Breaking News English

A game about gardening has broken the record [for / by] the most users being online at the same [timed / time] . The horticultural-themed game is called Grow a Garden. It first broke the record for [simultaneously / simultaneous] users on the 14th of June, when there were 16.4 million [current / concurrent] users. This [surpassed / ousted] the previous milestone of 14.3 million set by [the / a] blockbuster game Fortnite. Grow a Garden then [shuttered / shattered] its own record on the 21st of June, with 21.3 million players. This made it the most-played video game ever [of / at] a single moment. The game is owned [by / at] the online game platform Roblox. A spokesperson said the game's "global success is [fuelled / fuels] by exceptional user retention and vibrant social interactions".

Grow a Garden is a [stimulation / simulation] game in which players tend [of / to] a patch of bare, virtual land. Budding gardeners buy seeds, [plant / plants] vegetables, and grow flowers and herbs. They then harvest their [producing / produce] to earn in-game [currency / currants] and resources. Users can also upgrade their garden to obtain better tools and new areas. Good gardeners can level up [for / to] unlock rare seeds, exotic crops, and new biomes (like underwater gardens or magical forests). The BBC asked behavioural [expert / expat] Professor Andrew Przybylski on whether the game could [cultivar / cultivate] a love of gardening. He said: "It is [likelihood / unlikely] that a game like this will encourage real world gardening any more than Super Mario encourages [plums / plumbing] ."