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Computer Games Reading Answers

Bhaskar Das

Jun 18, 2025

Computer Games Reading Answers contains 12 questions and belongs to the assessment system of the IELTS General Reading test. Computer Games Reading Answers must be answered within 20 minutes. In this IELTS reading section, question types include choosing the correct letter, choosing one word only, and making the following statement agree with the information given in the passage. Also, Computer Games Reading Answers offers a comprehensive overview of the rise of video games, from their humble beginnings in university labs to becoming a multi-billion dollar industry. It discusses how technological advancements enabled dynamic, addictive gameplay and the eventual dominance of companies like Nintendo. To practice similar reading tests, candidates can refer to the IELTS Reading Practice Test section.

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Topic:

The Early Days of the Video Game Business

It's not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game. In the age of computers, that statement takes on new meanings. A video game cannot ever really be defeated because, no matter how high the score, it is always the human who tires first or makes the fatal error. But millions of people continue to play, because microelectronic technology has enabled game designers to conveniently and inexpensively transform plain screens into playfields of extraordinary capability. At the same time, a multi-billion dollar industry has grown from very humble beginnings in just a few decades. The technological roots of video games can be traced back to 1962, when an MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) graduate student demonstrated Spacewar, a science-fiction fantasy game played on a mainframe computer and a large screen.

That game immediately attracted a wide cult following among computer buffs. The next important step came in 1968, when a console was developed that could be used to play games on ordinary televisions. But it was not until the early 1970s that a young University of Utah engineer brought the concept to the point that the adaptation of Spacewar from a large computer into a coin-operated format, for use in video game arcades, was becoming economically feasible. Bushnell and his associates began working on such a machine in a converted bedroom workshop, but were unsuccessful. What they ultimately developed instead was a simple tennis-like game that they named Pong Pong took the industry by storm and quickly became the first coin-operated video game hit. And soon thereafter, commercial Pong-style home video games also appeared. Yet despite early enthusiasm, consumer interest in this area proved less sustained than had been anticipated, and as prices started to drop and losses mounted, most of the early manufacturers withdrew from the field. Profits proved to be just as elusive at Bushnell's company, Atari, where a rapidly growing market presence in coin-operated machines and home video required greater injections of capital and more professional management than the company was able to provide. In 1976, the founders of Atari sold their share of the company for a sum that was only equivalent to their sales in that year.

At that point, coin-operated video games seemed just another passing fad. But the introduction of Space Invaders, an arcade model produced by the Japanese manufacturer Taito, proved otherwise. With its vibrant graphics, it was so different from the previous black-and-white games that Space Invaders immediately captured public interest. There soon followed a rush of popular video games that employed the same or better hardware and even more imaginative software. Of these, Pac-Man (1980) was especially significant, because now females began to take an interest. By this time, the same software improvements and technological advances (faster microprocessors and larger memories) that permitted designers to produce spectacular audio and visual effects for coin-operated machines were also being applied to home video units. It was thus only a short while before the programmable consoles that had been unpopular for lack of software suddenly began to sell in large numbers: consumers had discovered that they could finally play a reasonable version of their favorite arcade games in the comfort of their own home. The impact on Atari was astounding. Unprofitable for the first three years, Atari had, by the end of 1979, become a success. By either self-designing or licensing the most popular arcade concepts for cartridge format for use at home, the company had captured some 80 percent of the worldwide market for home video games.

All of this, however, was too good to last. By late 1982, the public's fascination with arcade games had begun to slow down, and fewer potential best-sellers were becoming available for conversion to cartridges that could be used on an Atari machine. At the same time, the market was flooded with illegal software of all types. It was thus not until the late 1980s that the unstructured nature of the industry, at least on the software side, had stabilized and become restructured in a manner similar, in many respects, to the book publishing business. Until 1986, when Japan-based Nintendo introduced a more technologically sophisticated and user-friendly game console, the hardware side was also in disarray. But with tight control of software development and marketing, Nintendo was able to revive and then capture up to 80 percent of a once-again booming market in which no significant competition appeared until the early 1990s. By that point, the annual operating profits of Nintendo had already grown to over $1 billion-an amount exceeding the 1991 profits of all the major Hollywood film studios combined. In 1999, sales of game hardware and software, led by Playstation, were equal in size (around $57 billion) to US domestic box office revenue.

With change the only constant, the game industry has moved on to become what it is today. However, no matter what the technology or the format, the essence of a successful game will be the same: it is simple to understand and to play on an elementary event, but it is compulsive and maddeningly difficult-in fact, forever impossible to masterfully.

Questions 1-6

Choose ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.

A HISTORY OF VIDEO GAMES

1960s

• Spacewar was first played on a computer and special screen.

1970s

• Advances in technology led to cheaper 1…………. operated video games.

Answer: coin

Supporting statement: "...the adaptation of Spacewar from a large computer into a coin-operated format... was becoming economically feasible."

Keywords: [coin-operated, cheaper]

Keyword Location: {Paragraph 2, Line 3–5}

Explanation: The technology allowed the creation of affordable coin-operated games.

• The first successful coin-operated video game was 2……………

Answer: Pong

Supporting statement: "...they named Pong. Pong took the industry by storm and quickly became the first coin-operated video game hit."

Keywords: [first, coin-operated, hit]

Keyword Location: {Paragraph 2, Line 7–8}

Explanation: Pong was the first widely successful coin-operated video game.

• 3 ……………. was bought from its original owners and the possibility of coin-operated video games was growing.

Answer: Atari

Supporting statement: "...Atari, where a rapidly growing market presence in coin-operated machines and home video..."

Keywords: [Atari, bought, growing]

Keyword Location: {Paragraph 2, Line 11}

Explanation: Atari was sold in 1976 by its founders due to capital and management issues.

• Space Invaders was successful because of its colourful 4…………..

Answer: graphics

Supporting statement: "With its vibrant graphics, it was so different from the previous black-and-white games..."

Keywords: [graphics, colourful]

Keyword Location: {Paragraph 3, Line 2}

Explanation: Space Invaders attracted attention due to its vibrant graphics.

1980s

• Pac-Man was the first game to attract 5………….

Answer: females

Supporting statement: "Pac-Man (1980) was especially significant, because now females began to take an interest."

Keywords: [females, first game]

Keyword Location: {Paragraph 3, Line 4}

Explanation: Pac-Man was the first game to attract females.

1990s

• At first, one company dominated the market.

• By the end of the decade, 6 ………………… had captured up to 80 percent of the booming market.

Answer: Nintendo

Supporting statement: "...Nintendo was able to revive and then capture up to 80 percent of a once-again booming market..."

Keywords: [Nintendo, 80 percent]

Keyword Location: {Paragraph 4, Line 6–7}

Explanation: Nintendo dominated the market by the end of the 1990s.

Questions 7-13

Do the following statements agree with the

information given in Reading Passage 1? write:

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information

FALSE if the statement contradicts the information

NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

7. Spacewar was unpopular at first.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement: "That game immediately attracted a wide cult following among computer buffs."

Keywords: [Spacewar, popularity]

Keyword Location: {Paragraph 1, Line 4}

Explanation: Spacewar was popular immediately, not unpopular.

8. Bushnell and his team failed to create a coin-operated version of Spacewar.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: "...but were unsuccessful. What they ultimately developed instead was a simple tennis-like game..."

Keywords: [failed, coin-operated, Spacewar]

Keyword Location: {Paragraph 2, Line 5–6}

Explanation: Bushnell's team failed to create a coin-operated Spacewar and made Pong instead.

9. From the beginning, the home video game market has been commercially successful.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement: "...consumer interest... proved less sustained than had been anticipated... losses mounted..."

Keywords: [home market, unsuccessful]

Keyword Location: {Paragraph 2, Line 9–10}

Explanation: The home video game market was not successful at the beginning.

10. Atari was successful for the first time in 1979.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: "...Atari had, by the end of 1979, become a success."

Keywords: [Atari, success, 1979]

Keyword Location: {Paragraph 3, Line 8}

Explanation: Atari became successful in 1979 after earlier losses.

11. Video arcade game usage continued strongly in the 1980s.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement: "...by late 1982, the public's fascination with arcade games had begun to slow down..."

Keywords: [arcade, decline]

Keyword Location: {Paragraph 4, Line 1}

Explanation: Interest in arcade games declined, so this contradicts the statement.

12. The time taken to produce a video game can be compared to producing a book.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: "...stabilized and become restructured in a manner similar... to the book publishing business."

Keywords: [software industry, like publishing]

Keyword Location: {Paragraph 4, Line 3–4}

Explanation: The software side of the industry was compared to book publishing, indicating similar production cycles.

13. The qualities needed for a video game to become successful have been researched thoroughly.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Supporting statement:

Keywords:

Keyword Location:

Explanation: The passage describes successful games, but does not mention research into what makes them successful.

Check IELTS reading samples:

*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.

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