1Work in pairs. Look at the photos and discuss the questions.
1Do you like to play board games or other kinds of games?
2What board games have you played? Where did you play them and with who?
3Look at the photos. What do you know about these games? Have you ever played them?
2Read the text and decide if the statements are True (T) or False (F).
Forget smart phones!
Forget video games and smartphones — more and more millennials are putting down their controllers and picking up their dice to play board games, just like their grandparents used to do.
Next month thousands of game enthusiasts will travel to Birmingham for the famous UK Games Expo, the third-largest games convention in the world. The event has grown from 1,000 visitors in its first year, to over 31,000 last year. It aims to bring people of all ages together to try out both exciting new games and classic well-known ones. Johnathon Berkowitz of Hasbro Gaming says: 'The gaming industry is doing really well right now and the situation is even better for face-to-face games. We're continuing to see their popularity grow as more millennials are choosing to switch from their video games consoles to much more sociable table-top games.'
Millennials may be making face-to-face games fashionable again, but the great thing is they can be shared across the generations. According to Elsa, a board game fan, 'You can't play video games with a big group of people, but with a table-top board game you can. They suit everyone, even people who aren't good with technology, and they allow people to get talking face-to-face again, rather than through a screen.' They can also make better financial sense than online games, she adds: 'Video games work with in-app purchases which make them much more expensive. With a board game you just buy it once and that's it.'
Forget video games and smartphones — more and more millennials are putting down their controllers and picking up their dice to play board games, just like their grandparents used to do.
Next month thousands of game enthusiasts will travel to Birmingham for the famous UK Games Expo, the third-largest games convention in the world. The event has grown from 1,000 visitors in its first year, to over 31,000 last year. It aims to bring people of all ages together to try out both exciting new games and classic well-known ones. Johnathon Berkowitz of Hasbro Gaming says: 'The gaming industry is doing really well right now and the situation is even better for face-to-face games. We're continuing to see their popularity grow as more millennials are choosing to switch from their video games consoles to much more sociable table-top games.'
Millennials may be making face-to-face games fashionable again, but the great thing is they can be shared across the generations. According to Elsa, a board game fan, 'You can't play video games with a big group of people, but with a table-top board game you can. They suit everyone, even people who aren't good with technology, and they allow people to get talking face-to-face again, rather than through a screen.' They can also make better financial sense than online games, she adds: 'Video games work with in-app purchases which make them much more expensive. With a board game you just buy it once and that's it.'
3Work in pairs. You're going to watch an interview with customers who like visiting a board game café. Discuss the questions before you watch.
aWhat reason do you think the customers will give for going to a place like this?
bWhat age groups do you think will use the café?
4aComplete the sentences with the words in the box.
boardclassicsdream
feelhistoriclatest
1. Today I'm in the city of Rochester.
2. … there's one thing I love even more, and that's playing games. Especially games.
3. This is Playopolis. It's packed with over five hundred board games — from childhood like Chess or Monopoly to some of the creations.
4. Rebekah, this place is amazing. It's my combination of board games and a café.
5. It's got a real cosy here. Is it popular?
5Watch the video from the start to 01:54 and complete Sally's introduction. Use 1–3 words in each gap.
Hello there, it's Sally Williams, your Roadmap reporter here. Today I'm in the historic city of Rochester,
1 a very special kind of café.
Now I love 2 cafés …
but there's one thing I love 3 … and that's playing games.
Especially board games. At one café you can play board games and have delicious things
4 ,
so I've come down here to find out if it's
5 people say it is.
6Watch the video from 02:43–03:39 and number photos A–E in the order you see them.
A
People playing a card game at a table
B
Someone picking up a game piece / playing a board game
C
Sally watching and looking curious
D
Two women at a table with board game boxes
E
Close-up of Sally talking to camera
7Now match photos A–E in Exercise 6 with the phrases in the box.
Click a phrase to select it, then click a slot to place it.
move your character
pick a character
roll the dice
take a turn
you're out!
A
click to fill
B
click to fill
C
click to fill
D
click to fill
E
click to fill
8Watch the video from 01:34 to the end and answer the questions.
1. When is the busiest time in the café?
2. What age groups are the customers?
3. Who does Sally sit and talk to?
4. What characters do they use in this game?
5. What happens to Sally when she plays the game?
6. How did Sally feel about playing the game?
7. What does Sally say about playing games in public places?
8. How does Sally describe her trip to the café?
💡 Model answers: 1. Friday night. 2. A real mix — from mums with their toddlers to a group of retired ladies. 3. A man and two women. 4. An alienoid, Godzilla, King Kong, a cyber bunny. 5. She is out / she loses. 6. She enjoyed it. 7. It's not a new idea. 8. A refreshing change.
9Work in pairs. Discuss the questions.
1Would you go to a café like this? Why/Why not?
2Have you ever played any of the games in the video? What did you think of them?
3Are there any other games you would bring to this café? Which ones?
4Do you think this sort of café will become more popular in the future? Why/Why not?
10Work in pairs. Look at the ideas below and tell your partner about your preferences. Give reasons for your answers.
Student A
your favourite game
a game with difficult rules
a game you can play with friends
the last game you played
Student B
a game you don't like
a game which is easy to learn
a game you can play with family
a game you played when you were younger
💬 Example:
"My favourite game is Chess. I often play with my brother who isn't very good at it!"
"A game I can play with my family is Cluedo. I like it because we can all play it — it suits everyone!"
"A game I can play with my family is Cluedo. I like it because we can all play it — it suits everyone!"