Answer Key: Video Games That Address Mental Issues

Lesson Plan: Adventure Video Games that Explore Depression and More

II. While Reading Activities: Word Inference

  1. encounter |inˈkoun(t)ərenˈkoun(t)ər| verb [with object] unexpectedly experience or be faced with (something difficult or hostile): we have encountered one small problem.
  2. tackle |ˈtak(ə)l|  verb [with object] make determined efforts to deal with (a problem or difficult task): police have launched an initiative to tackle rising crime.
  3. submerge  |səbˈmərj| verb [with object] (usually be submerged) cause to be under water: houses had been flooded and cars submerged.
  4. anxiety |aNGˈzīədē|noun (plural anxieties) a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome: he felt a surge of anxiety | anxieties about the moral decline of today’s youth.
  5. protagonist |prōˈtaɡənəstprəˈtaɡənəst| noun-the leading character or one of the major characters in a drama, movie, novel, or other fictional text.
  6. post-traumatic stress disorder |ˈpoʊst ˌtrɔˈmædɪk ˈstrɛs dəˌsɔrdər| (also post-traumatic stress syndrome) noun-a condition of persistent mental and emotional stress occurring as a result of injury or severe psychological shock, typically involving disturbance of sleep and constant vivid recall of the experience, with dulled responses to others and to the outside world.
  7. delve |delv| verb [no object] • research or make painstaking inquiries into something: as we delve further into the atom’s secrets.
  8. interactive  |ˌin(t)ərˈaktiv| adjective-• allowing a two-way flow of information between a computer and a computer-user; responding to a user’s input: a fully interactive map of the area.
  9. depression |dəˈpreSH(ə)n| noun 1 feelings of severe despondency and dejection: self-doubt creeps in and that swiftly turns to depression.
  10. normalize |ˈnôrməˌlīz| verb 1 [with object] bring or return to a normal condition or state: he wants to begin negotiations to normalize relations | [no object] : the situation had normalized.

Source: New Oxford American Dictionary   

Grammar Focus: Structure and Usage

I-1-a

Mental health is becoming a more central narrative.

II-2-by

They  hope to test the new game by next year.

III-1-was

Kay was modeled after the game’s creative director.

 

Reading Comprehension: True /False/NA-Statements

  1. F-In the video game  Sea of Solitude, the main character is a woman named Kay.
  2. F-As the game progresses Kay realizes the creatures she encounters are really humans.
  3. T-Kay was modeled after the game’s creative director.
  4. F-Cornelia Geppert is the creative director of the game Sea of Solitude.
  5. NA – Ms. Geppert plays the game often.
  6. F- A game called Celeste explores depression and anxiety.
  7. T-Currently, most of the games tackling mental health have come from independent makers.
  8. F-Some people feel that the interactive nature of games made them more effective than film or television.
  9. F-The  game Stardew Valley does not punish players for not completing tasks.
  10. T-Some makers are now developing games to explicitly promote better mental health.