A game called Baldur’s Gate 3 won the best game of the year at a big show in Los Angeles. A famous actor, Timothée Chalamet, said it was the winner. The game, which is like playing a game of make-believe with dragons and magic, got six awards. People really liked it because it felt like they were inside a magical story.

At the show, they also showed new games and exciting videos of games that will come out soon. A company showed a space adventure game, and a famous game maker, Hideo Kojima, showed a sneak peek of his new game with a movie director, Jordan Peele. There were also updates on other games, but some people didn’t like that the show focused too much on these previews instead of celebrating the winners more.

Even though the show was about how great games are, some game makers have lost their jobs this year. Big companies have said they can’t keep all their workers. Some people think the show should have talked more about these game makers who are having a hard time. The show gives out 31 different awards, and both experts and fans help decide who wins.

Original news source: Game Awards 2023: Baldur’s Gate 3 wins game of the year (BBC)

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Vocabulary:

Group or Classroom Activities

Warm-up Activities:

– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs or small groups, students will read the article and then summarize the main points in their own words. Each group will then present their summary to the class.

– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into teams. Give each team a list of vocabulary words from the article. One person from each team will come to the front of the class and draw a picture to represent one of the words. The team members must guess the word based on the drawing. The team with the most correct guesses wins.

– Keyword Hangman
Instructions: Choose key words from the article and write the number of letters for each word on the board using dashes. Students take turns guessing letters to try and uncover the words. If a guessed letter is correct, write it in the corresponding space. If a guessed letter is incorrect, draw a part of a hangman on the board. The students must try to guess the word before the hangman is completed.

– Opinion Poll
Instructions: Provide students with a list of questions related to the article, such as “Do you enjoy playing video games?” or “Do you think game makers should be celebrated more?” Students will circulate around the classroom and ask their classmates the questions, recording their responses. After collecting the data, students will present their findings to the class.

– Think-Pair-Share
Instructions: Students will individually read the article and think about their own opinions or reactions to the content. They will then pair up with a partner and discuss their thoughts. Finally, each pair will share their discussion points with the rest of the class.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What game won the best game of the year award?
2. Who said that Baldur’s Gate 3 was the winner?
3. Why did people really like Baldur’s Gate 3?
4. What did they show at the big show in Los Angeles?
5. Who showed a sneak peek of his new game with a movie director?
6. What did some people not like about the show?
7. Why do some people think the show should have talked more about game makers who are having a hard time?
Go to answers ⇩

Listen and Fill in the Gaps:

A (1)______ called Baldur’s Gate 3 won the best game of the year at a big show in Los (2)______. A famous (3)______, Timothée Chalamet, said it was the winner. The game, which is like playing a game of make-believe with dragons and magic, got six awards. People really liked it because it felt like they were inside a magical story.

At the (4)______, they also showed new (5)______ and exciting videos of games that will come out soon. A company showed a space adventure game, and a (6)______ game maker, Hideo Kojima, showed a sneak peek of his new game with a movie (7)______, (8)______ Peele. There were also updates on other games, but some people didn’t like that the show focused too much on these previews instead of (9)______ the winners more.

Even though the show was about how great games are, some game makers have lost their jobs this year. Big companies have said they can’t keep all their (10)______. Some people think the show should have talked more about these game makers who are having a hard (11)______. The show (12)______ out 31 different awards, and both experts and fans help decide who wins.
Go to answers ⇩

Discussion Questions:

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

1. What is Baldur’s Gate 3?
2. How do you think it feels to play a game of make-believe with dragons and magic?
3. Do you like playing video games? Why or why not?
4. How would you feel if you won an award for something you did?
5. What do you think about the show focusing more on previews of new games instead of celebrating the winners?
6. Have you ever lost a job? How did it make you feel?
7. What do you think the show could have done to talk more about game makers who are having a hard time?
8. Do you think it’s fair for experts and fans to help decide who wins the awards? Why or why not?
9. Have you ever played a space adventure game? What was it like?
10. What is your favorite video game and why do you like it?
11. How do you think the game makers who lost their jobs feel right now?
12. What do you think the show could do differently next year to make it better?

Individual Activities

Vocabulary Meanings:

Match each word to its meaning.

Words:
1. game
2. make-believe
3. dragons
4. magic
5. awards
6. space
7. adventure
8. sneak peek
9. movie director
10. workers
11. hard time
12. experts

Meanings:
(A) A difficult period or situation
(B) Pretending to be in a different world or story
(C) A quick look at something that hasn’t been shown yet
(D) People who have jobs
(E) Special powers or tricks that seem impossible
(F) Something you play on a computer or console
(G) An exciting and dangerous experience
(H) People who know a lot about something and can help decide who is the best
(I) Prizes given to the best of something
(J) Going on a journey in outer space
(K) Big, flying creatures with scales and fire breath
(L) The person who tells actors what to do in a movie
Go to answers ⇩

Multiple Choice Questions:

1. What game won the best game of the year at a show in Los Angeles?
(a) Space Adventure
(b) Hideo Kojima’s new game
(c) A game with dragons and magic
(d) Baldur’s Gate 3

2. Who said that Baldur’s Gate 3 was the winner?
(a) A famous movie director
(b) Timothée Chalamet
(c) Hideo Kojima
(d) A game maker

3. How many awards did Baldur’s Gate 3 win?
(a) Three
(b) Six
(c) Ten
(d) Two

4. What did some people not like about the show?
(a) It focused too much on previews
(b) It didn’t have any game updates
(c) It didn’t give out any awards
(d) It didn’t have any famous actors

5. Why did people like Baldur’s Gate 3?
(a) It felt like being inside a magical story
(b) It had famous actors in it
(c) It was a space adventure game
(d) It won the best game of the year award

6. What did Hideo Kojima show at the show?
(a) A movie with Jordan Peele
(b) A space adventure game
(c) A sneak peek of his new game
(d) A game with dragons and magic

7. What did some people think the show should have talked more about?
(a) The winners of the awards
(b) The new games that were shown
(c) The famous actors at the show
(d) Game makers who have lost their jobs

8. How many awards does the show give out?
(a) 10
(b) 6
(c) 31
(d) 3

Go to answers ⇩

True or False Questions:

1. Baldur’s Gate 3 did not win the best game of the year at a big show in Los Angeles.
2. The show in Los Angeles did not feature new games and exciting videos of games that will come out soon.
3. Hideo Kojima, a famous game maker, showed a sneak peek of his new game with movie director Jordan Peele.
4. The game is not about dragons and magic, and people did not like it because it felt like being inside a magical story.
5. The show does not give out 31 different awards, and experts and fans do not help decide who wins.
6. Timothée Chalamet, a famous actor, announced that Baldur’s Gate 3 was the winner.
7. Some game makers have lost their jobs this year because big companies can’t keep all their workers.
8. Some people didn’t like that the show focused too much on previews instead of celebrating the winners more.
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 game won the best game of the year at a big show in Los Angeles?
2. Who said that Baldur’s Gate 3 was the winner of the best game of the year?
3. Why did people really like Baldur’s Gate 3?
4. What did Hideo Kojima show at the show?
5. Why are some people unhappy with the show?

Answers

Comprehension Question Answers:

1. What game won the best game of the year award?
Baldur’s Gate 3 won the best game of the year award.

2. Who said that Baldur’s Gate 3 was the winner?
A famous actor named Timothée Chalamet said that Baldur’s Gate 3 was the winner.

3. Why did people really like Baldur’s Gate 3?
People really liked Baldur’s Gate 3 because it felt like they were inside a magical story.

4. What did they show at the big show in Los Angeles?
At the big show in Los Angeles, they showed new games and exciting videos of games that will come out soon.

5. Who showed a sneak peek of his new game with a movie director?
A famous game maker named Hideo Kojima showed a sneak peek of his new game with a movie director named Jordan Peele.

6. What did some people not like about the show?
Some people did not like that the show focused too much on previews of new games instead of celebrating the winners more.

7. Why do some people think the show should have talked more about game makers who are having a hard time?
Some people think the show should have talked more about game makers who are having a hard time because some game makers have lost their jobs this year and big companies have said they can’t keep all their workers.
Go back to questions ⇧

Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:

(1) game
(2) Angeles
(3) actor
(4) show
(5) games
(6) famous
(7) director
(8) Jordan
(9) celebrating
(10) workers
(11) time
(12) gives
Go back to questions ⇧

Vocabulary Meanings Answers:

1. game
Answer: (F) Something you play on a computer or console

2. make-believe
Answer: (B) Pretending to be in a different world or story

3. dragons
Answer: (K) Big, flying creatures with scales and fire breath

4. magic
Answer: (E) Special powers or tricks that seem impossible

5. awards
Answer: (I) Prizes given to the best of something

6. space
Answer: (J) Going on a journey in outer space

7. adventure
Answer: (G) An exciting and dangerous experience

8. sneak peek
Answer: (C) A quick look at something that hasn’t been shown yet

9. movie director
Answer: (L) The person who tells actors what to do in a movie

10. workers
Answer: (D) People who have jobs

11. hard time
Answer: (A) A difficult period or situation

12. experts
Answer: (H) People who know a lot about something and can help decide who is the best
Go back to questions ⇧

Multiple Choice Answers:

1. What game won the best game of the year at a show in Los Angeles?
Answer: (d) Baldur’s Gate 3

2. Who said that Baldur’s Gate 3 was the winner?
Answer: (b) Timothée Chalamet

3. How many awards did Baldur’s Gate 3 win?
Answer: (b) Six

4. What did some people not like about the show?
Answer: (a) It focused too much on previews

5. Why did people like Baldur’s Gate 3?
Answer: (a) It felt like being inside a magical story

6. What did Hideo Kojima show at the show?
Answer: (c) A sneak peek of his new game

7. What did some people think the show should have talked more about?
Answer: (d) Game makers who have lost their jobs

8. How many awards does the show give out?
Answer: (c) 31
Go back to questions ⇧

True or False Answers:

1. Baldur’s Gate 3 did not win the best game of the year at a big show in Los Angeles. (Answer: False)
2. The show in Los Angeles did not feature new games and exciting videos of games that will come out soon. (Answer: False)
3. Hideo Kojima, a famous game maker, showed a sneak peek of his new game with movie director Jordan Peele. (Answer: True)
4. The game is not about dragons and magic, and people did not like it because it felt like being inside a magical story. (Answer: False)
5. The show does not give out 31 different awards, and experts and fans do not help decide who wins. (Answer: False)
6. Timothée Chalamet, a famous actor, announced that Baldur’s Gate 3 was the winner. (Answer: True)
7. Some game makers have lost their jobs this year because big companies can’t keep all their workers. (Answer: True)
8. Some people didn’t like that the show focused too much on previews instead of celebrating the winners more. (Answer: True)
Go back to questions ⇧