Put it all together

Listening and writing exercise

First, read the timeline about the history of video games. Second, observe that there are 6 gaps through the text. Later, read the options below to fill in the gaps. Then, write the number of the sentence that matches each gap.

The history of video games

The history of video games

The following is the history of video games, you might like them or not. However, it is interesting to read about the stages towards what we know in the 21st century. Check the next timeline out!

The history of video games

The Early Days

First, in the 1940’s Eduard Condon designed a computer that plays the game Nim. The idea of this game was to avoid picking up the last match. An interesting fact about it was that the computer won 90% of the games.

a)

The history of video games

In the same year, Claude Shannon and Alan Turing created chess programs.

The history of video games

Next, in 1952 A.S. Douglass created on a computer one of the most popular games that we even play nowadays: tic-tac-toe.

b)

The history of video games

After that, the U.S. military designed Hutspiel, a war training simulation with red and blue players.

c)

NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization (the countries that form part of NATO are the U.S., the UK, Italy, France, Canada)

The history of video games

Finally, during these first years of the history of video games, students at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) presented Mouse in the Maze. The game consisted of a mouse searching for cheese through a labyrinth.

The history of video games

The rock and roll time for video games

In 1960, John Burgeson ran the first baseball computer program on an IBM computer.

The history of video games

Later, in 1962, Spacewar was created at MIT. This was the first game well known all around the world.

The history of video games

Then, in 1964 BASIC, the first programming language was created and many people were programmers by that time.

d)

The history of video games

A year later, the first football game was designed. And three years after that, the company Magnavox released the first video game system named Odyssey.

e)

The history of video games

In 1975, the company Atari presented its home version. At the end of this decade, the same company released the Atari 2600, a console with joysticks and cartridges.

The history of video games

The eighties

First, this decade saw the birth of the iconic Pac-man, Donkey Kong and Mario Bros.

The history of video games

Second, in 1983, appeared in the multiplayer game M.U.L.E., and two years later, a Russian mathematician created the addictive game Tetris.

f)

The history of video games

Then, the same company popularized a handheld portable console: Game boy, which had different versions after the first one like: Game boy color, Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS.

The history of video games

Finally, Sega appeared in the late 80’s, a famous company for being the creator of Sonic and Nintendo main rival.

Options
1. They represented the Soviet Union and the countries that belonged to NATO respectively.
2. Then, a decade later William Higinbotham created the game Tennis for two on a large analog computer.
3. It is also known in the UK as OXO or noughts and crosses.
4. Later, a Japanese company, Nintendo released another important video game: The Legend of Zelda.
5. The 70’s brought the first arcades in history. In fact, the legend Pong was born during those years.
6. As a result, there were video games galore.

a)

2. Then, a decade later William Higinbotham created the game Tennis for two on a large analog computer.

b)

3. It is also known in the UK as OXO or noughts and crosses.

c)

1. They represented the Soviet Union and the countries that belonged to NATO respectively.

d)

6. As a result, there were video games galore.

e)

5. The 70’s brought the first arcades in history. In fact, the legend Pong was born during those years.

f)

4. Later, a Japanese company, Nintendo released another important video game: The Legend of Zelda.
Practice exercise

After reading the timeline above, answer these questions.

When was the first football video game designed?

Which were the videogames created at MIT?

What happened last in the 80’s according to the text?

When did the first arcades appear?

The Podcast

The Podcast

Listening practice

After reading part of the history of video games, in this podcast you will find recent events about this interesting topic. So, let’s listen to Hugo interviewing Iggy, an expert on the latest stages in the history of video games.

Hugo: Hello, there! Today in the program we have an expert on the history of video games who will share the main facts about the topic. How are you doing, Iggy?

Iggy: Hi, Hugo. Very well, excited to be here.

Hugo: Awesome! I’d like you to talk a little about the last 30 years in the history of video games. Let’s start with the 90’s, shall we?

Iggy: Absolutely! Do the games Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat sound familiar to you?

Hugo: For sure. I played those games when I was in junior high school.

Iggy: Everyone was playing these games back in the 90’s, no matter how gore they were, we seemed to like them. To be honest both video games were really violent, that was the reason the US government created a rating system

Hugo: Really? I didn’t know there was such a thing. Pretty interesting!

Iggy: Sure there was! However, the video game industry kept on releasing violent video games like Doom, which was about shooters.

Hugo: But not all the companies focused on this, did they? Sega for example?

Iggy: Exactly, Sega had the cutest hedgehog Sonic as a counterpoint to this violence in video games.

Hugo: Ok. What about consoles? Which one was released in the 90’s?

Iggy: Playstation was. The modern age in video games was coming, though. Xbox 360 appeared in 2001 offering games like Halo. This console used advanced technology for the graphics and offered the possibility of online interaction with other players.

Hugo: So, do you think Xbox was the greatest console of the 2000?

Iggy: Well, it brought high definition and the multiplayer mode which allowed players to find other people to play with on Xbox live. So, yes, Microsoft was making good money.

Hugo: I remembered joining with my friends and playing a video game that almost everyone liked. Can you talk a little about that?

Iggy: Ha ha ha, yes! Almost everyone has once wished they could have a band and play an instrument or sing out loud. Rock Band was the game for this! I used to love it, you know!

Hugo: I do!

Iggy: But, social and mobile games were even more popular. In 2009, every single person had played Farmville and Angry Birds, and with the appearance of social networks like Facebook and smartphones, you could play anywhere, anytime.

Hugo: Absolutely! What happened after that?

Iggy: Oh, well… Xbox One X, Playstation Pro, Minecraft, Gear of wars, Call of Duty, etc. That happened… I mean, for the last ten years topnotch technology has been used and the graphics these games have are impressive, they really look like movies.

Hugo: That’s right! One last question, what’s your favorite video game?

Iggy: Mine? Mmm that’s not an easy question, but I think it is The Witcher or Skyrim which are RPG, or role-player games and Sandbox that means you can choose your own adventure. They are awesome!

Hugo: Wow! I’m gonna try them, Iggy. Thanks for coming today!

Iggy: You’re very welcome, Hugo! Any time!

Writing exercise

After listening to the podcast, complete this sequence of events matching the columns.

First,
d) First, in the early nineties, violent video games were really popular.
Second,
c) Second, the company Sega created Sonic, a video game about a cute character.
Third,
e) Third, many fancy consoles appeared, such as Playstation and Xbox 360.
Later,
a) Later, there was the opportunity to choose a multiplayer mode.
Then,
f) Then, everyone played anywhere, anytime using Facebook.
Finally,
b) Finally, technology is growing and improving to the point that some video games look like movies.
b) technology is growing and improving to the point that some video games look like movies.
c) the company Sega created Sonic, a video game about a cute character.
d) in the early nineties violent video games were really popular.
a) there was the opportunity to choose a multiplayer mode.
e) many fancy consoles appeared, such as Playstation and Xbox 360.
f) everyone played anywhere, anytime using Facebook.
Self evaluation

Read the information on the left and click on the best option according to your own performance. If you feel like you need to practice more, the column on the right will tell you where to go.

Self evaluation

I am an expert NOW in this topic!

Self evaluation

I think I need to practice a bit more.

Self evaluation

I am starting to believe I need to start over again.

I can easily identify verb phrases and the past tense of the verbs.

Wonderful!
Try to check this section: Useful words
Try to check this section: Useful words

I can clearly recognize sequence linkers like first, second, third, later, then, and finally.

Excellent!
Try to check this section: A trip to Oregon
Try to check this section: A trip to Oregon

I can recognize the pronunciation of regular and irregular verbs in simple past as well as the contraction: didn’t, wasn’t, and weren’t..

Awesome!
Try to check this section: What did you say?
Try to check this section: What did you say?

I can easily understand in an oral text the chronological order of events in the past.

Wow! We are glad to know that!
Try to check this section: Huck’s adventures
Try to check this section: Huck’s adventures

I can clearly understand in a written text the chronological order of events in the past.

Wonderful!
Try to check this section: A refugee boy who became a chess champion.
Try to check this section: A refugee boy who became a chess champion.

I can doubtlessly organize my ideas and write a short paragraph sequencing events in chronological order.

Wow! We are glad to know that!
Try to check this section: A love-hate story
Try to check this section: A love-hate story

I can talk about past events in a chronological way without difficulty.

Very well!
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Try to check this section: My favorite vacation ever