For reference purposes it is important to note that this book review and supplemental video were originally completed as a Book Context Assignment for Michael’s The Hyperlinked Library course, taught in the Fall of 2015 at San Jose State University. Socially Isolated Addicted young people Few real-life social ties These are just a few of the phrases used to describe the traditional “lonely gamer” in the article The “lonely gamer” revisited by Diane Schiano, Bonnie Nardi, Thomas Debeauvais, Nicolas Ducheneaut, and Nicholas Yee. This has been the stereotype of the traditional gamer for the past two decades. However, Jane McGonigal, […]
Categories Gaming & Gamification
102 posts
You won’t want to miss reading about this library’s innovative experiment with Minecraft to build a community of young users. John Blyberg, assistant director for innovation and user experience at the Darien (CT) Library has turned his “public library into a gathering spot for friends new and old, and a place to decompress” simply by running a single server for Minecraft users. To read more about Blyberg’s innovative way to build an “afterschool sanctuary” follow this link: http://www.slj.com/2015/04/technology/my-public-library-minecraft-community/#_
During my recent commutes to work, I have been enjoying the audio of Jane McGonigal’s 2011 book Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World . This is one of those titles that I have always meant to read, and I am just now getting to it. McGonigal’s general thesis is that the compelling aspects of game-play (especially online gaming) can be applied to many areas of life (social problems, routine tasks, etc) in an effort to make life more engaging. While McGonigal has much to offer the library community, her discussion of collaboration […]
A new project explores and challenges traditional library dissemination. The tools are taken from gamification which intentionally uses game elements to involve and engage users. A virtual tour of a city uncovering hidden treasures, small engaging ways of improving existing services and a new digital experience at the library – this is what the joint project Gamification – activating cultural dissemination resulted in. A project taken on by three libraries: Guldborgsund Public Library, Aarhus Public Library and Hjørring Public Library in their attempt to involve users in their services more actively. Each library contributed with a sub-project exploiting gamification, […]
http://mitpress.mit.edu/sites/default/files/titles/free_download/9780262013369%20_Hanging_Out.pdf
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aaronstanton/the-game-of-books-a-discovery-game-for-libraries-a There are three days to go – please consider a contribution!
Every year Pierce County Library System unveils a new Summer Reading Program. This year we’ve taken the teen program online (Teen Summer Challenge http://teensummerchallenge.org/) and challenged participants to explore their interests, their library, and their community through activities and masteries. Challengers can share their experiences, earn badges and achievements, interact with friends, claim their mastery of an activity group, earn library fine rebates, and share reviews of the books, music, movies, and places they love. Best of all, teens throughout out county library system can participate in the challenge together in one place! The program has been going for more than […]
Librarian promoted to evil magician by journalist, originally uploaded by Miromurr. Thomas Brevik writes: Article in the local newspaper Nordhordland. I dressed up as a magician (librarian of magic as I now call myself) to get press for our first role playing session with Dungeons & Dragons in the library.
“You must understand video games. Seriously. You must. So if you don’t know a joystick from a jelly roll, spend some time getting up to speed on games played on computers, online, and on special devices such as Game Boys and Playstations. Ask your kid. Ask your neighbor’s kid. Or go into an electronics store such as Best Buy where the games are usually on display, and ask for a demo. You won’t regret it. And you may even become hooked. At the very least, you’ll begin to understand the powerful new grammar, narrative pattern, and thinking style these games […]
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.