The document discusses bringing video games to libraries. It provides an overview of video games, their components, and popular platforms. It argues that games are a new format like books that build skills for teens. The document recommends libraries think like gamers, research gaming culture, host gaming programs and circulate video games to better serve gamer patrons. It provides examples of successful gaming programs in libraries and statistics on gaming participation and libraries hosting gaming activities.

1. GET YOUR GAME ON! VIDEOGAMING AT THE LIBRARY Presented for Youth Services Cooperative, Brantford Ontario Canada Beth Gallaway, http://informationgoddess.info May 16, 2008

2. CONTACT, SLIDES & LINKS Beth Gallaway 603.247.3196 [email_address] http://informationgoddess.info http://del.icio.us/informationgoddess29

3. WHAT IS A GAME? GAME : activity engaged in for diversion or amusement; synonym: see FUN VIDEO GAME : an electronic game played by means of images on a video screen and often emphasizing fast action Merriam-Webster Online. http://www.m-w.com

4. DO YOU PLAY GAMES OF ANY KIND? YES NO

5. GAME COMPONENTS Console/Playing Device Screen or Monitor Controller (mouse, joystick, etc) Power Source (plug or battery) Game (CD, cartridge, disk, digital)

6. GAME CONTROLLERS

7. PLAYING VIDEO GAMES Arcade PC Console Handheld Mobile Plug ‘n’ Play

8. ARCADES

9. HOLO-DEK 8 MERRILL INDUSTRIAL DRIVE, HAMPTON NH “ HoloDek is all about Gaming. A unique virtual venue that offers customers the opportunity to play the games they love in a pleasant and comfortable social setting.” http://www.holo-dek.com

10. PC GAMING

11. Microsoft http://www.microsoft.com/xbox/

12. SONY 1 2 3 http://playstation.com/

13. NINTENDO http://www.nintendo.com

14. PLUG ‘N’ PLAY

15. WHY GAMES AT THE LIBRARY? BECAUSE GAMES … Are just like books, they are just another new format Are the medium of choice for the millennial generation Build developmental assets of teens Are literary Reinforce new literacies

16. GAMES ARE LIKE BOOKS... THEY ARE JUST A NEW FORMAT

17. GAMING IS THE MEDIUM OF CHOICE FOR THE MILLENNIAL GENERATION

18. WHAT IS THE AVERAGE AGE OF A GAMER? * Entertainment Software Association. Top 10 Facts. http://www.theesa.com/facts/top_10_facts.php 33

19. WHAT PERCENT OF PEOPLE OVER 50 PLAY GAMES?* * Entertainment Software Association. Top 10 Facts. http://www.theesa.com/facts/top_10_facts.php 24%

20. GAMING BUILDS DEVELOPMENTAL NEEDS OF YOUNG ADOLESCENTS Support Empowerment Boundaries & Expectations Educational Commitment Positive Values Social Competencies Positive Identity The Search Institute. http://www.search-institute.org

21. GAMING MEETS DEVELOPMENTAL NEEDS OF TEENS positive social interaction with adults & peers structure and clear limits physical activity creative expression competence and achievement meaningful participation in families, school, communities opportunities for self-definition NMSA. NMSA Research Summaries. Young Adolescents Developmental Needs (1996) http://www.nmsa.org/Research/ResearchSummaries/Summary5/tabid/257/Default.aspx

22. WHAT DEVELOPMENTAL NEEDS ARE BEING MET?

23. WHAT % OF GAMERS ARE FEMALE? * Entertainment Software Association. Top 10 Facts. http://www.theesa.com/facts/top_10_facts.php 38%

24. GAMING = LITERACY Environmental print signage labels maps Reading about the game instructions walkthroughs Writing about the game forums websites Chat: “ WTS, Mageweave cloth, 15g”

25. GAMING REINFORCES NEW LITERACIES Exposing knowledge Employing information Expressing ideas compellingly Ethics on the Internet Warlick, David. ”The New Literacies.” Scholastic Administrator. Mar-Apr2005

26. 1. EXPOSING KNOWLEDGE Find information Understand and explain found information regardless of its format Evaluate information Organize information

27. 2. EMPLOYING INFORMATION Computation Measurement Analysis Application

28. HOW MANY BILLIONS DID COMPUTER & VIDEOGAME INDUSTRY GROSS WORLDWIDE in 2007?* $40 billion * Entertainment Software Association. Top 10 Facts. http://www.theesa.com/facts/top_10_facts.php

29. 3. EXPRESSING IDEAS COMPELLINGLY Mechanics matter Creativity & efficiency highly rated Text, images, audio, and video are used to express ideas in many digital formats

30. WAYS GAMERS EXPRESS IDEAS COMPELLINGLY Fan Fiction Machinima Web Comics Fan Forums Clan Websites

31. ETHICS ON THE INTERNET Modding – recreating game content FanFic – writing stories about characters created/owner by someone else Machinima – films/videos created through recording video game play

32. GAMER GENERATION TM CHARACTERISTICS Social Competitive Wired Self-aware Always On Heroic Multi-taskers Global Collaborative Risk Takers Beck, John & Mitchell Wade. Got Game? Harvard Business School Press, 2004

33. LEARNING PRINCIPLES IN GAMES*** Risk –tasking in a “safe” environment Rewarding of practice Use of affinity groups Probing cycles Situated meaning Self-knowledge Identity formation *** Gee, James Paul. What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy . Palgrave McMillan, 2003

34. HAVE YOU EVER PLAYED A GAME RATED “M” FOR MATURE? YES NO

35. WHAT PERCENTAGE OF GAMES SOLD IN 2006 WERE RATED M?* * Entertainment Software Association. Top 10 Facts. http://www.theesa.com/facts/top_10_facts.php 15%

36. GRAND THEFT AUTO WAS THE #1 GAME MENTIONED BY BOYS 12-14 IN A STUDY ON VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES COMMISSIONED BY THE US DEPT OF JUSTICE Kutner, Lawrence and Cheryl Olson. Grand Theft Childhood. Simons & Schuster, 2008.

37. GTA WAS THE #2 GAME MENTIONED BY GIRLS. Kutner, Lawrence and Cheryl Olson. Grand Theft Childhood. Simons & Schuster, 2008.

38. HOW CAN LIBRARIES SERVE GAMERS? Connect games with “traditional” materials Think like a gamer Become a strategy guide Research video game culture Support gaming Create a gaming experience: Game collections Gaming programs Try some games!

39. USE GAMES IN READER'S ADVISORY INSTEAD OF: What authors do you like to read? What are the last 3 books you read? What did you like about them? ASK: What movies do you like? What TV shows do you watch? What games do you play?

40. IF YOU LIKE CITY OF HEROES

41. ROLEPLAYING/MMORPG GAMES GAMES: Everquest Runescape World of Warcraft Dark Age of Camelot Ultima SUGGEST: epic fantasy historical war Authurian legend fractured fairy tales

42. HISTORICAL SIM GAMES GAMES: Civilization Caesar Age of Empires Oregon Trail America’s Army SUGGEST: biographies historical fiction mythology

43. SPORTS GAMES GAMES: Madden Football NBA Street Need for Speed Tiger Woods Golf WWF SUGGEST: sports adventure biographies

44. STRATEGY & PUZZLE GAMES GAMES: Myst Tetris Bejeweled Where in the World is Carmen San Diego? SUGGEST: mystery thrillers travel puzzle books

45. FIRST PERSON SHOOTERS (FPS) GAMES: Doom Quake Halo SUGGEST: military fiction horror apocalyptic fiction science fiction

46. SIMULATIONS GAMES: The Sims The Urbz SUGGEST: sociology dysfunction relationships romance architecture

47. JAPANESE/MANGA TIE-IN GAMES: Katamari Damacy Final Fantasy Dragonball Z Pokemon SUGGEST: manga Japanese culture graphic novels drawing books anime films

48. SUPERHERO GAMES GAMES: Spider-Man Fantastic Four City of Heros SUGGEST: comic books graphic novels biographies mythology

49. THINK LIKE A GAMER Everything is in BETA Get a screen name It's all about YOU You can’t break it Fail early, fail often

50. BE A STRATEGY GUIDE... ...NOT A LEVEL BOSS! Show, don’t tell. Make it interactive. Have a free-for-all. Ask for a demo of expertise

51. IMMERSE IN VIDEOGAME CULTURE Skim gaming magazines Read gaming blogs View machinima Read webcomics Play some games

52. RESEARCH VIDEO GAME CULTURE Take research studies with a ROCK of salt Pay attention to gaming in public spaces Attend GLLS2008 Join the LibGaming Google group: http://groups.google.com/group/ libgaming

53. TRY SOME GAMES Set Game Penguin Baseball Bejeweled Chicktionary Bob the Blob Club Penguin Runescape Diner Dash Snood http://del.icio.us/informationgoddess29/games

54. DOES YOUR LIBRARY ALLOW PATRONS TO PLAY GAMES ON LIBRARY COMPUTERS? YES NO

55. WHAT % OF PUBLIC LIBRARIES ALLOW PATRONS TO PLAY COMPUTER GAMES?* 82% *Nicholson, Scott. (2007). The Role of Gaming in Libraries: Taking the Pulse. July 2007. http://boardgameswithscott.com/pulse2007.pdf . Accessed October 8, 2007.

56. CREATE A GAMING EXPERIENCE! Programs Collections

57. DOES YOUR LIBRARY HOST VIDEO GAME PROGRAMS? YES NO *Nicholson, Scott. (2007). The Role of Gaming in Libraries: Taking the Pulse. July 2007. http://boardgameswithscott.com/pulse2007.pdf . Accessed October 8, 2007.

58. WHAT % OF PUBLIC LIBRARIES HOST VIDEO GAME PROGRAMS?* 13% *Nicholson, Scott. (2007). The Role of Gaming in Libraries: Taking the Pulse. July 2007. http://boardgameswithscott.com/pulse2007.pdf . Accessed October 8, 2007.

59. WHAT MAKES A SUCCESSFUL GAMING PROGRAM? Research Schedule Promote Play Evaluate

60. CHOOSE A GAME THAT IS... Multiplayer Short Rounds Rated E or T Easy to Learn Challenging to Master Appealing to a wide demographic

61. WHAT % OF GAMERS PLAY ON HANDHELDS? * Entertainment Software Association. Top 10 Facts. http://www.theesa.com/facts/top_10_facts.php 32 % 32%

62. EASY, FREE PROGRAMS! Cell phone clinic PSP Gamefest Nintendo DS Gamefest 32 %

63. MODEL GAMING PROGRAMS Santa Monica Public Library, CA Counterstrike LAN party After hours program 50 teens lined up around the block to play After School Zone, Benicia Public Library , CA Hanging out, snacks and playing games encourages Kids and teens who have gotten parental consent can play Halo 2 and Ghost Recon on the XBox 360; Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. Melee are popular on Gamecube

64. MODEL GAMING PROGRAMS Ann Arbor District Library (MI) Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros, & DDR Tournaments for all ages Regular programs Online community North Hunterdon High School (NJ) Student-run game night in the cafeteria

65. DDR RECIPE FOR SUCCESS One console ( $80-$600) 2-4 dance pads ( $20-$300 each) 1 game ( $25-$60) 1 LCD projector ($600-1000) or TV ($100-$2K) 1 one large screen or white wall Activity for waiters Water

66. “ DDR+GUTIART HERO= FUN” “ Awesome cuz everyone gets along with each other, there’s no waiting in line or nething. Plus guitar hero is a wicked rad game.” “ I liked this because there’s too few of the DDR community around. This is a good opportunity to meet people with like interests.” “ I LOVED DDR”

67. DOES YOUR LIBRARY CIRCULATE VIDEO GAMES?* *Nicholson, Scott. (2007). The Role of Gaming in Libraries: Taking the Pulse. July 2007. http://boardgameswithscott.com/pulse2007.pdf . Accessed October 8, 2007. YES NO

68. WHAT % OF PUBLIC LIBRARIES CIRCULATE VIDEO GAMES?* 30% *Nicholson, Scott. (2007). The Role of Gaming in Libraries: Taking the Pulse. July 2007. http://boardgameswithscott.com/pulse2007.pdf . Accessed October 8, 2007.

69. GAMING COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT Magazines Strategy guides Nonfiction about gaming Fiction with gaming as a plot or subplot

70. COLLECTION POLICY CONSIDERATIONS Formats Console PC Internet Subscription Breadth & Depth Genres Styles Age ranges Budget New Bestsellers Used

71. COLLECTION MANAGEMENT Storage depends on: format staff space budget Theft start with programs start small Issues replacement/repair resistance

72. WHAT MAKES A GOOD GAME? Replayability Plot Setting Character Graphics Sound track Modification/Customization Uniqueness

73. ASTEROIDS

74. ZORK

75. STAR WARS: KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC

77. SETTING

78. REALISTIC SETTINGS

79. CHARACTER

80. PHYSICS

81. SUPPORT

82. SOUND

83. GAME AWARDS BAFTA - http://www.bafta.org/ IGN - http://bestof.ign.com Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences http://www.interactive.org/ GameSpot - http://www.gamespot.com GameSpy - http://goty.gamespy.com Game Developer’s Choice Awards - http://www.gamechoiceawards.com/ Game Critics Awards http://www.gamecriticsawards.com/

84. OTHER RESOURCES Gamer Dad - http://www.gamingwithchildren.com/ Video Game Librarian – http://www.videogamelibrarian.com/ Video Game Report Card by National Institute on Media and the Family http://www.mediafamily.org/

85. GAME REVIEWS School Library Journal Voice of Youth Advocates “Get Your Game On” column Gaming Magazines Tech Magazines

86. EXERCISE #3 WHAT MAKES A GOOD GAME?

87. BEST PRACTICES: COLLECTIONS Rockridge Ages 13-18 year olds PS2 games 2 games/patron No holds/renewals 7 day free checkout $1/day late fee $50/replacement fee Genres: sports, adventure, racing, fighting, and shooters. Helen McGraw E, E10+ and T PS2 and PC games 14 day circ $.25/day late fee game cost+$5/replacement fee Genres: compilations, sports, racing games, platformers, unique and quirky titles

88. WII GAMES FOR CHILDREN Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo 2006) Super Paper Mario (Nintendo, 2007) Rayman Raging Rabbids (Ubisoft, 2007) Super Paper Mario (Nintendo, 2007) Super Smash Brothers: Brawl (Nintendo, 2008) Fighting. Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam (Activision, 2006)

89. WII GAMES FOR TEENS Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo 2006) MarioKart (Nintendo, 2008) Rayman Raging Rabbids (Ubisoft, 2007) Super Smash Brothers: Brawl (Nintendo, 2008) Fighting. Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam (Activision, 2006) Trauma Center: Second Opinion

90. PLAYSTATION 3 GAMES FOR CHILDREN FIFA Soccer 08 (EA Games, 2007) Kung Fu Panda the Game (Activision/Dreamworks, 2008) Ratchet & Tank: Tools of Destruction (Sony/Insomniac, 2007) MX vs ATV: Untamed (THQ, 2007) Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon (Sierra, 2008)

91. PLAYSTATION 3 GAMES FOR TEENS American Idol Karaoke Revolution: Encore. (Konami/Blitz, 2008) Guitar Hero III (Red Octane, 2008) Lair. (SCEA, 2007) The Simpsons Game. (EA, 2007) Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 (EA, 2007)

92. XBOX 360 GAMES FOR CHILDREN Beijing 2008: The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games (Sega, 2008) Bionicle Heroes (TT Games, Inc, 2006) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (EA, 2007) Robo Blitz (Naked Sky, 2006) Viva Pinata

93. XBOX 360 GAMES FOR TEENS Beautiful Katamari. (Namco, 2007) Fight Night Round 3 (EA, 2006) Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Eidos, Traveller’s Tales, 2008) Lost Odyssey (Mistwalker/Microsoft Studios, 2007) Project Gotham Racing 3 (Microsoft Game Studios/Bizarre Creations, 2005)

94. CORE COLLECTIONS: http://del.icio.us/informationgoddess29/corecollections Neal Schuman, 2008

95. IN CONCLUSION… Libraries are about access to stories, and access to information – in any format. We have to stop being format snobs!

96. THANK YOU! Beth Galla CONTACT: 603.247.3196 [email_address] LINKS: http://del.icio.us/informationgoddess29 SLIDES: http://informationgoddess.info