Gaming in Libraries

1. Gaming in Libraries New Trends

2. What We Are Going to Cover • Brief Recap of Why Games are Important • Examples of the Marketing Potential of Games in Libraries • Examples of Things You Can Do in Your Library

3. Why Should I Care About Games? • What’s the average game player’s age? • 33 • What percentage of people over the age of 50 play video games? • 24% • Who is a bigger part of the game playing population – women over 18 or boys between 6 and 17? • Women over 18 (31%) • Boys are 20% • Numbers from the Entertainment Software Association's 2007 Sale, Usage and Data Survey

4. What Does This Mean? • Many adults and teens equate games as a medium with movies, books and music. • Games appeal to all ages and both genders

5. What is Happening Now • How many libraries have some form of in-house game activity? • 40% • What percentage of the librarians surveyed reported that attendees returned to the library for non-game related activities? • 76% • Go Back to Start: Gathering Baseline Information about Gaming in Libraries by Scott Nicholson, Associate Professor, Syracuse University School of Information Studies.

6. What Does It All Mean? • Games Have Become Common in Libraries • Libraries Are Using Games to Reach New Customers • Games Have Educational Value

7. Educational Value of Games • Many games are intellectually rich environments • Games aren’t in place of literary activities – they are a reading and writing activity • Promotes a variety of career skills • Modding • Teaching • Positive social interaction

9. Using Games to Teach Customers and Staff • Let’s them work at their own pace • Makes learning more fun • Students with certain learning styles will retain the information better • Advertises services and teaches concepts to patrons who use the library website

10. University of Waterloo

11. More Waterloo

12. Even More Waterloo

13. Carnegie Mellon University • Teach students how to shelve • Avoids using valuable staff time for teaching the same thing over and over • Easy to evaluate student pages’ understanding of Library of Congress • Teach reference • Shows what is actually involved with working at a reference desk

14. Orange County Library Using a Game to Advertise Services • Traditional arcade style shooting game with anthropomorphic orange • Shows the player the different types of materials available at the library • At the end of the game, the player sees the gaming programs and books about designing video games at the library

15. I Don’t Know How to Program and I Want a Game • PMOG • Doesn’t require technical knowledge • Fun • Can only be used to teach online • Learn How to Do It • Gamemaker • Outsource • Have someone else build a game for you

16. What Makes a Good Game • Have a Point to Your Game • Remember It Should Still Be Fun! • Be Open to Feedback and Use It

17. For More Information • http://animeted.org/4librarians/video-games/Video-games-in-libraries.htm • Video Games in Libraries • www.ydacs.com/www.ydacs.com/ • Further Reading: • Gazer, S. (2006, November 10). Video games. CQ Researcher, 16, 937-960. Retrieved July 14, 2008, from CQ Researcher Online, http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2006111000. Kathy: kmakens@durhamcountync.gov