Christoph Deeg has been doing an amazing job touring libraries in Europe with the Zukunftswerkstatt Gaming Roadshow opening up discussion about gaming and libraries.  This past week, the Roadshow made a stop at the Mannheim Library and held their program and panel discussion on gaming. [...]]]>

Gaming Roadshow Panel Discussion (from http://goo.gl/gQgFB) at the Mannheim Library

Christoph Deeg has been doing an amazing job touring libraries in Europe with the Zukunftswerkstatt Gaming Roadshow opening up discussion about gaming and libraries.  This past week, the Roadshow made a stop at the Mannheim Library and held their program and panel discussion on gaming.  If you’re interested, check out this write up of the event here.

The roadshow panel discussion brought up a great question:

We discussed how interactive games can be used specifically in the culture and knowledge of the role they play in society, which can help libraries, schools or other institutions to technology and how it even more into everyday life, eg for language and reading skills, can be integrated and used.

For more information on the Roadshow, please visit Zukunftswerkstatt Gaming Roadshow

-Post by Justin Hoenke,Tame the Web Contributor

National Gaming Day @ Your Library 2011 is just SIX weeks away!  Has your library signed up yet?

If not, you can sign up for National Gaming Day 2011 HERE!  Sign up now to be eligible for 2 of the donations from official sponsor and partner FamilyAndPartyGames.com.

Follow along for tons of gaming tips and information here:

Double Jump is Michigan’s only local game show. Each episode host Dan Hartley explores gaming as a legitimate and mainstream form of art and entertainment. We’ll explore the various facets of the medium itself with experts and designers, as well as games’ impact on Michigan industries. Independent and local developers also have a voice [...]]]>

Double Jump is Michigan’s only local game show. Each episode host Dan Hartley explores gaming as a legitimate and mainstream form of art and entertainment. We’ll explore the various facets of the medium itself with experts and designers, as well as games’ impact on Michigan industries. Independent and local developers also have a voice here as well as any industries and educational facilities tied to them.

For more info on Double Jump:
www.lcc.edu/tv/shows/doublejump
fb.com/LCCTVDoubleJump
@LCCTVDoubleJump
lcctvdoublejump.blogspot.com

How awesome, and this is just the sneak peak.  I’ll be keeping my eye on this series as they dive into the world of Libraries and Gaming and I’ll make sure to share here at TTW.

-Post by Justin Hoenke,Tame the Web Contributor

8BitLibrary: The Collected Writings of Justin Hoenke: December 2009-July 2011

It has been a fun almost 2 years.  We’ve danced, we’ve went out and got tattoos, and most of all we’ve talked about video games a lot.  But sometimes things just need to come to [...]]]>

Originally uploaded by The Shifted Librarian (thanks Jenny!)

8BitLibrary: The Collected Writings of Justin Hoenke: December 2009-July 2011

It has been a fun almost 2 years.  We’ve danced, we’ve went out and got tattoos, and most of all we’ve talked about video games a lot.  But sometimes things just need to come to an end, and my part in 8BitLibrary has come to an end.

Since I’m a librarian and all that, I’ve decided to organize my 8BitLibrary writings in a nice little PDF and post it here for anyone to read or download.

I hope you enjoy my writings.  I’ll continue to write about gaming in libraries here on Tame The Web from time to time, so stay tuned!

-Post by Justin Hoenke,Tame the Web Contributor

TWIL #48: Ellen Forsyth (Consultant at State Library of New South Wales) from Jaap van de Geer on Vimeo.

I met Ellen in Australia in 2009 . Her work with Learning 2.0 for library staff has been outstanding.

I’ve actually done research on students who are learning game design and about games,” said Jose Zagal, a game development professor at DePaul. “And it is quite often the case that they’ll have a very narrow view of games.”

Jim Galbraith, associate director of collections at DePaul’s library, hopes the collection will draw [...]]]> Via nwi.com:

I’ve actually done research on students who are learning game design and about games,” said Jose Zagal, a game development professor at DePaul. “And it is quite often the case that they’ll have a very narrow view of games.”

Jim Galbraith, associate director of collections at DePaul’s library, hopes the collection will draw the wider student body while supplementing what’s taught in game design and computer science classes.

 

You can read the rest of the article here.  Is your library doing something like this?  As a big advocate for video gaming in libraries, I’m happy to see universities starting to collect games.  I’m most excited about seeing how their retro gaming collection develops.

Also, made sure you check out their sidebar “Video Game Canon” discussion.  Do you agree with their selection of games in the Video Game Canon?  What would you add?  Take away?

-Post by Justin Hoenke, Tame the Web Contributor

How to Raise Boys Who Read (Hint: Not with gross-out books and video-game bribes)

I think what I hate seeing in these types of articles is the general “GAMES BAD BOOKS GOOD” thing (for the full effect, imagine The Incredible Hulk saying that).  Perhaps I’m only seeing this because of my interest in gaming [...]]]>

How to Raise Boys Who Read (Hint: Not with gross-out books and video-game bribes)

I think what I hate seeing in these types of articles is the general “GAMES BAD BOOKS GOOD” thing (for the full effect, imagine The Incredible Hulk saying that).  Perhaps I’m only seeing this because of my interest in gaming (I am one of the co-founders of 8BitLibrary.com).  I don’t know.  I try to read articles like that from the approach of my parents, who are middle class, everyday blue collar folks who have their high school diploma.  What would they think?  I think they’d come to the conclusion that games are bad and reading is good.  Especially with a headline like that.

That worries me a bit as someone who got a lot out of video games.  I didn’t read a lot, but I played a lot of games.  Some had great stories, some had crap stories.  The same thing applies to a lot of books out there.  I felt like what I was doing was the equivalent to reading in some way.  I was participating in stories with characters/drama/plot/etc.  The only difference is that my reading was a bit interactive.  I got a lot of enjoyment out of these stories.  The characters and their quests are still with me to this day.

I also think playing video games led me to a lot of reading which I wouldn’t have done before video games. I read a lot of gaming magazines and comics.  That led to graphic novels and some sci-fi (actual books!).  I wasn’t the best gamer in the world so sometimes I resorted to using strategy guides.  That’s reading too!

Do I think it ate into reading time?  I think it was my reading time.

-Post by Justin Hoenke, Tame the Web Contributor

Justin Hoenke, a TTW Contributor, posted this video at 8BitLibrary:

http://blog.8bitlibrary.com/2010/02/26/how-has-gaming-changed-the-way-you-look-at-libraries/

http://www.libraryjournal.com/blog/1130000713/post/500041650.html

A bit of her introductory post:

Most of my time freelancing I’ve also worked in libraries as a part-time paraprofessional. [...]]]> I was glad to meet Liz Danforth at my afternoon session of “The Hyperlinked Library” in Phoenix last week. The group was buzzing about her new blog and column about gaming at Library Journal:

http://www.libraryjournal.com/blog/1130000713/post/500041650.html

A bit of her introductory post:

Most of my time freelancing I’ve also worked in libraries as a part-time paraprofessional. I love freelancing but it’s lonely. I like being around people and I truly love libraries: literate and curious people, engaging co-workers, and a genuinely meaningful mission to make a difference in one’s community. I finally broke down and went to library school, completing my MLS in 2008. I have been amazed and delighted to find my first career intersecting with the sea change sweeping through today’s libraries: many libraries are holding regular gaming events, ALA Anaheim (2008) had an entire area for gaming-related vendors, and Verizon Foundation has seen fit to fund ALA with a $1M grant in support of literacy and gaming. (I’m one of the folks on ALA’s team of “grant experts.”)

What do I hope to bring to LJ’s readership, here and in print? A deep background to understand games, gaming, and gamers, in and out of the library. Different ways of looking at gaming programs in libraries. The intersection of literature and games, authors and gaming. I’ll look at what people get out of games, what people learn and what games teach, overtly and under the radar alike. I’ll consider the popular press and the academic work done on games and gaming. If something hits the media news channels, I’ll check it out and get with you on it. I’ll advocate for gaming but never turn a blind eye to the criticisms of games either. In fact, my first non-introductory blog post will be “Why Games?”

I am also very interested in her research about skills acquired in World of Warcraft that may transfer to real life. The survey is at http://tinyurl.com/SkillsSurvey. Liz told me: “It is live until the end of April and there is an opt-in to win one of five possible WoW timecards as a thank participants for participation.”

Take a look and let’s welcome Liz to the biblioblogosphere!

After seeing the Nebraska story, I picked up the phone and called the auditor’s office and talked with him.   I told him about the studies that I’ve done on the topic and [...]]]> Dr. Scott Nicholson left this comment on my post about ALA’s Gaming Toolkit. It’s an added dimension to the nebraska story about gaming:

After seeing the Nebraska story, I picked up the phone and called the auditor’s office and talked with him.   I told him about the studies that I’ve done on the topic and asked if he’s like copies (he did, and I sent them over).

After we talked, it’s not the gaming itself that was the problem, but the creation of the video showing staff members playing the games (with no other content).  If the video had shown patrons playing games and it was a program, or if the video had been part of a training program where the staff were teaching people who to use games, it would have not caused the problems that this video did.

So, the argument wasn’t “libraries shouldn’t have games” but “they shouldn’t make frivolous videos for the public to see”.

http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6640129.html

Here’s the video, what do you think? Is the context there?

http://www.librarygamingtoolkit.org

We’re adding this resource to the Gaming in Libraries modules for my classes. If you are curious about getting started with gaming or would like to see a clearinghouse of articles and supporting research on games and literacy, please take a look.

I might urge the folks in Nebraska to take a serious [...]]]>

http://www.librarygamingtoolkit.org

We’re adding this resource to the Gaming in Libraries modules for my classes. If you are curious about getting started with gaming or would like to see a clearinghouse of articles and supporting research on games and literacy, please take a look.

I might urge the folks in Nebraska to take a serious look at the supporting research and survey data for a bigger picture of these initiatives.

http://www.sjcpl.org/aboutsjcpl/departments/sightssounds/sightssounds.html#videogames

Some things to remember when checking out video games:

National Gaming Day @ your library logo, originally uploaded by ALA staff. More info at ilovelibraries.org/gaming and gaming.ala.org/resources 

Michael, Thanks for the post about our Games on Tour event…I’ve got a follow up for you…Videos!What I really love about these videos are the wide range of ages playing these games…a three year old against a 60 year old?  Sure, why not… And even better…it’s all taking place at [...]]]> Justin Hoenke, Teen Librarian, Cape May County Library writes:

Michael, Thanks for the post about our Games on Tour event…I’ve got a follow up for you…Videos!What I really love about these videos are the wide range of ages playing these games…a three year old against a 60 year old?  Sure, why not… And even better…it’s all taking place at the library.

http://www.youtube.com/user/cmclibrary

http://cmclibraryteens.blogspot.com/