Page 62. Connect to the Topic. Part B. TUNE IN

Unit seven

page 62

connect to the topic

part B: tune in

today we’re talking about new media and our guest is Lisa Goodwin; a game developer.

Ms. Goodwin is here to talk to us about interactive games.

let’s start with popularity.

how popular is gaming compared to other types of media?

very popular; worldwide, people spend about $100 billion every year on gaming; that’s more than twice as much as they spend on going to the movies.

wow that’s incredible; why is that? why are games becoming so popular?

well the main reason is they’re fun; but also games are becoming easier to play.

nowadays most games are mobile games so you can play on your smart phone.

so it’s easy to play anytime or anywhere.

Okay; so who plays games the most? Teenagers?

No; actually the average gamer in the US is 35 years old.

only 29% of gamers are under 18.

Really? I’m surprised; most gamers are males I would guess.

well actually more women are playing games than before, almost half of American gamers are women.

Huh? and how about the social aspect? do most people play games alone or with others?

it is becoming more common for people to play together; about 40% of gamers play social games, games played with others online.

Interesting; well, what are the most popular games? most popular types of games?

the top two most popular types of games are action games and shooting games.

people like to play games that are fast-moving and challenging.

sports games are also popular and so are role-playing games; games where players play the role of an imaginary character.

I can see how someone could really get into that…