
  • Real-time (adj.) - communicated, shown, presented, etc. at the same time as events actually happen.
  • Strategy games (noun) - a model of interaction in which each player chooses an action not having been informed of the other players' actions.
  • The turn of the century (phrase) - the time when one century ends and another begins.
  • Let's Play (noun) - a video (or screenshots accompanied by text) documenting the playthrough of a video game, often including commentary and/or a camera view of the gamer's face.
  • Lore (noun) - traditional knowledge and stories about a subject.
  • To have/take time off (phrase) - to stop work, in order to do something else.
  • Digital (adj.) - using or relating to computers and the internet.
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Questions and Answers
M: Do you play video games?

R: Yeah, but just on my PC when I have a free moment. I don't really have the time to play around with controllers and consoles right now.

M: What kind of video games do you like to play?

R: Usually strategy games, real-time strategy games from the turn of the century. They take up a little less memory. And usually, they're easier to run on the computer, to be honest with you.

M: Would you watch others play video games?

R: I have in the past, yeah. there's a YouTube channel called the Templin Institute that does Let's Plays of different strategy games. And then they make up videos to go with the sort of the lore in their heads that they build up over time. Oh, and of course when I was much younger, I used to watch my little brother play as well.

M: Do people spend too much time playing video games?

R: I mean, define too much. It's the middle of winter and it's freezing. So why shouldn't people take time off for a little digital distraction?
Discussion
M: Rory, do you know? Why cats? Cats are so good at video games?

R: Oh, God. Why?

M: Because they have nine lives.

R: I feel like I've just lost one of my lives.

M: So Rory, what do you call this thing?

R: It's a controller. Specifically, it's like a two-handed controller I guess. Some controllers require two hands and some require just one. I think the Xbox needs two hands and the things like the Wii or the Switch just need one hand. A one-hand controller, a two-hand controller.

M: Yeah. So, dear listener, if you are a gamer. A gamer is a person who is into gaming. Games. So you can talk about different gaming equipment. Like this is a controller. We also have gaming mice, headphones, you know, or a headset, you know, specifically designed to play games. Or you can have a gaming keyboard, you know, like a special gaming keyboard. Or if you're into racing, you can have, wait, wait, vehicle control system with, you know, like a simulator, full-size steering wheel, control panel and even paddles, dear listener. It's just amazing.

R: That seems like a lot of work to put into a kind of hobby that's supposed to be just casual.

M: Yeah, but like, if you play tennis, for example, you have all this tennis gear, like a uniform, like freaking three rackets. You go to some space, like the same with gaming I think. If you're into gaming, you have the whole room full of gaming equipment, not just only this. You know? Rory, you told us that you play games on the computer. So on the computer, right?

R: Yeah, you play games on a computer or on the console, or you watch them on the TV or on a screen.

M: Or you can say that I don't have any time to play around. So play around is when you're kind of like crazy. Yeah? So I don't have time to play around. So I don't play video games. I'm not into gaming or I'm a gamer. Yeah? I'm crazy about video games. You can also play video games on your mobile phone, Rory. Did you know that? Like mobile versions of lots of games are there.

R: I know that you can. Yeah, I play chess on my phone as well. I just realized there.

M: Yeah. And did you know that mobile games have generated more profit than games on the computer?

R: Well, that doesn't surprise me because lots of people have phones. But not many people have, well, the money for computers or different consoles, do they?

M: So what do I say? Like, I usually play games on my phone. On my computer, on my phone.

R: Yeah. Well, if it's most people, then we would say they play them on their phones.

M: You can say like, well, sometimes I play video games to relax and unwind from my hectic life. Hectic - crazy. Unwind - to relax. So play games to unwind from the stress and hectic life. Oh, Rory is into strategy games, or what did you call them?
R: They're older strategy games, first of all, but they're also called real-time strategy games. That means that you do not have to take a turn and then wait for the next player, everyone is playing at the same time, which makes it a little bit more complex because you have to deal with different things going on at the same time.

M: They take up less space. So a game needs a lot of memory from your computer. So a strategy game or a game takes up less space.

R: Yeah. Take up like occupy. You can take up space, in fact, it's usually take up space or take up time or take up memory.

M: So you can say that I prefer real-time strategy games like Age of Empires, and Warcraft, so you can drop some names. And I like the games which are set in fantasy. So a game is set in somewhere, in a fantasy world. Yeah? Or, dear listener, you can say that I prefer puzzle games. I play them on my phone. Puzzle games, kind of like I have mobile apps, or I play games on my phone in special apps, applications. Maybe you prefer shooters. Rory, what are shooters?

R: Shooters. It's games that simulate the experience of being in modern combat. So you're shooting things instead of killing them with swords or knives or bows and arrows.

M: Counter-Strike, Call of Duty. So these are shooters. When I went to school, I used to play Quake. Yeah, old classics. So you can say I prefer old classics. So I sometimes play shooters. Rory, so what's this Templin?

R: Oh, it's a YouTube channel that I like to watch. And basically, what they do is explore the stories behind different games and fictional universes. And a lot of their content is based around the stories behind video games because that's their specialism.

M: And the structure is to watch other people play. So, for example, Rory told us that I watched my brother play video games. Right? But that's offline, yeah? So your brother was playing and you were watching.

R: Yeah.

M: And also, dear listener, when the examiner asks you like, do you watch others play video games? And you say like, well, do you watch other people play football, do you watch other people play hockey? So yes, I watch other people play video games.

R: There's a special genre of video, I think. You watch people on channels like Twitch but you can also watch videos on new places like YouTube, for example. And the genre is called Let's Plays. So, for example, let's play Call of Duty or modern warfare. Activision, pay us for advertising, please.

M: What was your answer to this one? When the examiner asks you like, do you spend too much time playing video games?

R: Yeah, you can do this anytime someone asks you if something is too much. I mean, how much is too much? To be honest. Some people think that playing video games for like a whole day is too much. And other people think that it's not nearly enough because some people can play video games for days and weeks at a time. So because this is subjective, it's about your opinion. You could say, well, define too much. Like what else should people be doing with their time? You can't really tell people what to do with their time. Well, you can but I don't think they would listen.
M: Define? Give a definition. So explain too much. How much is this? Do you eat too much sugar? Well, depends on what you mean by too much. Yeah? And then you say like what else should I be doing? It's winter. It's freezing cold. What else should I be doing? So you can ask a question.

R: We said this, we're recording this in winter now, but this could also work in the summer. Like it's summer, it's too hot outside. So what else should I be doing?

M: Video games are a digital distraction. So video games distract us from our problems. So you can say that, yes, ¬ike, why not play a video game to distract myself from all the problems of the world? You can also speak about virtual... Virtual reality glasses, yeah? This is what we call them?

R: Yeah, you have virtual reality glasses and headsets. I think the headsets are heavier and bulkier than the glasses and probably they're higher quality or the experience is higher quality.

M: Yep. Right, dear listener, we wrap it up with a joke. And Rory, I need you to explain what profanity is.

R: I thought what you're gonna say, I need you to explain what a joke is.

M: What is profanity?

R: It's using bad words, which we do not do on this podcast.

M: Yeah. Profanity, bad words. F-words. Rude language. So the joke is, that all gamers are bilingual. So they speak two languages. They speak English and profanity.

R: Okay. That's pretty good.

M: Because gamers, speak English and also when they play... So they use bad language a lot. And using bad language is a different language. That's why gamers are bilingual. They speak two languages. Okay, okay. We need to stop.

R: But just don't use it in your exam.

M: Yeah, we don't use profanity. But you can use the word profanity. And actually, you can crack a joke, dear listener. You know? Like the examiner asks you like, like do you like video games and you go, yeah, I'm a gamer. And you know what? I'm bilingual. I speak English and profanity.

R: And then watch as the examiner's eyebrows enter orbit.

M: Oh, my God. Dear listener, let us know in the comments, do you play video games? What your favourite video games are. What gaming equipment do you have? Or if you're not a gamer like me, well, then you just have to imagine or steal our answers. Rory's answers. Thank you for watching! I'm sending you hugs and love! Buy!

R: See you next time!

M: Okay, finally I can finish that.
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