People who make games are working hard to make the weather in games feel very real. In a car racing game called Forza Motorsport, you can see the sun, fog, and rain, and they make it harder to see and drive. Chris Esaki, who helps make the game, says weather is very important for making the game feel real and fun. Even games where you make plans and build things, like Total War: Pharaoh, have weather that changes and makes the game different every time you play.

Having real weather in games makes playing them feel like you are really there, and it can make the game more exciting. Chris Esaki thinks that soon, games will have even better weather that looks and acts like real weather. But the people who make games have to be careful to keep the game fun and not too hard. Games with real weather can also help us learn about weather and history. Games show us that people from a long time ago knew a lot about the weather because they watched it closely, just like we do today.

Original news source: Why weather in games is getting more realistic (BBC)

Listen:

Slow

Normal

Fast

Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– Charades
Instructions: Divide the class into small groups. Give each group a weather-related word or phrase from the article (e.g. sun, fog, rain). One student from each group will act out the word or phrase without speaking, while the rest of the group tries to guess what it is. The group that guesses correctly first gets a point.

– News Summary
Instructions: Read the article aloud to the class, or provide a simplified version. After reading, ask the students to summarize the main points of the article in their own words. Encourage them to use English as much as possible.

– Sketch It
Instructions: Give each student a piece of paper and ask them to draw a scene depicting different weather conditions mentioned in the article (e.g. sun, fog, rain). After they finish drawing, have them share their sketches with a partner and describe what they drew in English.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Write down weather-related words from the article on small pieces of paper and put them in a bag or box. Divide the class into two teams. One student from each team will come up and pick a word from the bag, without showing it to their team. They must then draw the word on the board while their team tries to guess what it is. The team that guesses correctly gets a point.

– Two Truths and a Lie
Instructions: Have each student come up with three statements about weather, based on the information in the article. Two of the statements should be true, and one should be false. In pairs or small groups, students take turns sharing their statements and the others have to guess which one is the lie. This activity helps practice speaking and listening skills, as well as reinforces the vocabulary and concepts from the article.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What are some types of weather you can see in games?
2. Why is weather important in games?
3. How does real weather in games make playing them feel?
4. What does Chris Esaki think about the future of weather in games?
5. Why do game makers have to be careful when including real weather in games?
6. How can games with real weather help us learn?
7. How did people from a long time ago learn about the weather?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

People who make games are working hard to make the weather in games feel very (1)______. In a car racing game called Forza Motorsport, you can see the sun, fog, and rain, and they make it (2)______ to see and drive. Chris Esaki, who helps make the game, says weather is very important for making the game feel real and fun. Even games where you make plans and build things, like Total War: Pharaoh, (3)______ weather that changes and makes the game different every time you play.

(4)______ real weather in games makes playing them feel like you are really there, and it can make the (5)______ more exciting. Chris Esaki thinks that soon, games will have even (6)______ weather that looks and acts like real weather. But the people who make games have to be careful to (7)______ the game fun and not too hard. Games with real weather can also (8)______ us learn about weather and history. Games show us that people from a long time ago knew a lot about the weather because they watched it closely, just like we do today.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.

1. What is a car racing game?
2. How would you feel if you were playing a game and it started raining?
3. Do you like playing games with real weather? Why or why not?
4. What other types of games do you think would be fun with real weather?
5. How would you feel if you were playing a game and it was very foggy?
6. Do you think games with real weather are more exciting? Why or why not?
7. What is Total War: Pharaoh?
8. How would you feel if you were playing a game and the weather kept changing?
9. What can games with real weather help us learn about?
10. Do you think games with real weather will become even better in the future? Why or why not?
11. How would you feel if you were playing a game and it was very sunny?
12. Do you think people a long time ago knew a lot about the weather? Why or why not?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. games
2. weather
3. real
4. sun
5. fog
6. rain
7. plans
8. build
9. exciting
10. history

Meanings:
(A) Something that makes you feel happy and full of energy
(B) Fun things you play on a computer or with toys
(C) Things you make to do something in the future
(D) When it’s hard to see because there are clouds close to the ground
(E) The big, bright thing in the sky that gives us light and warmth
(F) Making something by putting parts together
(G) What the sky is like outside, like if it’s sunny or rainy
(H) Things that happened a long time ago
(I) When water falls from the sky
(J) Something that is like how it really is, not fake
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What are some types of weather that can be seen in games?
(a) Snow, thunder, and lightning
(b) Wind, clouds, and hail
(c) Tornadoes, hurricanes, and earthquakes
(d) Sun, fog, and rain

2. Why is weather important in games?
(a) It makes the game too hard to play
(b) It makes the game feel real and fun
(c) It doesn’t have any effect on the game
(d) It makes the game look boring

3. What does Chris Esaki think about the future of weather in games?
(a) It will disappear from games completely
(b) It will become less important in games
(c) It will look and act like real weather
(d) It will make games too easy to play

4. How does having real weather in games make playing them feel?
(a) Like you are really there
(b) Like you are watching a movie
(c) Like you are playing a board game
(d) Like you are playing with toys

5. What do games with real weather help us learn about?
(a) Animals and nature
(b) Math and science
(c) Weather and history
(d) Sports and music

6. What did people from a long time ago know a lot about?
(a) Computers and technology
(b) Food and cooking
(c) Art and music
(d) The weather

7. How do games show us that people from a long time ago knew about the weather?
(a) Because they had special powers
(b) Because they watched it closely
(c) Because they read books about it
(d) Because they didn’t know anything about it

8. What is the main goal of game developers when creating games with real weather?
(a) To keep the game fun and not too hard
(b) To make the game look boring
(c) To make the game too easy to play
(d) To make the game feel fake and unrealistic

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. Even games where you make plans and build things, like Total War: Pharaoh, do not have weather that changes and makes the game different each time you play.
2. Having real weather in games does not make playing them feel like you are really there and can make the game more boring.
3. Chris Esaki helps make the game and thinks weather is important for making it feel real and fun.
4. Chris Esaki believes that games will soon have even better weather that looks and acts like real weather.
5. In a car racing game called Forza Motorsport, you cannot see the sun, fog, and rain, which makes it easier to see and drive.
6. People who make games are not working hard to make the weather in games feel real.
7. Games with real weather can help us learn about weather and history, showing that people from a long time ago knew a lot about the weather because they watched it closely, just like we do today.
8. Game developers have to be careful to keep the game fun and not too hard when adding real weather.
Go to answers ⇩

Write a Summary:

Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.

Writing Questions:

Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.

1. What are some types of weather that you can see in the car racing game Forza Motorsport?
2. Why is weather important in making games feel real and fun?
3. How does having real weather in games make playing them more exciting?
4. What does Chris Esaki think about the future of weather in games?
5. How can games with real weather help us learn about the past?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What are some types of weather you can see in games?
In games, you can see the sun, fog, and rain.

2. Why is weather important in games?
Weather is important in games because it makes the game feel real and fun.

3. How does real weather in games make playing them feel?
Real weather in games makes playing them feel like you are really there, and it can make the game more exciting.

4. What does Chris Esaki think about the future of weather in games?
Chris Esaki thinks that soon, games will have even better weather that looks and acts like real weather.

5. Why do game makers have to be careful when including real weather in games?
Game makers have to be careful when including real weather in games because they want to keep the game fun and not too hard.

6. How can games with real weather help us learn?
Games with real weather can help us learn about weather and history because they show us how people from a long time ago knew a lot about the weather by watching it closely.

7. How did people from a long time ago learn about the weather?
People from a long time ago learned about the weather by watching it closely, just like we do today.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) real
(2) harder
(3) have
(4) Having
(5) game
(6) better
(7) keep
(8) help
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. games
Answer: (B) Fun things you play on a computer or with toys

2. weather
Answer: (G) What the sky is like outside, like if it’s sunny or rainy

3. real
Answer: (J) Something that is like how it really is, not fake

4. sun
Answer: (E) The big, bright thing in the sky that gives us light and warmth

5. fog
Answer: (D) When it’s hard to see because there are clouds close to the ground

6. rain
Answer: (I) When water falls from the sky

7. plans
Answer: (C) Things you make to do something in the future

8. build
Answer: (F) Making something by putting parts together

9. exciting
Answer: (A) Something that makes you feel happy and full of energy

10. history
Answer: (H) Things that happened a long time ago
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What are some types of weather that can be seen in games?
Answer: (d) Sun, fog, and rain

2. Why is weather important in games?
Answer: (b) It makes the game feel real and fun

3. What does Chris Esaki think about the future of weather in games?
Answer: (c) It will look and act like real weather

4. How does having real weather in games make playing them feel?
Answer: (a) Like you are really there

5. What do games with real weather help us learn about?
Answer: (c) Weather and history

6. What did people from a long time ago know a lot about?
Answer: (d) The weather

7. How do games show us that people from a long time ago knew about the weather?
Answer: (b) Because they watched it closely

8. What is the main goal of game developers when creating games with real weather?
Answer: (a) To keep the game fun and not too hard
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. Even games where you make plans and build things, like Total War: Pharaoh, do not have weather that changes and makes the game different each time you play. (Answer: False)
2. Having real weather in games does not make playing them feel like you are really there and can make the game more boring. (Answer: False)
3. Chris Esaki helps make the game and thinks weather is important for making it feel real and fun. (Answer: True)
4. Chris Esaki believes that games will soon have even better weather that looks and acts like real weather. (Answer: True)
5. In a car racing game called Forza Motorsport, you cannot see the sun, fog, and rain, which makes it easier to see and drive. (Answer: False)
6. People who make games are not working hard to make the weather in games feel real. (Answer: False)
7. Games with real weather can help us learn about weather and history, showing that people from a long time ago knew a lot about the weather because they watched it closely, just like we do today. (Answer: True)
8. Game developers have to be careful to keep the game fun and not too hard when adding real weather. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧