#38 Console games

I went to the retro arcade game website and am ashamed to say that I had to ask a co-worker how to play Pacman. I did mess with it and Baby Pacman, and it was okay, just rather confusing. My family were all into console games, still are. In fact my grandson plays Sonic the Hedgehog on his mothers' old Nintendo system and loves it. My kids have expensive systems that play games, dvds, music, and are a constant source of entertainment and relaxation in their daily round of activities. Whether videogames have added skills or knowledge to their lives, I have no idea.

I really can't make any kind of educated statement about what type of videogames might be good for the library, having never played them. Since I don't play them, I can not avow any skills learned, however, I may have saved what is left of my eye sight, and kept from getting "videogame thumb." Videogames have their place, and certainly, they are amazingly sophisticated compared to the original "Pong" game.
I think they can be a draw to get teens into the libraries, but they are no substitute for actual information or knowledge. Have I become a fan of gaming? No, not really. There are so many other things to do.

#37 Gaming in the library

Does gaming belong in the library environment? I think it has its place, but I don't think it replaces books, or the knowledge that one can attain from them. I also think gaming swallows up time, and keeps kids from getting out in the fresh air or doing other things. In a controlled environment, as the libraries in the articles mentioned, or for a few hours a week, I think it can bring teens into the libraries and give them a safe place to be. Teens notoriously avoid the library experience, unless, and only under duress, they need information for a school report. At least, if gaming is encouraged, teens may find that libraries are not such a bad place to be.

I did try the games that were created by the Carnagie Mellon Institute, I never did figure out the reference game, but did reasonably well on the shelving, after several tries. I also found the comments most interesting on the article from The Shifted Librarian concerning gaming in the library, and the comment about gaming causing a "disconnection" between parents and kids, and kids should be playing and learning in the "real world" and not the virtual one. As stated, anything done to excess, whether its online games or eating too many Cheetos, is not good for anyone. Gaming has a place in libraries, as long as its not all consuming.

#36 Runescape

Egad! I am still not quite half way through the tutorial! I did create a character named Cheshire, red hair in Princess Leia buns and a green outfit. So far, she has spoken to strangers, baked bread, burnt shrimp, chopped trees and killed a large rat. We were asked to do fifteen minutes of the tutorial, and all that took me two and one half hours. I can see how a person can fall, like Alice, down the rabbit hole of time and just disappear for hours into these fantasy worlds. If nothing else, the game teaches you to follow instructions, or you get nothing done! I enjoyed it all in all, although I often got confused.

These games have their place in the world, role playing being a good use of the imagination, and quests and adventures teach a person to think and plan out, maybe even learn some lessons. As a side bar, my daughter met her future husband on just such a game, she was sitting in a pub feeling blue, he was passing through. They got to talking, and two years later, they married. Imagine had he not stopped by that pub, even though it doesnt really exist?

As pertaining to use in the library, these mega games can be a problem, especially with young people. Time and computer availabity can become a serious issue. However, if it can get young people into the library, maybe they will check out a book, while they are waiting for their computer slot to open so they can slay a dragon.