We all play them , we all enjoy them , and no matter how old you are , we all love them. Hi everyone , Ali is here and welcome back to another episode of Italkenglish podcast and as you can see from the title of today’s episode , we’re gonna talk about video games. And here with me is a special friend , Carla . what’s up Carla ?

- Hi Ali. Thank you so much. How about you ?

- I’m fine as well. Thank you too. So Carla , You like videogames , right ?

- Of course I do. Video games are so exciting.

- And how often do you play videogames Carla ?

- Well honestly , three times a week. I prefer to use my freetime for video games , but not always.

- Well actually video games are so exciting and almost all the teenagers , spend most of their time playing videogames of some sort. Do you think it has an impact on their health or even their education Carla ?

- You know, it depends. I mean if we search this question we may find some evidences which show that gaming has a lot of negative effects including addiction, depression or even aggression. About the health problems , I have to say that the most cited included visual, muscular-skeletal, obesity and seizures , and about their education we can estimate that the children who constantly play video games may perform poorly in school and these video games may have a negative impact on their grades but in my opinion these evidences do no mean that we have to stop playing video games, they help us in order to control the playing time by restricting and planning.

- Well that’s really interesting Carla , But people usually recognize videogames as it is today and they don’t know about its history. Before we get into the history of videogames ….. , there are some words that might be a little confusing. Do you mind explaining them ?

- Not at all. So let’s dive in.

Fancy: Being interesting or fantasy.

Simulation: The production of a computer model of something, especially for the purpose of study.

Example: The method was tested by computer simulations.

Mainstream: The ideas, attitudes or activities that are shared by most people and regarded as normal.

Example: Here in iran , the mainstream music is pop music.

Flagship: The best or most important thing owned or produced

by a particular organization.

Example: This machine is the flagship in our range of computers.

Polygon: A flat shape with three or more straight sides.

Example: Triangles and squares are polygons.

Blockbuster: A book or film that is very successful.

Example: A blockbuster movie/ novel

Enhanced: Better than before.

Example: We continue to create new and enhanced versions of

our products.

- So Carla , can we say that this podcast enhances our English Skills ?

- Oh no Ali. It’s better to say “This podcast improves our English skills”

Ancestor: A person related to you who lived a long time ago.

Example: There were portraits of his ancestors on the wall of the

room.

Handheld: Handheld object has been designed so that it can be

held and used easily with one or two hands.

Example: A handheld device.

- So Carla , we have an idiom too and it’s “ Tip of the Iceberg “ . so what is it ?

- It means a small part of something.

-That’s great Carla. So let’s get into the main topic of our podcast. Shall we ?

- Of course , let’s go.

iTalkEnglish Academy is the sponsor of this podcast, follo us on instagram: italkenglish.ir

Videogames were not as fancy as they are today. It took years for videogames to get to where they are today. They go as far back as the early 50s. but back then , videogames were used for simulations. It was in the 80s when videogames became mainstream. The very first popular videogames like Pong! Sold over thousands of arcade machines. Hence , Videogames started to become a big industry. But early videogames were just lines and polygons. The competition between companies caused videogames to evolve into what we see today. Many great games were released in the 80s and Super Mario was one of them. In fact , it is considered as one the bestselling games of all time. And then Home Consoles were introduced and everyone wanted one at their home. The gaming industry was all about 2D games and companies like Nintendo and Sega were the flagships. But not for so long. On December 1994 , Sony Entertainment released the very first 3D home console , Sony Playstation. This was the 5th generation of consoles and the gaming experience was taken to another level. Sony sold millions of units and developers could create more realistic games. Blockbuster games like Tekken and Crash Bandicoot were only the tip of the iceberg. 6th generation of consoles were introduced by 2000 and Microsoft became Sony’s main rival. Alongside Sony’s Successful Playstation 2 , Xbox entered the scene and took things even further. Most of the games were story driven but now players could experience online gaming with Xbox’s new multiplayer feature.

Online gaming was a big deal. Not only players could compete with each other , they could communicate with each other too. Years later , successors of these consoles started a new era. 7th and 8th generation consoles had amazing graphics and thanks to newly enhanced graphical engines , you couldn’t even compare the new games to their ancestors.

Video Games are a million dollar industry now. Companies and developers hold competitions and tournaments with big prizes. Some games have directors for their story and they even cast Hollywood stars to act in the game. Some even use video games as a method in certain medical situations , whereas certain games help people physically and mentally.

Throughout the evolution of this industry , handheld consoles were introduced too. But there’s no need to buy a console to play games. Because you can download so many games on your mobile phone to play.

Video Games came from a long way to get where they are right now and as we are talking , millions of people are playing them. Some doctors are worried because they say spending a lot of time playing video games can lead to physical and mental problems. However , scientifically it is not proven.

-        Well Ali , what is your favorite video game ?

-        Well honestly I started playing video games with PlayStation 1 and I really had so much fun with games like Tekken and Crash Bandicoot. What about you guys ?

share your favorite video games with us in the comments and subscribe to our channel on Castbox , Italkenglish and ….

-        Oh Ali stop it. Come on Let’s go. Game over

-        I guess that’s all for today guys so until the next time , goodbye

-        Bye guys

Tellers: Ali Fathi, Carla Sargiz

Editor and Supervisor: Mohammad Hadi Ghane

Sponsor: www.italkenglish.ir