Discussion Sheet for IE Core 2 #2

Hisataka Kuzumi

Source of the Article:

“’Pac-Man’ news conference set for June 15 in LA”. Asahi Shimbun. 5 June 2010

<http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201006040363.html>

Who? --- Namco Bandai Games Inc.

What? --- is going to hold a news conference

When? --- Tuesday 15 June 2010

Where? --- Club Nokia in Los Angeles

Why? --- Making the 30^th anniversary of the release of the “Pac-Man” arcade game

How? --- The company is set to announce its development and marketing plans

Vocabulary

Incorporated. (Inc.) – used after the name of a company in the US to show that it has become a corporation

Conference – a large formal meeting where a lot of people discuss important matters such as business, politics, or science, especially for several years

Coincide – to happen at the same time as something else, especially by change

Adjacent – a room, building, piece of land etc. that is adjacent to something is next to it

Retaliation – action against someone who has done something bad to you

Summary:

Namco Bandai Games Inc. (NBGI) is going to hold a news conference at Club Nokia in Los Angeles in order to make the 30^th anniversary of the release of the “Pac-Man” arcade game. “Pac-Man”, which was especially popular in the US, burst onto the gaming scene in1980, and it was an instant worldwide hit because of simple but deep gameplay. NBGI will announce its plans to offer new games, character goods and anime for years to come. You can get one of the new games, which is expected to interact with Twitter, on its web site.

My Opinion:

“Pac-Man” is one of the most famous games in the world. When I read this article, I was happy to know that the new “Pac-Man” will be offered. However, I wonder whether this project to release new product with the brand of “Pac-Man” will succeed. Mostly, products which had been popular and disappeared and became famous again years later were easily lost interest, for example, Tamagotchi or Hyper Yo-yo. Therefore, I’m afraid that the new goods of “Pac-Man” could be like them. It is so great and interesting game that I don’t want it to disappear again. If it is released, I’m planning to buy and enjoy it.

Questions:

1.    Have you ever played “Pac-Man”? Explain what did you feel when you did it.

2.    If you were a representative of NBGI, what do you do to make people know about the new “Pac-Man?”

3.    What do you think of NBGI’s new project?