1 . Playing video interactive games, and later computer games, has been a big part of people’s lives ever since the birth of Pong and gaming consoles (游戏机) in the early 1970s. But games have progressed steadily since those early days. Now online games are being played worldwide by people of all ages.
While many people tend to think of gamers as people who sit alone on their couches and anonymous to other players, the opposite is actually true according to the BBC. With the rise in popularity of games, people, especially for those in Generation Z, have built communities and friendships with their fellow players. These connections have become a social lifeline during these times of social distancing and lockdowns (活动限制).
While TV and Netflix help people pass the time, there is no interaction between people like the ones found in gaming and the amount of time people play has seriously increased during the COVID-19 pandemic (疫情). In fact, in the US, gamers are now playing an average of 6 hours and 46 minutes weekly. And the numbers keep going up.
Twitch, which is owned by Amazon, where people can watch other people play videogames in real time webcasts and can chat with other viewers, actually clocked 5 billion hours of viewed content in the second quarter of 2020. That was an 83 percent increase from 2019 and a new record. But this increase in gaming is about much more than just entertainment. “This isn’t just out of boredom but an inner desire to be social. New gaming capabilities allow people to communicate with one another virtually,” said Nigel Burmeister, vice president of Limelight Networks. That’s because humans are naturally social and human contacts are necessary for our mental health.
Rosemary “Nekkra” Kelley, a 25-year-old gamer, told USA Today that she’s spending a lot more time playing games because her work has been curtailed due to the cancellation of live events. In her extra time, she has been playing Pokémon Sword and Animal Crossings on her Nintendo Switch.
1. What idea does the author convey in Paragraph 2?| A．Gamers appear to be lonely. |
| B．Gamers take friendship seriously. |
| C．Playing games benefits players. |
| D．Some gamers hate social interaction. |
| A．It causes people to waste time. |
| B．Its content holds little attraction. |
| C．It lacks newly-developed games. |
| D．It gives people no chance to interact. |
| A．To state what research he takes up. |
| B．To analyze why Twitch is popular. |
| C．To make people aware of their nature. |
| D．To encourage people to interact with one another. |
| A．Shortened. | B．Simplified. | C．Adapted. | D．Influenced. |
