Part 11 - Computer games and multimedia

A

Staying up late into the night to play computer or video games.

Does this sound familiar to you?

How much time do you spend playing these games every day?

You?

____hours ______minutes

Your friend?

______hours______minutes

Per week

You?

___hours_____minutes

Your friend?

______hours_____minutes

Do you have trouble stopping playing these games?______Yes/No

Could you have a problem - an obsession? ______Yes/No

In today's South China Morning Post

Find alternative entertainment or leisure activities and ideas.

Cut them out and share with your class.

B

A customer tries out a video game in a shopping mall in Beijing. Photo: Bloomberg

Do you try games before you buy?

____________Yes or No

Where or how? _____________________

C

The Ark of Napishtim for PSP

Where do you use your PSP?

(if you have one)

Complete this sentence:

I use my PSP______________________

_________________________

_______________________.

D Virtual worlds - an online social universe

Screen shots from Mochaland that can be accessed via computer desktop or mobile phone.

Do you think advertising should be allowed on virtual games?

Yes or No_______________

Why/why not? __________________________

E Spider-Man game

Do you use a PC for games?

_________Yes or No

Three games you enjoy most:

_____________________________

_____________________________

_____________________________

F Who will win the gaming console race?

Nintendo or Playstation 3? _____________________

Why?________________________________

One of Nintendo's computer game consoles - Nintendo DS.

Casting a spell over young people? Photo: Bloomberg

G Social evil?

A boy plays an online game in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Discuss

Do you agree with the Vietnam government who believes online games are the new social evil that affects young people? Why/why not? Photo: AFP

H The first computer game

It is generally agreed that the first computer game, Spacewar, was developed in 1962. It was on a computer (the size of a car) with basic graphics, with two players controlling spaceships circling a planet. They could shoot each other, turn their ships, and accelerate (ak-sel-er-eyt). The goal was to hit the other spaceship before your one got hit.

It was inspired by the novel Skylark of Space and Lensman novels of Edward E. Smith (PhD).

Your gaming inspirations

Books or movies that inspire you Computer or video game style/type

____________________________________ ____________________________________

____________________________________ ____________________________________

____________________________________ ____________________________________

____________________________________ ____________________________________

Did you know?

The first commercially available video game, Pong (Atari 1973), was introduced 11 years after Spacewar. It was a game with simple graphics: white rectangles on a black background.

For the story of Pong, visit www.pong-story.com