Lesson Plan: Adventure Video Games that Explore Depression and More
II. While Reading Activities: Word Inference
- 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.
- 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.
- submerge |səbˈmərj| verb [with object] (usually be submerged) cause to be under water: houses had been flooded and cars submerged.
- 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.
- protagonist |prōˈtaɡənəstprəˈtaɡənəst| noun-the leading character or one of the major characters in a drama, movie, novel, or other fictional text.
- 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.
- delve |delv| verb [no object] • research or make painstaking inquiries into something: as we delve further into the atom’s secrets.
- 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.
- depression |dəˈpreSH(ə)n| noun 1 feelings of severe despondency and dejection: self-doubt creeps in and that swiftly turns to depression.
- 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
- F-In the video game Sea of Solitude, the main character is a woman named Kay.
- F-As the game progresses Kay realizes the creatures she encounters are really humans.
- T-Kay was modeled after the game’s creative director.
- F-Cornelia Geppert is the creative director of the game Sea of Solitude.
- NA – Ms. Geppert plays the game often.
- F- A game called Celeste explores depression and anxiety.
- T-Currently, most of the games tackling mental health have come from independent makers.
- F-Some people feel that the interactive nature of games made them more effective than film or television.
- F-The game Stardew Valley does not punish players for not completing tasks.
- T-Some makers are now developing games to explicitly promote better mental health.
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