Reading Video games and health Ican understand a text about video games and their health effects. d ee iaicceena Teenager dies after playing video game for ‘games is bad for your health? 40 hours without eating or sleeping (aily mirror) Why? / Why not? Playing computer games encourages obesity (aity 2 Read the text. How many different video games does the writer Overload of screen time ‘causes mention by name? What are they? depression in children’ (1uaepenuent) Why video games are goou for your healttt Many people assume that video games have @ ‘Quick and simple games like Angry Biras can negative effect on young people. A lot of time in improve players’ mood and prevent them from front of a screen Is bad for the mind andthe body, 30 feeling anxious. This emotional benef is important, they believe. Newspaper headlines often express the report suggests. Feeling relaxed and happy 5 the same opinion ~ and combat games cause the is good for your health. The report also describes most concem because of the violence. But is there another emotional benefit of video games: they teach any evidence for this view? According to a report in children how to react well. failure. n video games, ‘American Psychologist, the truth is not so simple. 2s players continually fail and try again. This makes them Playing videu yeres is suinetimes guod (or uildren's—eintivnelly sony in real life 10 education, health and social skills Video games can improve social skills too, the report Research shows that video games can actually says. More than 70% of gamers play with a friend, not improve certain mental skill. Ths is especially true alone, and millions of people take part in huge online for combat games. These games teach players to. «0 games like Minecraft and Farmville. The players learn think about objects in three dimensions and this Useful social skills: how to lead a group, how to work 1s makes them better at studying science, technology, together and how to make decisions. Overall, the engineering and maths. Other types of video game report does not deny that some video games can do not usually provide these benefits. have negative effects; but itis important to think 45 about the benefits too. And remember: you mustn't However, ather types of video game con have other LRG Sean tah aeI REG SEA positive effects. In 2013, scientists did some research 2 into the offect of role ploying gameo (RPGs) on children. The research showed that when children apond o lot of time playing RPGs, they get bottor gredes at school than children who do not play them. Othor research showed that playing any kind of vidoo game, including violent games, improves children's creativity. But uting 3 computer or emartphone for emails or other tasks does not provide this benefit aE Reading Strategy ‘When you do a multiple-choice task, decide whether ‘each question is about the whole text or a specific part: Ifitis about a specific part, find the relevant sentences and underline them. 3. Read the Reading Strategy and questions 1-5 in exercise 4 below. Decide which question is out the whole text. then find the relevant sentences in the text for the other questions. 4 Circle the correct answers (ad). 1 Newspaper headlines about video games 2a only talk about violent games. b always present the same view. € donottell the truth d usually present a negative view. 2 You learn to think about things in three dimensions when you a playcombat games. b play any kind of video game. study engineering or maths. 4 doscientificstudies, 3. Research shows that roleplaying games a are the only games that make children more creative. donot provide as many benefits as violent games. € help children to do wel at school. d help children to learn how to use computers. 4 The report also suggests that video gamers 2. spend a lot of time on their own, b learn some useful sils by playing with others, usually fail in other areas oftheir lives, d spend alot of time feeling anxious. 5. According to the report, the effect of video games on children a is mostly good b is mostly bad. « isnot known, 4 isnot very important. 5 Look back at the question in exercise 1. Has the text changed your opinion at all? fs0, how? 6 VOCABULARY Complete these verb + noun collocations from the text using the words below. cause do express get have make provide takepartin use Collocations: verb + noun 1 2 positive / negative effect 2 anopinion 3 concern 4 a benefit 5 research 6 (good) grades at school 7 a computer / smartphone 8 online games !9 a decision 7 Answer the questions using information from the text. 11 What do many people assume about the effects of video games on young people? 2 What kinds of skills can combat games imprave? 3 What can simple games like Angry Birds prevent? 4 What kind af game helps children to get hetter grades at school, according to a 2088 report? 5 What kind af game teaches children how to work together 8 SPEAKING Work in pairs. Complete the questions with ‘How much or How many. Then ask and answer. 1 different types of screen do you use regularly? (phone, computer, tablet, TV, etc) ? ‘ime da yous spend watching TV or DYN each day? 3 different video games do you play? 4 different people do you play video games with? 5 different tasks do you use a computer for? (games, emails, homework, etc) 6 ‘ime do you 2pend in total each weekin front of ascreen? How many different types of screen do you use regularly? Units Onsen