LISTENING COMPREHENSION  E-Sports : gaming can pay college tuition fees

 Before you Watch :

Student A /B
 Look at the picture , then answer briefly :

a- What does it show ?

The picture shows gamers who are concentrated on their screens. The
banners announce that Robert Morris University is now “recruiting collegiate
gamers” and offers “scholarships”.
b- Who is it for ? (the target) The people targeted are “ collegiate gamers ”,
university students
c- What is offered ?
A scholarship is offered.

In France, scholarships are offered to students whose parents cannot afford to

pay for their children’s needs when they go to university (or to school).
d- Who is recruiting ?
Robert Morris University is recruiting .
 Read the title of the recording :
 E-Sports : gaming can pay college tuition fees
e- What do you think e-sports are ?
The letter e stands for “electronic”. “E-Sports” refer to video games or
games played online.
f- Explain the link between the title and the picture ?
The students on the picture must be “collegiate gamers” at Robert Morris
University. They play video games in order to pay for their tuition fees.
g- Make a list of 10 words you think you will hear in the recording.

Students – university – college – video games – gaming - Robert Morris – tuition

– fees – scholarship – league of Legends – play - e-sports
 Student A
 Now Watch .
 GLOBAL COMPREHENSION  Watch the whole document once and notes

Nature of document ? a news report  a documentary  a movie trailer  a commercial 

Source / origin : BBC
How many speakers? 3

Who are they ( their role) ? the journalist / Kurt Melcher = sports coach (= a university professor)
/ a student gamer

Topic ? The report deals with e-sports at Robert Morris University in Chicago and the
scholarship gamers can receive.

 DETAILED COMPREHENSION  Listen carefully to the heavily stressed words and take
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
notes . Fill in the charts below.
……………….

About the Scholarship offered About the Practice About the parallel with traditional sports

scholarship is offered by
Robert Morris University in
Chicago / USA
Kurt Melcher = sports coach
 e-sports scholarships were
his idea.
 students who are very
good/excellent gamers / are
ready to play the video game
League of Legends (in the
school’s team)
 students = champion gamers computers’ monitors
scholarship that can pay for
their tuition fees and lead them
practice a lot  to be the Video gaming is a sport = American
best football, baseball, and soccer.
play every day and train to E-sports are as competitive
be the best / not be gaming develops capacities
defeated at League of very detail-oriented
Legends; E-sports are not cardiovascular
but  hand-eye coordination and a
Monday through Friday, four- strategic mind.
hour blocks
Equipment  mechanical
keyboards and high-end
lessons  analysis and
discussions on tactics.
to a career as a professional
athlete
team called “Eagles
compete with 105 schools

Numbers you hear What these numbers correspond to

 the scholarships offered to the -
Tens of thousands of dollars
students.
 what the students pay to study at
the University.

 number of schools that play in the

105
league.
 the length of time they practise each
4 (hours)
day

Student B

 Now Watch .  GLOBAL COMPREHENSION  Watch the whole document once and notes

Nature of document ? a news report  a documentary  a movie trailer  a commercial 

Source / origin : BBC
How many speakers? 3

Who are they ( their role) ? the journalist / Kurt Melcher = sports coach (= a university professor)
/ a student gamer

Topic ? The report deals with e-sports at Robert Morris University in Chicago and the
scholarship gamers can receive.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
……………….
  DETAILED COMPREHENSION
 Focus on PART 1  ( 00:00 – 00:53)
a- Considering the pictures and the words stressed by the journalist,
traditionally, who are scholarships offered to ? Tick  the right answer.
good athletes 
b- What number do you hear? What does it correspond to? Tick  the right
sentence.  Tens of thousands of dollars
It corresponds to:
 the scholarships offered to the students.
 what the students pay to study at the University.

c- What are the benefits of scholarships ? Fill in the blanks with stressed
words.
 Scholarships can pay for your tuition and lead to a career as a professional
athlete.
d- Look at the students on the video. What is their field of excellence ?
 These students play League of Legends; they are champion gamers.
e- Pick out details about their university.
Country City Name of the University
the US Chicago Robert Morris University

f- Use your answers above to explain why this university is different from
traditional ones.
 Traditionally, students win scholarships because they are athletes/excellent at
sports; but in this university they can earn a scholarship to play the video game
League of Legends in the school’s team.

g- Why do you think universities offer scholarships to champions?

 Because they consider playing video games is a sport; because they

think gaming develops capacities; they want their students to win competitions, to
improve the reputation of the University, etc.

 Focus on PART 2 :  (00:54 - 1:56)

h- Who is Kurt Melcher ?
 Kurt Melcher is a sports coach, and e-sports scholarships were his idea.
i- Say what 105 corresponds to :
 number of schools that play in the league.
j- Pick out details about the practice.
 The team practices Monday through Friday, four hours a day.

k- Pick out words about practice conditions.

 Their equipment : Their equipment: mechanical keyboards and high-end

computers’ monitors
 The lessons : analysis and discussions on tactics.

l- Why do they practise so much?

 Because they want to (keep up and) be the best.

m- Use your answers above to explain what these students must do to get a
scholarship.
 These students must play every day and train to be the best/ not be defeated
at League of Legends; this is why they practice a lot.

 Focus on PART 3 :  (1:57- 2:33)

n- Note down the three traditional sports mentioned.

 American football, baseball, and soccer.
o- Compare traditional sports and e-sports.
 Both are competitive;
 E-sports are not cardiovascular but they require hand-eye coordination and a
strategic mind.
Transcription

American universities have a long tradition of awarding scholarships

to students who display excellence out on the sports field. With a US
degree costing tens of thousands of dollars, an athletic scholarship can
pay for tuition and in some cases lead to a career as a professional
athlete.
These students are benefiting from scholarships which cover some of
the cost of their university degrees. They are part of a college team
which plays the videogame League, of Legends, competitively. Robert
Morris University in Chicago is the first in the world to offer an athletic
scholarship of this kind.

Interview de Kurt Melcher, E-Sport coordinator à Robert Morris University

Kurt Melcher is one of the sports coaches at the college. The “electronic” or “eSports” scholarship
was his idea.
"We are in a collegiate league, there are 105 other schools that are in
this league. We are the only ones that have decided to be varsity and
give athletic scholarships for it. They practice Monday through Friday,
four-hour blocks, so everyone in this room is receiving some sort of
scholarship. So it’s somewhat like a job, but, you know, it’s a job that
they love.”
RMU’s e-sports team, the Eagles, have a dedicated practice space
kitted out with responsive mechanical keyboards and high-end
computers, monitors. And the players receive analysis and discussions
on tactics from coaches. Much like all the colleges’ other team sports.

Interview d’un étudiant de l’équipe des Eagles

I used to play League of Legend, I mean… Yeah, I was pretty much

addicted to the game. But here you have to play so much to keep up
and to be the best, like we’re undefeated and we do that because we
practice so much.”
Interview de Kurt Melcher

“I think there are so many parallels to traditional sports, outside of

the physical exertion, that League of Legends and e -sports provide.
It’s certainly just as competitive. When I see the players in this room
practising, it is the competition level as you would see in American
football, baseball or soccer. Just because it is not cardiovascular, it is
very detail-oriented, you have to have hand-eye coordination strategic
mind. All of those things mirror traditional sports up and down.
 E-sports …………………………… can pay for college tuition ………………. This
…………………… is about ………………………… at Robert Morris ………………………… in ………………………
in the United States. Three people are talking: a journalist, a ………………… …………………………
called Kurt Melcher and a student ………………………… . The journalist ………………………… that in
this university, elite students can earn a ………………………… to ………………………… for the
university ………………………… fees. A scholarship is ………………………… by Robert Morris University
to students who display excellence at ………………………… of ………………………… and who are
ready to ………………………… the video game competitively. They play “League of Legends” and are
in a ………………………… called “Eagles” and ………………………… with other teams in 105 schools.

The scholarship can ………………………… them to a career as a ………………………… athlete.

To be the best, the students are required to ………………………… a lot : from ………………………… to
…………………………, ……………… hours a day. It is like a but they ……………….. it. They have a
………………………… , a computer and a ………………………… as well as coaching …………………………
to learn ………………………… and strategy.

The sports coach thinks E-sports are as ………………………… as ………………………… sports like
American football, ………………………… and ………………………… but it is not …………………………. They
are very detail-oriented, and require ………………………… coordination and a strategic …………………… .

In my ………………………… , collegiate ………………………… is a good opportunity for

………………………… to ………………………… a scholarship . Thanks to the scholarships, these students
can not only pay for their college fees , but they can also………………………… professional an
consider pro-gaming as a valid ………………………… . To ………… e-sports are ………………………… to
traditional sports as they are ………………………… and they help develop capacities.
They ………………………… talents, skills and the ………………….…………… to be the best .
I ………………………… that unlike football or cricket , e-sports are …………… rooted in any region or
culture, so they have a more ………………………… appeal (attrait /effet) . However I don’t think they
will ………………………… traditional sports in universities as US ………..…………………… is hard to kill.