Games in Libraries

1. Games in Libraries Laura Kaspari Hohmann Information Resource Officer US Embassy Rome

2. A profile of today’s kids & their gaming habits* *The Pew Internet & American Life project survey on Teens, Video Games and Civics - 2008

3. 97% of teens play games(computer, web, portable, or console)‏ • 50% played a game yesterday • 48% use a cell phone or handheld device to play games

4. 80% of teens play 5 or more different game genres • Girls play an average of 6 different genres • Boys play an average of 8 different genres

5. “Social game play is thought to offer the possibility for youth to have collaborative and interactive experiences, experiences that potentially parallel may real-world political and civic activities.”

6. “The last decade was about the social Web. This next decade is the decade of games.” --Seth Priebatsch, founder of SCVNGR

8. Consider…. • We spend 3 billion hours a week as a planet playing games • There are 183 million active gamers in the USA. • There are 100 million active gamers in Europe • 5 million Americans spend 40 hours a week or more playing games.

9. Think games are just for kids? The average young person will spend 10,000 hours playing games by the time they’re 21 – as many hours as they’ll spend in the class room.

10. Think games are just for kids?

11. 40 % of all gamers are women • 1 out of 4 gamers is over the age of 50 • The average game player is 35 years old and has been playing for 12 years. • Most gamers expect to continue playing games for the rest of their lives.

12. Why use games in libraries? • To bridge generational differences • To teach literacy skills • To encourage active engagement • Help gamers feel connected to the library

13. “It’s inevitable: soon we will all be gamers.” – Rob Fahey, 2008

14. Games in the Library Games in the Library

17. The Connection Between Gaming and Literacy

18. Why use games to teach information literacy skills?

19. games are fun & highly interactive • games are cognitively engaging • games motivating & challenging

20. games are a welcome break from traditional library instruction (or classroom) activities • games help students to make and sustain the effort of learning • games enhance problem solving skills

21. Gaming teaches: -information literacy skills-reading-keyboarding-social skills-eye hand coordination-multitasking skills

22. Gaming teaches 21st Century Literacies: • Visual Literacy • Media Literacy • Programming Literacy • Science Literacy • Technology Literacy

23. Information Literacy Standards Applied to Board Games

24. AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner

25. AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner Applying the standards to board games

26. AASL Standard 1 AASL Standard 1 Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge.

27. AASL Standard 2 • Draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new situations, and create new knowledge.

28. AASL Standard 3 • Share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of our democratic society.

29. AASL Standard 4Pursue personal and aesthetic growth.

30. Guidelines for Developing a Games Collection • Select games that are authentic and fun • Factor in time it takes to play the game • Consider return on investment

31. For School Libraries • Align games with state/provincial/national curriculum standards • Describe games as instructional tools that can be used to boost student achievement

33. Association of College & Research LibrariesInformation Literacy Standards Applied to Games Case Study: World of Warcraft

35. WoW & ACRL Information Literacy Standards • ACRL Standard 1: Determines the nature and extent of the information needed • WoW: Player has a goal, but needs to figure out how to get there and get to the next level.

36. WoW & ACRL Information Literacy Standards • Standard 2:Accesses needed information effectively and efficiently • WoW: Players must figure out where the necessary tools are. If they don’t get them, they run out of energy or supplies.

37. WoW & ACRL Information Literacy Standards • Standard 3:Evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system • WoW: If you don’t evaluate a source’s validity, you may die or be slowed down in your quest.

38. WoW & ACRL Information Literacy Standards • Standard 4:Uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose (individually or as a part of a group) • WoW: Teams of people play together and must work together to figure out their goals and how to best reach them.

39. WoW & ACRL Information Literacy Standards • Standard 5: understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally • WoW?

41. Game Creation/Game Design workshops in libraries

42. Why Game Design? • Constructivism: Learners create their own knowledge • Constructionism: New ideas developed when an external artifact is created and shared • Benefit: Long-term retention

43. Why in Libraries? • All the benefits of playing games • Bring in people, engage them with each other and library resources/staff • Artifacts of Creativity • Motivation to learn and explore • Diverse groups engaging deeply • Literacy (digital, traditional, gaming)‏

46. Resources • American Library Association’s Games & Gaming Resourceshttp://gaming.ala.org/resources/index.php?title=Main_Page • The Librarian's Guide to Gaming: An Online Toolkit for Building Gaming at your library http://www.librarygamingtoolkit.org/

47. Additional Resources • American Association of School Librarians Standards for the 21st Century Learnershttp://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/aasl/guidelinesandstandards/learningstandards/standards.cfm • ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Educationhttp://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency.cfm

48. Resources for Board Games • Games for Educators http://www.g4ed.com/ • Board Game Geekhttp://www.boardgamegeek.com/

49. Questions? Thank you for coming today!hohmannlk@state.gov