Video Game Research Reading Answers

Dec 5, 2022

Video Game Research Reading Answers consists of an IELTS Reading Passage and 14 questions to be completed in 20 minutes. This IELTS Reading answer includes three types of questions including- Yes/No/Not given, Selecting the right words to fill in the blanks and Choosing the correct answer from the given options. For Yes/No/Not given, skim the passage and find the relevance of the statements to answer. For filling in the blanks and choosing the correct answers or letters, candidates should read the IELTS passage efficiently. Reading the passage thoroughly would help candidates to understand the statement provided and answer it with the choice of options. The IELTS Reading practice papers will help the candidates ace the reading examination.

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

Video Game Research Reading Answers

Although video games were first developed for adults, they are no longer exclusively reserved for the grown ups in the home. In 2006, Rideout and Hamel reported that as many as 29 percent of preschool children (children between two and six years old) in the United States had played console video games, and 18 percent had played hand-held ones. Given young children’s insatiable eagerness to learn, coupled with the fact that they are clearly surrounded by these media, we predict that preschoolers will both continue and increasingly begin to adopt video games for personal enjoyment. Although the majority of gaming equipment is still designed for a much older target audience, once a game system enters the household it is potentially available for all family members, including the youngest. Portable systems have done a particularly good job of penetrating the younger market.
Research in the video game market is typically done at two stages: some time close to the end of the product cycle, in order to get feedback from consumers, so that a marketing strategy can be developed; and at the very end of the product cycle to ‘fix bugs’ in the game. While both of those types of research are important, and may be appropriate for dealing with adult consumers, neither of them aids in designing better games, especially when it comes to designing for an audience that may have particular needs, such as preschoolers or senior citizens. Instead, exploratory and formative research has to be undertaken in order to truly understand those audiences, their abilities, their perspective, and their needs.
In the spring of 2007, our preschool-game production team at Nickelodeon had a hunch that the Nintendo DS - with its new features, such as the microphone, small size and portability, and its relatively low price point - was a ripe gaming platform for preschoolers. There were a few games on the market at the time which had characters that appealed to the younger set, but our game Access https://ieltsonlinetests.com for more practices page 9 producers did not think that the game mechanics or design were appropriate for preschoolers. What exactly preschoolers could do with the system, however, was a bit of a mystery. So we set about doing a study to answer the query: What could we expect preschoolers to be capable of in the context of hand-held game play, and how might the child development literature inform us as we proceeded with the creation of a new outlet for this age group? Our context in this case was the United States, although the games that resulted were also released in other regions, due to the broad international reach of the characters. In order to design the best possible DS product for a preschool audience we were fully committed to the ideals of a ‘user-centered approach’, which assumes that users will be at least considered, but ideally consulted during the development process. After all, when it comes to introducing a new interactive product to the child market, and particularly such a young age group within it, we believe it is crucial to assess the range of physical and cognitive abilities associated with their specific developmental stage.
Revelle and Medoff (2002) review some of the basic reasons why home entertainment systems, computers, and other electronic gaming devices, are often difficult for preschoolers to use. In addition to their still developing motor skills (which make manipulating a controller with small buttons difficult), many of the major stumbling blocks are cognitive. Though preschoolers are learning to think symbolically, and understand that pictures can stand for real-life objects, the vast majority are still unable to read and write. Thus, using text-based menu selections is not viable. Mapping is yet another obstacle since preschoolers may be unable to understand that there is a direct link between how the controller is used and the activities that appear before them on screen. Though this aspect is changing, in traditional mapping systems real life movements do not usually translate into game-based activity.
Over the course of our study, we gained many insights into how preschoolers interact with various platforms, including the DS. For instance, all instructions for preschoolers need to be in voice-over, and include visual representations, and this has been one of the most difficult areas for us to negotiate with respect to game design on the DS. Because the game cartridges have very limited memory capacity, particularly in comparison to console or computer games, the ability to capture large amounts of voice-over data via sound files or visual representations of instructions becomes limited. Text instructions take up minimal memory, so they are preferable from a technological perspective. Figuring out ways to maximize sound and graphics files, while retaining the clear visual and verbal cues that we know are critical for our youngest players, is a constant give and take. Another of our findings indicated that preschoolers may use either a stylus, or their fingers, or both although they are not very accurate with either. One of the very interesting aspects of the DS is that the interface, which is designed to respond to stylus interactions, can also effectively be used with the tip of the finger. This is particularly noteworthy in the context of preschoolers for two reasons. Firstly, as they have trouble with fine motor skills and their hand-eye coordination is still in development, they are less exact with their stylus movements; and secondly, their fingers are so small that they mimic the stylus very Access https://ieltsonlinetests.com for more practices page 10 effectively, and therefore by using their fingers they can often be more accurate in their game interactions.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation
Questions 1-5:
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage?
Write

YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer
NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

Question 1. Video game use amongst preschool children is higher in the US than in other countries.

Answer: Not Given
Supporting Sentence: Given young children’s insatiable eagerness to learn, coupled with the fact that they are clearly surrounded by these media, we predict that preschoolers will both continue and increasingly begin to adopt video games for personal enjoyment
Keywords: youngest, video games
Keyword Location: Paragraph 1, line 3
Explanation: The passage states that video games are made for older audiences but it is available for young stars also. There is nothing mentioned about the country or the number of young children used. The relevant information corresponding to this question is absent in the passage.

Question 2. The proportion of preschool children using video games is likely to rise.

Answer: YES
Supporting Sentence: Given young children’s insatiable eagerness to learn, coupled with the fact that they are clearly surrounded by these media, we predict that preschoolers will both continue and increasingly begin to adopt video games for personal enjoyment.
Keywords: Preschoolers, adopt, video games
Keyword Location: Paragraph 1, line 3
Explanation: As per the passage, the author says that young children, especially preschoolers, are always inquisitive and full of energy. These qualities when paired with exposure to media indicate that preschoolers will quickly adopt video games. Hence, the more they adapt, it will increase their usage.

Question 3. Parents in the US who own gaming equipment generally allow their children to play with it.

Answer: Not Given
Supporting Sentence: Portable systems have done a particularly good job of penetrating the younger market.
Keywords: market
Keyword Location: Paragraph 1, last sentence
Explanation: The passage talks about the market of portable devices and how they are penetrating the younger market. This does not mean their parents are allowing them to use it. The relevant information corresponding to this question is absent in the passage.

Question 4. The type of research which manufacturers usually do is aimed at improving the game design.

Answer: NO
Supporting Sentence: Research in the video game market is typically done at two stages: some time close to the end of the product cycle, in order to get feedback from consumers, so that a marketing strategy can be developed; and at the very end of the product cycle to ‘fix bugs’ in the game.
Keywords: get feedback from consumers, to ‘fix bugs’ in the game.
Keyword Location: Paragraph 2, line 1
Explanation: As per the passage, research for video games is done either to fix glitches or bugs in the game or to get customer feedback for new games. hence, the statement that says research is done to improve the game design is not correct.

Question 5. Both old and young games consumers require research which is specifically targeted.

Answer: YES
Supporting Sentence: Instead, exploratory and formative research has to be undertaken in order to truly understand those audiences, their abilities, their perspective, and their needs.
Keywords: truly understand those audiences, their abilities, their perspective, and their needs
Keyword Location: Paragraph 2, line 3
Explanation: The author states that different kinds of research should be conducted to gain a better understanding of video gamers of different age brackets. This also needs to be done to evaluate their skills, abilities, and expectations. Hence, the statement is correct.

Questions 6-10:
Complete the summary using the list of words/phrases, A-l, below.
Problems for preschool users of video games

actions
buttons
cognitive skills
concentration
fingers
pictures
sounds
spoken instructions
written menus

Question 6. Preschool children find many electronic games difficult, because neither their motor skills nor their are sufficiently developed.

Answer: C. cognitive skills
Supporting Sentence: In addition to their still developing motor skills (which make manipulating a controller with small buttons difficult), many of the major stumbling blocks are cognitive.
Keywords: stumbling blocks, cognitive
Keyword Location: Paragraph 4, line 2
Explanation: As per the passage, preschool students find many games difficult (stumbling blocks) and are cognitive. They find this difficult because their motoring skills are not developed.

Question 7. Certain types of control are hard for these children to manipulate, for example, can be more effective than styluses.

Answer: E. fingers
Supporting Sentence: ...and therefore by using their fingers they can often be more accurate in their game interactions.
Keywords: using their fingers, more accurate
Keyword Location: Paragraph 5, line 9
Explanation: Since the age is less, pre-schoolers have developing motor skills, and therefore they can play better using their fingers than a stylus. The passage states that fingers are more useful than a stylus. Hence, fingers is the correct answer.

Question 8. Also, although they already have the ability to relate

Answer: F. pictures
Supporting Sentence: Though preschoolers are learning to think symbolically, and understand that pictures can stand for real-life objects, the vast majority are still unable to read and write.
Keywords: symbolically, real-life object
Keyword Location: Paragraph 4, line 3
Explanation: As per the passage, preschoolers are learning to think symbolically. They do not develop reading and writing prowess, they can very well understand and relate to images. Hence, pictures should be the correct answer.

Question 9. to real-world objects, preschool children are largely unable to understand the connection between their own

Answer: A. actions
Supporting Sentence: Mapping is yet another obstacle since pre-schoolers may be unable to understand that there is a direct link between how the controller is used and the activities that appear before them on screen.
Keywords: unable to understand that there is a direct link
Keyword Location: Paragraph 4, line 5
Explanation: Since preschoolers have insufficient cognitive skills, they are unable to comprehend the link between controllers and their functions that reflect on the screen. Hence, the connection between the work/ actions they are doing cannot be understood by them.

Question 10. and the movements they can see on the screen. Finally, very few preschool children can understand

Answer: I. written menus
Supporting Sentence: Thus, using text-based menu selections is not viable.
Keywords: not viable
Keyword Location: Paragraph 4, line 4
Explanation: The author states that a majority of preschoolers cannot comprehend written menus because they still have not learned to read or write. Hence, it is best to use other modes of instruction. This makes “written menus” the correct answer.

Questions 11-14:
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D

Question 11. In 2007, what conclusion did games producers at Nickelodeon come to?

The preschool market was unlikely to be sufficiently profitable.
One of their hardware products would probably be suitable for preschoolers.
Games produced by rival companies were completely inappropriate for preschoolers.
They should put their ideas for new games for preschoolers into practice.

Answer: B
Supporting Sentence: In the spring of 2007, our preschool-game production team at Nickelodeon had a hunch that the Nintendo DS - with its new features, such as the microphone, small size and portability, and its relatively low price point - was a ripe gaming platform for preschoolers.
Keywords: a ripe gaming platform for preschoolers
Keyword Location: Paragraph 3, line 1
Explanation: Nickelodeon launched Nintendo DS in 2007, and the team was certain that this product would garner massive popularity among preschoolers due to its size, portability, features, and lower price. hence, this was a hardware product that would be suitable for preschoolers

Question 12. The study carried out by Nickelodeon

was based on children living in various parts of the world.
focused on the kinds of game content which interests preschoolers.
investigated the specific characteristics of the target market.
led to products which appealed mainly to the US consumers.

Answer: C
Supporting Sentence: What could we expect preschoolers to be capable of in the context of hand-held game play, and how might the child development literature inform us as we proceeded with the creation of a new outlet for this age group?
Keywords: preschoolers, context of hand-held game play
Keyword Location: Paragraph 3, line 3
Explanation: To study the market, Nickelodeon wanted to conduct research where they would identify specific characteristics of the preschooler's gaming market in relation to their games. This is in sync with Option C and hence, it is correct.

Question 13. Which problem do the writers highlight concerning games instructions for young children?

Spoken instructions take up a lot of the available memory.
Written instructions have to be expressed very simply.
The children do not follow instructions consistently.
The video images distract attention from the instructions.

Answer: A
Supporting Sentence: Because the game cartridges have very limited memory capacity, particularly in comparison to console or computer games, the ability to capture large amounts of voice-over data via sound files or visual representations of instructions becomes limited.
Keywords: very limited memory capacity, ability to capture large
Keyword Location: Paragraph 5, line 3
Explanation: Although it is desirable to have voice instructions in video games for preschoolers, such modes of instruction take up more space, which is a problem for game developers.

Question 14. Which is the best title for Reading Passage 3?

An overview of video games software for the preschool market
Researching and designing video games for preschool children
The effects of video games on the behavior of young children
Assessing the impact of video games on educational achievement

Answer: B
Supporting Sentence: Over the course of our study, we gained many insights into how preschoolers interact with various platforms, including the DS.
Keywords: Over the course of our study, gained many insights
Keyword Location: Paragraph 5, line 1
Explanation: This whole reading piece is concerned with the development of video games appropriate for children and the research done for the same. Therefore, option B is the correct choice.

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