Shadowing Practice: The business of eSports - 6 Minute English - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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6 Minute English from BBC Learning English Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English.
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6 Minute English from BBC Learning English Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English.
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I'm Neil.
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And I'm Sam.
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Now, Sam, how would you define e-sports?
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E-sports?
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Well, this is essentially competitive video gaming.
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Individuals and teams take part in competitions where they play video games.
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Ah, so just like me and my kids at the weekend.
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Well, no. Esports is enormous.
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Tens of thousands of people turn up to watch these events.
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The players are professional and get paid huge salaries.
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The best ones are millionaires.
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Well, maybe I'm not quite in that league yet,
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but the business of esports is our topic for this programme.
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Before we press play on the subject, though, a question.
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Approximately how much was generated by esports and video games in the last year?
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Was it a. $130 million, b. $13 billion, or c. $130 billion?
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What do you think then, Sam?
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I'm going to say $130 billion.
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It's a huge amount, but I think it's that successful at the moment.
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OK, we'll find out if you're right at the end of the programme.
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Not so long ago, the idea of making a living playing computer games would have seemed impossible.
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However, times have changed as technology has improved.
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Esports are even going to be included in the 2022 Asian Games,
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so it might not be long before they make an appearance at the Olympics.
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Gabriel Rao is a pro e-sportsman.
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He was interviewed for the BBC programme In Business.
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He thinks e-sports are going to grow and grow.
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But does he think that's a bad thing?
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It's becoming more of a normal sports thing.
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With this generation about to have children and moving forward,
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I feel like it might even become a staple.
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Might become as normal as sports sports are right now.
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I don't think it necessarily has to be a bad thing.
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It is time consuming though so I feel like if you do want to introduce anybody,
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especially children into video games,
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discipline is the way to go.
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So is the growth of eSports a bad thing?
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Not according to Gabriel.
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He thinks that people having children now have grown up with computer games
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and these are beginning to be seen in the same way as traditional sports.
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In fact, thinks they will become a staple.
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And what does he mean by that?
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Something that is a staple is a basic element, something we expect.
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For example, in the UK,
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we talk about potatoes being a staple food and football being a staple of the school curriculum.
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Ah, but he does mention a disadvantage, doesn't he?
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Yes.
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He speaks quite quickly, but he says that but it is time-consuming.
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It eats up a lot of time.
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Ah yes, I know that from my own experience.
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I can start playing a game and then find that many hours have passed and it's the middle of the night.
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And that's why Gabriel goes on to talk about the need for discipline.
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This is having strict controls and restrictions and importantly, sticking to them.
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So for example, if you say you're only going to play for an hour every day,
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you have to stop playing after an hour,
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even if you want to carry on.
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That's discipline.
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And he makes the point that this is important if you're introducing children to video games.
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Not everyone involved in eSports wants to be a player.
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It's now possible to study the business of eSports at university,
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where you can learn how to manage eSports events.
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These are the thoughts of a student on one of those courses,
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talking about her response to seeing a big eSports event.
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When you look at the background of how it all comes together
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and the people that spend all that time getting into it,
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for me I would love to put something like that together,
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not so much play it,
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but to put that together and create that experience for other people.
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and that was just my main aspiration really.
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So she doesn't want to play, does she?
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No, she doesn't.
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She seems more interested in putting together an event,
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which means setting up and managing an event for others to take part in.
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That, she said, was her aspiration, her ambition.
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Right, before we review the vocabulary,
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let's have the answer to our quiz question.
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Approximately how much was generated by e-sports
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and video games in the last year? a. $130 million b. $13 billion or c. $130 billion What did you say, Sam?
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I thought $130 billion.
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And for once, you're right, so well done.
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The actual figure was approximately $137 billion,
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which was more than the music industry when you include music sales and concerts.
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Right, on now to remind ourselves of some words and phrases from today's programme.
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Yes, we've been looking at eSports,
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the world of competitive video gaming.
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We heard that it was becoming so normal that it it might become a staple – an expected basic activity,
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in the same way sports like football are.
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But be warned, playing video games is very time-consuming.
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It eats up a lot of time.
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So you need to have discipline.
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That means you need to have and keep to restrictions,
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such as the length of time you play or the time of day you play.
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That is particularly important for children.
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If you organise an event,
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you can say that you put it together.
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And your ambition, your hope for the future, is an aspiration.
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And my aspiration is to beat my high score on my favourite game.
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So are we done now, Neil?
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Yes, it's game over for today.
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We'll see you again soon and don't forget to look out for more from the BBC Learning English team online,
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on social media and on our app.
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Bye for now.
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Bye everyone.
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6 Minute English from BBC Learning English Thank you so much for watching this video.
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I hope you enjoyed it.
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We have many more exciting videos to help you improve your English.
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So be sure to subscribe to our channel to get the full experience of our YouTube channel.
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See you there!

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Why practice speaking with this video?

Practicing your speaking skills by using this 6 Minute English video on the business of e-sports is incredibly beneficial. E-sports is a booming global phenomenon, and discussing its intricacies can enhance your vocabulary and speaking fluency. Engaging with the content helps you understand the context in which certain phrases and expressions are used, making it easier to employ them in real-life conversations about modern trends.

Additionally, by utilizing techniques like shadowspeak, you can mimic native speakers and improve your pronunciation and intonation. With the help of a shadowing app, you can listen and repeat the lines from the video, effectively helping you grasp the rhythm and flow of natural speech. The wide-reaching popularity of e-sports offers an engaging topic for conversation in various contexts, especially in IELTS speaking practice.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

  • Tense usage: The present continuous tense is used to describe ongoing actions, such as "E-sports are becoming more of a normal sports thing." This structure allows you to express current trends and developments.
  • Modal verbs: The phrase "might even become a staple" employs the modal verb "might," indicating possibility. Understanding how to use modal verbs can enrich your conversations, making them more nuanced.
  • Comparative structures: The comparison made between e-sports and traditional sports, as in "as normal as sports sports are right now," can enhance your speaking by allowing you to articulate similarities and differences effectively.
  • Conditionals: The speaker mentions, “if you do want to introduce anybody, especially children into video games, discipline is the way to go.” This conditional structure is important for discussing hypothetical scenarios.

Common Pronunciation Traps

While watching the video, pay special attention to the pronunciation of words like "e-sports" and "discipline." These terms might trip you up if you're not used to hearing them in conversation. Additionally, the speaker's accent contains some fast-paced speech, making it crucial to practice at a slower speed initially. This will help you get accustomed to the individual sounds before trying to match the natural rhythm and intonation of the speaker. Utilize the learn English with YouTube strategy by replaying sections to hone your listening and speaking skills.

By focusing on these elements, you’ll enhance your English speaking abilities while staying informed about trending topics, which is particularly useful for IELTS speaking practice.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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