LISTENING B2

Youll hear five different people talking about computer games. For questions 1-5, choose from the list of their views on computer games. se each option onl! once. "here is one e#tra option which !ou do not need to use.

1. Speaker 1: 2. Speaker 2: 3. Speaker 3: 4. Speaker 4: 5. Speaker 5:

.: Speaker 1: 2. Speaker 2: 3. Speaker 3: 4. Speaker 4: 5. Speaker 5:

Speaker 1 Some children just cant live without it. They really are hooked. The colours die away and your kids scream in rotest. Its as i! youve just taken a dru" away !rom them. #eve "ot to acce t the !act that these machines are havin" a terri$le e!!ect on childrens standards o! literacy. %ids just arent interested in readin" these days. They !eel they have to do it to ass tests. So they just stare at the screen& ushin" those $uttons. They dont have to use their $rains or their memory. These "ad"ets are the cause o! so much underachievement in todays society. Speaker 2 'ne o! the thin"s "ame develo ers have to worry a$out is how to revent eo le !rom co yin" the "ames ille"ally and distri$utin" them on the internet. Some com anies have "one to "reat len"ths to make sure that everyone who lays the "ame is a le"itimate user& !or e(am le& you mi"ht have to have a ermanent internet connection to lay. This is a ro$lem !or some eo le i! their internet connection isnt relia$le. So they re!er to $uy irated versions which dont have all these restrictions. Speaker 3 I realise that a lot o! these ay)!or)!ree "ames are desi"ned to $ecome addictive. *ou lay !or !ree& $ut once youve invested time and e!!ort into your "ame& you start ayin" real money to ro"ress !urther into the "ame. #ith eo le s endin" hu"e sums o! money on virtual items& I can see why "overnments mi"ht want to re"ulate "ames like these. But on the other side& these "amin" com anies are $usinesses and they need to make money. Governments should !ocus on the industrys $usiness model& rather than the "ame

content. Its a $alancin" act& $ecause the last thin" you want to do is stam out the creativity o! small com anies. Speaker 4 + lot o! "ames are attractive $ecause the virtual world is !airer than the real world. *our success isnt determined $y your a"e& social status or education. *our eers are loyal& and when you do somethin" "ood& you are instantly rewarded& so theres a real sense o! achievement. The sense o! community in the "amin" world is actually really stron"& and what we really need to do is $rin" some o! this s irit o! workin" to"ether and accom lishin" tasks into the real world. ,eo le should sto critici-in" these "ames and start thinkin" a$out how we can incor orate the ositive s irit o! "amin" into our real lives. Speaker 5 There have $een a lot o! studies into whether "amin" encoura"es violent $ehaviour& $ut as !ar as I know& they havent $een a$le to come u with any conclusive evidence. .uvenile crime in the States is at a thirty year low& and there is also some evidence that most antisocial acts are committed $y kids who dont lay com uter "ames. I reckon all this hy e a$out violent "ames is a $i""er ro$lem than the "ames themselves. It makes adults sus icious o! their kids& and tries to $lame $i" social issues on "ames rather than eliminatin" the real cause o! youth ro$lems& such as home li!e and mental sta$ility.