Assassin’s Creed Mirage is a new video game set in Baghdad in the 9th Century. Unlike previous games in the series, this one has characters speaking in Arabic. The company that made the game, Ubisoft, did this to make the game feel more real. Fans of the game are happy about this because it shows their language and culture in a good way.
Mohammed Al Imam, who works for Ubisoft, says the Arabic used in the game is very old but still understood by many people. He says it was important to have people who speak Arabic well to make sure the game is accurate. They also paid attention to small things, like translating sayings, to make the game feel more real for people who speak Arabic. The game also shows how important Iraq and the Arab world were in history.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage has been liked by many people who have played it early. They like how real it feels and how it shows the Arab world. Some fans hope this game will make more people want to make games about the Middle East. But, some bad news about Ubisoft has made people talk less about the game. The company says it doesn’t know anything about this bad news.
Original news source: Assassin’s Creed Mirage: Why Arabic is at the heart of the new game (BBC)
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Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– News Summary
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into small groups.
2. Assign each group a specific aspect of the article to summarize (e.g. the setting, the language used, the fan reactions, the controversy surrounding Ubisoft).
3. Give the groups a few minutes to discuss and create a brief summary of their assigned aspect.
4. Have each group present their summary to the class.
– Opinion Poll
Instructions:
1. Ask the students to form pairs.
2. Provide each pair with a list of discussion questions related to the article (e.g. Do you think it’s important for video games to accurately represent different cultures? Would you like to see more games set in the Middle East?).
3. Instruct the pairs to take turns asking and answering the questions, and to note down their partner’s responses.
4. After a few minutes, have the pairs share their partner’s opinions with the rest of the class.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions:
1. Write down several keywords from the article on separate pieces of paper.
2. Divide the class into two teams.
3. Call out one keyword and have one student from each team come to the front of the class.
4. The students must then draw a visual representation of the keyword on the board, without using any letters or numbers.
5. The rest of the class must guess the keyword based on the drawing.
6. The first team to correctly guess the keyword earns a point.
– Pros and Cons
Instructions:
1. Split the class into two groups.
2. Assign one group to come up with the pros of including Arabic language and culture in Assassin’s Creed Mirage, and the other group to come up with the cons.
3. Give the groups a few minutes to brainstorm and write down their ideas.
4. Have each group take turns presenting their points to the class.
5. Encourage class discussion and debate after both groups have presented.
– Sketch It
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into pairs.
2. Instruct one student from each pair to describe a scene or character from Assassin’s Creed Mirage to their partner, using as much detail as possible.
3. The other student must then sketch what they think was described.
4. After a few minutes, have the pairs compare the sketch with the original description and discuss any differences or similarities.
5. Rotate roles and repeat the activity with a different scene or character.
Comprehension Questions:
1. What is the name of the new video game set in Baghdad?
2. Why did the company make the characters speak in Arabic?
3. Why are the fans of the game happy?
4. Who works for Ubisoft and helped make the game accurate?
5. What small things did Ubisoft pay attention to in the game?
6. What do many people who have played the game early like about it?
7. What is the bad news that has made people talk less about the game?
Go to answers ⇩
Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
Assassin’s (1)______ Mirage is a new video game set in Baghdad in the 9th Century. Unlike previous games in the series, this one has characters (2)______ in (3)______. The company that made the game, Ubisoft, did this to make the game feel more real. Fans of the game are happy about this because it (4)______ their language and culture in a good way.
Mohammed Al Imam, who works for Ubisoft, says the Arabic used in the game is very old but still (5)______ by many people. He says it was important to have people who speak Arabic well to (6)______ sure the game is accurate. They also paid (7)______ to (8)______ things, like translating sayings, to make the game feel more real for people who speak Arabic. The game also shows how important Iraq and the Arab world were in history.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage has been liked by many people who have (9)______ it early. They like how real it feels and how it shows the Arab world. Some fans (10)______ this game will make more people want to make games about the Middle (11)______. But, some bad news about Ubisoft has (12)______ people talk less about the game. The company says it doesn’t know anything about this bad news.
Go to answers ⇩
Discussion Questions:
Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.
1. What is Assassin’s Creed Mirage?
2. How do the characters in the game speak?
3. Why do fans of the game like that the characters speak Arabic?
4. How did Ubisoft make sure the game is accurate?
5. Why did Ubisoft pay attention to small things like translating sayings?
6. What does the game show about Iraq and the Arab world?
7. How do people who have played Assassin’s Creed Mirage early feel about it?
8. What do some fans hope this game will do?
9. What is the bad news about Ubisoft?
10. How do you think the bad news has affected people’s discussions about the game?
11. Do you like playing video games? Why or why not?
12. Do you think it’s important for video games to represent different cultures? Why or why not?
Individual Activities
Vocabulary Meanings:
Match each word to its meaning.
Words:
1. video game
2. Arabic
3. characters
4. language
5. culture
6. people
7. fans
8. company
Meanings:
(a) The language spoken in the Middle East
(b) The beliefs, customs, and arts of a group of people
(c) Human beings in general
(d) A group of people who work together
(e) The people in a story or game
(f) The way people communicate with each other
(g) A game that you play on a screen
(h) People who really like something or someone
Go to answers ⇩
Multiple Choice Questions:
1. What is the name of the new video game set in Baghdad?
(a) Assassin’s Creed Legacy
(b) Assassin’s Creed Mirage
(c) Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
(d) Assassin’s Creed Origins
2. Why did Ubisoft make the characters in the game speak Arabic?
(a) To make the game feel more real
(b) To make the game more difficult
(c) To make the game shorter
(d) To make the game more expensive
3. Who said that the Arabic used in the game is very old but still understood by many people?
(a) Ubisoft’s CEO
(b) A fan of the game
(c) A video game reviewer
(d) Mohammed Al Imam
4. What did Ubisoft pay attention to in order to make the game feel more real for people who speak Arabic?
(a) Adding more characters
(b) Changing the setting
(c) Making the game longer
(d) Translating sayings
5. How have fans of the game reacted to Assassin’s Creed Mirage?
(a) They didn’t like the Arabic language in the game
(b) They thought the game was too easy
(c) They liked how real it feels and how it shows the Arab world
(d) They wanted the game to be set in a different time period
6. What do some fans hope this game will do?
(a) Make more people want to learn Arabic
(b) Make more people want to visit Baghdad
(c) Make more people want to make games about the Middle East
(d) Make more people want to work for Ubisoft
7. What has made people talk less about the game?
(a) The game being too difficult
(b) Some bad news about Ubisoft
(c) The game being too expensive
(d) The game not being available in their country
8. What does Ubisoft say about the bad news?
(a) They don’t know anything about it
(b) They are sorry for the bad news
(c) They are working to fix the bad news
(d) They are happy about the bad news
Go to answers ⇩
True or False Questions:
1. The game neglects small details like translating sayings to make it feel more real for Arabic speakers.
2. The characters in the game speak in Spanish to make it feel more realistic.
3. Assassin’s Creed Mirage has been well-liked by many people who have played it early.
4. Some fans hope this game will inspire more games about the Middle East.
5. Assassin’s Creed Mirage is a new video game set in Baghdad in the 9th Century.
6. Ubisoft says it knows everything about the bad news that people are talking about.
7. Ubisoft, the company that made the game, wanted to show the language and culture of the Arab world in a positive way.
8. Mohammed Al Imam, who works for Ubisoft, wasn’t involved in ensuring the accuracy of the Arabic used in the game.
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 is the name of the new video game set in Baghdad?
2. Why did the company make the characters speak in Arabic?
3. Who is Mohammed Al Imam and what did he do for the game?
4. Why do fans of the game like that it shows their language and culture?
5. What is the bad news about Ubisoft that has made people talk less about the game?
Answers
Comprehension Question Answers:
1. What is the name of the new video game set in Baghdad?
The name of the new video game is Assassin’s Creed Mirage.
2. Why did the company make the characters speak in Arabic?
The company made the characters speak in Arabic to make the game feel more real.
3. Why are the fans of the game happy?
The fans of the game are happy because it shows their language and culture in a good way.
4. Who works for Ubisoft and helped make the game accurate?
Mohammed Al Imam works for Ubisoft and helped make the game accurate.
5. What small things did Ubisoft pay attention to in the game?
Ubisoft paid attention to small things like translating sayings to make the game feel more real.
6. What do many people who have played the game early like about it?
Many people who have played the game early like how real it feels and how it shows the Arab world.
7. What is the bad news that has made people talk less about the game?
The bad news that has made people talk less about the game is something that Ubisoft says they don’t know anything about.
Go back to questions ⇧
Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:
(1) Creed
(2) speaking
(3) Arabic
(4) shows
(5) understood
(6) make
(7) attention
(8) small
(9) played
(10) hope
(11) East
(12) made
Go back to questions ⇧
Vocabulary Meanings Answers:
1. video game
Answer: (g) A game that you play on a screen
2. Arabic
Answer: (a) The language spoken in the Middle East
3. characters
Answer: (e) The people in a story or game
4. language
Answer: (f) The way people communicate with each other
5. culture
Answer: (b) The beliefs, customs, and arts of a group of people
6. people
Answer: (c) Human beings in general
7. fans
Answer: (h) People who really like something or someone
8. company
Answer: (d) A group of people who work together
Go back to questions ⇧
Multiple Choice Answers:
1. What is the name of the new video game set in Baghdad?
Answer: (b) Assassin’s Creed Mirage
2. Why did Ubisoft make the characters in the game speak Arabic?
Answer: (a) To make the game feel more real
3. Who said that the Arabic used in the game is very old but still understood by many people?
Answer: (d) Mohammed Al Imam
4. What did Ubisoft pay attention to in order to make the game feel more real for people who speak Arabic?
Answer: (d) Translating sayings
5. How have fans of the game reacted to Assassin’s Creed Mirage?
Answer: (c) They liked how real it feels and how it shows the Arab world
6. What do some fans hope this game will do?
Answer: (c) Make more people want to make games about the Middle East
7. What has made people talk less about the game?
Answer: (b) Some bad news about Ubisoft
8. What does Ubisoft say about the bad news?
Answer: (a) They don’t know anything about it
Go back to questions ⇧
True or False Answers:
1. The game neglects small details like translating sayings to make it feel more real for Arabic speakers. (Answer: False)
2. The characters in the game speak in Spanish to make it feel more realistic. (Answer: False)
3. Assassin’s Creed Mirage has been well-liked by many people who have played it early. (Answer: True)
4. Some fans hope this game will inspire more games about the Middle East. (Answer: True)
5. Assassin’s Creed Mirage is a new video game set in Baghdad in the 9th Century. (Answer: True)
6. Ubisoft says it knows everything about the bad news that people are talking about. (Answer: False)
7. Ubisoft, the company that made the game, wanted to show the language and culture of the Arab world in a positive way. (Answer: True)
8. Mohammed Al Imam, who works for Ubisoft, wasn’t involved in ensuring the accuracy of the Arabic used in the game. (Answer: False)
Go back to questions ⇧
