Discussion Topic - Games
- Details
- Written by IELTS Mentor
Discussion Topic - Games.
Part 1: Introduction & Interview
Q. 1. What games are popular in your country? [Why?]
Answer: In my country, football and cricket are the most popular games mainly because people have easy access to these sports. They are also popular because a lot of companies patronize and sponsor these games for commercial reasons. Hockey is also a popular game in my country to some extent because we have some good infrastructure to facilitate this game.
Q. 2. Do you play any games? [Why/why not?]
Answer: Unfortunately, I don’t really play any sports these days because I remain busy with my job and other priorities. Besides, not too many people in my country like to play a particular sport (billiards) which I like to play from time to time.
Q. 3. How do people learn to play games in your country?
Answer: Well, people in my country usually learn to play different kinds of sports from their early childhood in their schools and neighbourhood. Of course, there are many sports and fitness training centres in my country for people who are really serious about building a career in sports.
Q. 4. Do you think it’s important for people to play games? [Why/why not?]
Answer: Yes, I do think that it is essential for people to play different games and sports mainly because it allows people to remain physically fit and mentally active. Besides, playing different kinds of sports allow people to socialize with friends and other people which is certainly good for a healthy social bond.
Part 1: Details Discussion
Q. 1. What types of games and sports are popular in your country?
Answer: People in my country like to get involved in different kinds of games and sports outside of their regular works and activities. For example, some people like to play soccer (football) while others would prefer to play sports like hockey, cricket, volleyball, badminton, table tennis and long tennis, depending on the time of the year. While the sports and games, just mentioned above, are popular among the adults and children alike, sports like kite flying, long jump and high jump are especially more popular among the children. Similarly, swimming is also a very popular sport (some would prefer to call it “activity”) among the children in my country during the summertime.
Q. 2. Do you think the types of games and sports that are popular today will change in the future?
Answer: No, I don’t really think that games and sports, that are popular today, will change in the future if it is meant to suggest that other sports would replace them. Instead, new rules and new versions of the games would most likely be introduced to make them even more interesting and competitive. For example, football (soccer) was more violent and brutal game before 1863 when players could actually “hack” and kick down and opponent. In the same way, in 1924, it was decided that a corner kick would be allowed to go straight inside the “goal”. “Cricket” has also witnessed significant changes in rules, while new versions of the game like “one day international” and “T20” have also been introduced to make it even more popular and interesting. However, the popularity of virtual games or online games will surely increase in the future.
Q. 3. Young children these days do not spend enough time playing outdoors. What could be the possible reasons for this trend?
Answer: There are several possible reasons, for which young children today don’t spend enough time playing outdoors. The main reason being is that they are able to play different kinds of video games on computers and watch different kinds of children’s programmes on television without feeling the need to go outside of their homes. Secondly, they are being “forced” to do more school homework and study which eventually make them feel too tired to go outside and play. Finally, the parents these days are not proactive enough, because of their busy work schedules, to encourage their children and take them outside to play and socialize with other kids.
Q. 4. How can we encourage young children to take part in sports and games more often?
Answer: We can do several things to encourage young children to take part in outdoor sports and games more often. To start with, the parents can take their children to stadiums in order to watch different kinds of games and ask different kinds of interesting questions about these sports. Secondly, we can tell the children that it is perfectly alright to lose in a game because children feel embarrassed when they lose and eventually stop playing. Besides, we can host some sort of outdoor parties or play dates, where some light snacks would also be offered, periodically so that they can join together with other children and have fun playing some game of their choice while also socializing with each other in a free manner.
Q. 5. What types of games can benefit children most?
Answer: Any kind of games, which ensure the mental and physical growth of children, would benefit them. Having said that, however, any kind of interactive games, in which children can communicate with others and get feedback on what they say, and “board games” would help the mental growth of a child significantly. On the other hands, any kind of games, which require a certain level of physical activity, can boost the physical growth of a child, and such games may include playing soccer, rugby or badminton. Even playing “hide-and-seek” with other children may ensure better physical growth for them.
Q. 6. It is often said that games should be both educative and entertaining? What's your opinion about it?
Answer: Well, it depends on who are playing the games. If we are talking about the games, which are played by children among themselves, they can be both educational and entertaining because children could always use some kinds of “life lessons” in order to help themselves grow as an “adult”. In fact, there indeed is a thing called “edutainment”, where “education” and “entertainment” perfectly interact with each other in order to offer the best of both worlds (“jigsaw puzzle” can be a good example here which is appropriate for all age groups). But, if we are talking about the games, played by the adults, then they can purely be “entertaining’ without necessarily having any educational aspects attached to them.
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