Gaming
learning
&
libraries
Why Screen Time Can Be Time Well Spent
Eli Neiburger
eli@eliworks.com

The Perception

videogames are antisocial?

videogames are
information overload?

screen time is a
new element in
OUR lives?

videogames are violent
and DESTRUCTIVE?

videogames are the
enemy of literacy?

videogames are an
idle waste of time?

The Facts
• Games require advanced literacy
• Games overcome Achievement Gaps
• Only 15% of videogames sold in the US are rated M
• Games build critical workplace and life skills
• Gamers are more successful in the workplace
• (The Kids are Alright, Beck and Wade)

The TENSION
“The children now love luxury. They have bad manners;
contempt for authority; they allow disrespect for elders and
love chatter in place of exercise. Children now are tyrants...”
- Socrates
“The free access which many young people have to [content]
has poisoned the mind and corrupted the morals of many a
promising youth; and prevented others from improving their
minds in useful knowledge. Parents take care to feed their
children with wholesome diet; and yet how unconcerned about
the provision for the mind, whether they are furnished with
salutary food, or with trash, chaff, or poison?”
- Rev. Enos Hitchcock, 1790

What DO
Gamers
Learn
From
Gaming?

COMPREHENSION

Memory & Knowledge

Abstract Reasoning

Spatial Reasoning

Hierarchical
Knowledge Systems

research skillz

Perseverance

success requires risk

Delay Gratification

Interface Literacy

3D manipulation

Take Care of
Your Data

DIGITAL Ethics

join in The Global
Information Community

Direct Job Skills
37% fewer mistakes, 27% faster

Hidden Assets
Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets:
External Assets
Support: Young person receives support from three
or more non-parent adults.
Empowerment: Community Values Youth,Youth as
Resources, Service to Others, Safety
Boundaries & Expectations: Adult role models,
Positive Peer Influence, High Expectations
Constructive Use of Time: Creative Activities,Youth
Programs

Hidden Assets
Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets:
Internal Assets:
Commitment to Learning: Achievement Motivation,
Reading for Pleasure
Positive Values: Caring, Equality & Social Justice,
Integrity, Honesty, Responsibility
Social Competencies: Planning and Decision
Making, Interpersonal Competence, Cultural
Competence, Resistance Skills, Peaceful Conflict
Resolution
Positive Identity: Personal Power, Self-Esteem, Sense
of Purpose, Positive View of Personal Future

what’s at
stake?

Conversations
through Content
Primary
Audience
Library
staff
Secondary
Audience

Conversations
through Content
Primary
Audience
Library
staff
Secondary
Audience

• Online Tournament Scoring & Management tools
• Blogs, Registration, Brackets, Scoring, Overlays
• Local, Regional, and International Leaderboards
• GT-System wiki for tournament rules and histories
• Synchronized Tournament Days with online finals
• Now available in Bokmål! dbib.gtsystem.org
wiki.gtsystem.org

2009
season

2009
season
rock revolution
high score tournament
rock band
(any Version)
for 4-player Bands
and/or
dance dance revolution
(any Version)
Most perfect steps
friday Jul 17
friday Aug 21
friday Sep 11
friday oct 02
friday nov 13
wiki.gtsystem.org

2009
season
mario kart wii
single player
tournaments
brackets for
kids, teens,
and adults
online playoffs
sunday Jul 19
sunday nov 15
wiki.gtsystem.org

2009
season
Public library
pokemon league
pokemon battle
revolution
&
pokemon diamond
pokemon pearl
pokemon platinum
for all ages
online playoffs
sunday aug 23
sunday sep 13
sunday oct 04
wiki.gtsystem.org

2009
season
Smashkart Championship
series
super smash bros. brawl
single player and team
tournaments
mario kart wii
single player and team
tournaments
for grades 6 - 12
saturday Jul 18
saturday Aug 22
saturday Sep 12
saturday oct 03
saturday nov 14
wiki.gtsystem.org

2009
season
Smashkart Championship
series
2009
grand
championships
combined smash Bros./
mario kart tournament
for single players
grades 6 - 12
saturday december 19
wiki.gtsystem.org

2009
season
invite your patrons
to be a part of
something
big
at the library!
get your gtsystem site
and get started
today!
wiki.gtsystem.org

Thanks for Playing!
eli@eliworks.com
twitter.com/ulotrichous
twitter.com/aadl
twitter.com/gtsystem