It's only a game

Labeling someone a 'video-gamer' conjures up images of obsessed teenagers sitting in darkened rooms, faces illuminated only by the glow of displays, and young enough for repetitive strain injury to heal quickly. Yet despite there being a grain of truth in it, the stereotype belongs to a bygone age. The fact is that video games are no longer the exclusive domain of the young male population. Young females are playing in growing numbers, but so too are adults.

More mature adults who've left behind the 18-34 age bracket so cherished by conventional games marketers, are often simply early gamers who have grown up. They want to keep on playing, but have evolved beyond first-person shooter games such as Doom and its descendants. 'Fun shouldn't be difficult,' says George Harrison, Nintendo's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. 'People are looking for 15 minutes of diversion, often with their family.' It's this realization that has the veteran video-game firm rethinking both its hardware and software offerings.

1. In the first paragraph, the writer suggests that the stereotype of the 'video-gamer'

A was to a certain extent accurate.

В harmed the image of the games.

С was always damaging to teenagers.

D became outdated almost immediately.

2. In the second paragraph, the writer is

A criticizing certain attitudes.

В predicting long-term trends.

С reporting a change of policy.

D justifying a continued interest.

Peter molyneux: computer games creator

A lot of the time I don't know where my ideas come from. It's not as if I see a picture gradually forming - it's like 'ping', a picture is suddenly there, and it can make you feel slightly out of control of the process. It can be quite disturbing sometimes. But I find the computer game an incredibly creative medium. It brings together so many different disciplines that you would think are totally incompatible: there's the logic of programming, mathematics and physics, mixed with entertainment, storytelling, narrative, excitement and the emotions you feel when you are playing a game. I have a vast number of little notebooks for work, full of scribbles and some text, although I'm not in any way artistic - I can't draw or sketch - and being dyslexic, I find communicating via a written medium very difficult.

The big picture ideas are easy. The devil is in the detail. The real challenge always comes about six months down the line when you have to design all the minutiae of the game. You have to consider things like how many pieces of information players can take before they'll get confused and frustrated.

I really believe the only difference between a creative person and the non-creative person is that creative people tend not to have a little voice in their head saying, 'That's not going to work, that's a stupid idea.' People who are very creative just have a ridiculous amount of confidence. I don't believe they are geniuses. If you look at any children when they're playing, they are making up scenarios and fighting battles of good and evil - huge epic stories with just a couple of sticks, a ball and a sandpit. I just think creative people tend not to lose that. They tend not to get that adult voice.

3. What does Peter find hardest when designing a new computer game?

A coming up with original ideas

В combining skills from different disciplines

С working out exactly how it will work in practice

D explaining his ideas to others involved in the process

4. In the third paragraph, Peter is suggesting that creative people

A rely greatly on common sense.

В look to traditional tales for inspiration.

С are in danger of becoming over-confident.

D have a streak of brilliance that can't be explained