Gaming in Libraries
Sara Ajifu
LIS 672: Technology for Libraries and Information
Centers
Instr: Luz M. Quiroga
11/11/09
1
Overview
• Definition
• How Gaming affects Libraries
– 5 Aspects of Gaming
• Real life Application
2
Definition
• Digital/video game (Kirriemuir and
McFarlane, 2006):
– Provides some visual digital information or
substance to one or more players
– Takes some input from the players
– Processes the input according to a set of
programmed game rules
– Alters the digital information provided to
the players
3
5 Aspects of Gaming that Affect
Libraries (Chad & Miller, 2005)
1. Gaming as a Cultural
Phenomenon
2. Gaming as a Place
3. Gaming as an Educational Tool
4. Gaming as a Designed Interface
5. Gaming as a Tool for
Collaboration
4
Cultural Phenomenon
• Average game player 33
years old, playing for 12
years (ESA Facts and
Research, 2006)
• Women make up 38% of
overall game population
• Women over 18
represent a larger
portion of game playing
population than boys
under 17 (30% vs. 23%)
• Females over 25 make
up largest block of PC
game players (46.2%)
[Nielson, 2009]
5
A “Third Place”
• A place apart from
work or home where
you can form social
relationships
• Collaborative,
advertising,
educational,
outreach space
• Proxy for real world
• There.com, Whyville,
Habbo Hotel
6
Educational Tool
• Simulators of real
world situations and
environments
• James Gee (2003)gaming as a new
literacy
• “Meld learning and
identity”
• Learn through doing
• Discovery with
minimal assistance
7
Designed Interface
• Tools and rules that are intuitive
and evident what actions need to
be done
• Feedback is essential
8
Collaboration
9
Considerations
• Hardware
• Software
• Space
• Maintenance
10
Hardware
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Xbox 360
Play Station 3
Xbox
Play Station 2
GameCube
Wii
DDR
Nintendo DS
PC
11
Games
• How to choose
which are best for
patrons
• Shorter shelf life
than books
• Where to
purchase from
• Loan period
• PC vs. console
12
World of Warcraft (WoW)
13
PC Games
14
More Games
15
Ann Arbor District Library
16
Baltimore County Public Library
17
Carnegie Mellon’s Library Arcade
18
Come Out and Play
19
Questions?
Questions?
20