News about Games and Gaming

Collectible Card Games (CCG) and other new collectible games are being discussed by a group of retailers and manufacturers at Gen Con.

Jon Huston, Owner of Troll and Toad
CCGs have hit the mainstream for American consumers. They don’t think about game stores, but rather Wal-Mart as a place for CCGs. These games also have a more maturing audience, sales have reamined steady since players began playing in the early 90s. People are buying for play these days, not for collections. Playability is driving prices, not collectability.

John Mansfield, Owner of Pendragon Games and Hobbies
Stores have a small amount of retail space, and a huge game play area. Small stores are thriving on having the play area. Game stores seem to be more about the gathering space than the selling - selling is being driven by web retailers. If you are a player who wants more playable cards, you have to pay a huge price online.

I know some libraries have CCG programs for playing or trading. Many schools have banned CCGs because of problems related to the trading and the fact that these cards can be quite expensive.  There is a high cost of entry for this type of game. With libraries looking at redefining collections (to the point of loaning people and their expertise) is there a chance that libraries might loan out CCG cards to help someone fill out a deck for a short time?

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Waiting to present at the Gen Con professional/trade day, I must admit to having a few butterflies about the prospect of flipping from my comfortable role of talking about games to librarians, to talking about libraries to gamers. Gen Con, billed as “The best four days in gaming” is a massive gaming conference that beats ALA Annual conference by a few thousand attendees.
I Love Libraries has a booth on the exhibit floor to help emphazie the potential for collaboration betweeen gaming and libraries. They will also be passing out copies of the AASL gaming alignment document created by Brian Mayer and the School Library System of Genesee Valley BOCES (where I work). More updates from the trade day and exhibit floor to follow. For now, here is a shot of me at the Gygax memorial die and a link to my presentations for this afternoon.

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Scott Nicholson discusses “Reframing Gaming” and Jenny Levine rounds up ‘The Games People Play” in the August issue of American Libraries.

Rafael C. Alvardo, Director of Academic Technology Services at Dickinson College (Carlisle, PA), writes about Overcoming the Fear of Gaming: A Strategy for Incorporating Games into Teaching and Learning in EDUCASE, introducing faculty to games as a new medium for curriculum requirements, and recommending, among oher approaches, studying the game critically, not just playing and discussion. For example, “Instead of using Civilization IV to replace the voice of an authoritative text (or podcast, for that matter) on the nature of historical change, faculty can ask students to study the logic of the game as it applies to the subject matter.”

Kelly Czarnecki covers a cross-country Super Smash Brothers Brawl tournament on the YALSA blog that involved libraries in NC, MI, and OH. “We improved our geography … as well as our sportsmanship skills [and] teamwork skills,” writes Czarnecki. More coverage is on the PLCMC Gaming Zone blog and the AADL AXIS blog.
“Literacy has more than one meaning,” says Kirsten Andersen, explaining the unconventional collections at the Greater Victoria (Quebec) Public Library.

Columbus Public Library got great coverage in the Dispatch about the library’s gaming initiative. “Gaming is storytelling for teenagers,” said Julie Scordato, teen services specialist. Check out CPL on YouTube.

Gaming & anime are destined to combine at an annual event at the Irvine Library, where teens are invited tobring their own consoles and games to play with. “By setting up a game system you are inviting everyone to play; share and share-alike is the rule.” advises the staff blogger promoting the Anime Club.

The new Goudy branch of the Langford Library (Victoria, Canada) is offering express library services that include popular materials, wifi and gaming stations. Says mayor Stew Young: “It’s what I believe should happen with libraries. We should be building smaller ones, more Internet-friendly, more funky with the coffee shop right beside it.”

1UP, publisher of numerous gaming magazines and related websites, writes on their blog: “It should come as no surprise that we at 1UP wholeheartedly support the notion of videogames in libraries, and we bow down to the inevitable future of Halo-savvy librarians.”

Brian Mayer posted a short and succinct entry at LibraryGamer on Why Games Belong in Libraries.

In other gaming news…

Gamasutra is offering a webinar titled “Serious Games: Using Gamer Technology to Solve Real-World Problems,”  on Tuesday August 19 at 2pm EDT.

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Gary (IN) Public Library’s Game Time Galore program offer high and low tech games ranging from Operation to Wii Bowling. Registered participants had to check out two books to get into each session.Librarians at the Montgomery Public Library responded in writing to a political cartoon criticizing gaming at the library. Staff members Carol Legarreta and Kathie Weinberg pointed out that circulation teen books has increased more than 50 percent in the past year.

Professor Megan Winget at the School for Information at the University of Texas (Austin) is working through a grant of over $250K to study collection and preservation of MMOGs. Library Journal’s interview with her appeared at the end of July.

Librarians represented at Comic Con! Merideth Jenson-Benjamin, Mike Pawuk, Eva Volin and David Serchay spoke on a panel. Eva & David even made it on NPR to discuss!

Other Gaming News:

Guitar Hero III: Backstage Pass may now be available on a cell phone near you! It debuted to Sprint customers Thursday August 24 August 18.

The ESA released a report on 2008 stats (even though the year isn’t over yet???) Their annual survey continues to claim that more middle aged women play videogames than boys age 6-17. Check out the newest version of Industry Facts to bolster your videogame advocacy efforts!

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Runescape Club

Runescape is a massively multiplayer online role playing game, set in a medieval fantasy style world. It’s fairly easy to master, it’s a long and deep game, and there are lots of ways to play (focus on chat, focus on quests, focus on leveling, focus on crafting, focus on making money). It’s popular with teens at a lot of libraries across the country, and UNPOPULAR with librarians because of it’s heavy use of chat, bandwith hog nature, and the undesirable behavior that is actually common to the age group (socializing, talking about the game, hopping out of chairs to see other player’s screens and offer assistance).

Some librarians ban Runescape. Smart libraries harness it’s popularity and build an easy program around it. Others fully embrace it and develop contests and discussion groups around Runescape. Not comfortable with Runescape? Organize a mini-lan party around Maple Story, Gaia, Teen Second Life, Small Worlds…

You don’t have to play yourself, to offer Runescape Club! Simply reserve a handful of computers specifically for Runescape, and take sign-ups. If you can give them extra computer time (like, 2 hours, instead of 1, great!). Watch them play. Ask questions. Consider setting up a laptop & projector so they can take turns logging in to show their characters and inventories. Raffle off premium subscriptions ($5.00 for one month).

Glendale Public Library’s Velma Teague Branch offers Runescape Club twice a month, from 2-3 and 3-4 on a Saturday afternoon. Each session seats six players (Terry says one week he took a break and gave up his smooth gaming laptop to a seventh player). Some tips from Terry, librarian facilitator, follow.

• Rule # 1: Runescape is the only site allowed
• No formal agenda, other than to play Runescape
• Do reminder phone calls so kids show up
• Arrange to redirect bandwith to laptops for duration of program
• Program runs for one hour, two back-to-back sessions. If slots don’t fill up in session 2, session 1 participants may stay
• Require users to have accounts already when they come in
• Suggestions for getting a unique username:
  • Consider the kind of character you want to have. then brainstorm names that fit that class.
  • Maybe there is a character from history, television, movies, or books whose name you want to use!
  • It’s ok if you want to use your own name; some tricks to disguise it: add some letters and numbers
• Check in with them periodically to see if they need help
• Get kids to help one another!
• Invite kids to bring music - load iPods into radio/speaker/clock radio, taking turns playing music
• Snacks recommended

Teen comments:

• “There’s one thing that has gotten better in real life because of Runescape is my typing skills.”
• “This is the only time I get to play”
• Get a premium account (cost $5.00.month)
• Can we do this every week?
• “I play World of Warcraft, too” (teen listed off 4 mid-level characters)

This was a fun experience to observe and participate in. I marveled at the new & improved graphics, and played through the entire tutorial as infogdss29. It’s nice that you don’t have to choose from so many professions and crafts; anyone can mine, make weapons, fish, cook and cast spells, it seems. I was very proud of killing my first giant rat, and not burning shrimp over a cookfire, and smelting bronze bars to create a dagger. A grant for a half dozen gaming laptops would really make the program soar.

Thanks to GPL’s Velma Teague Branch for letting me sit in, and to the participants, for helping me when I got stuck.

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Listen up at http://www.gamesinlibraries.org/

In the aftermath of the open gaming night at ALA, Scott Nicholson, Christopher Harris, Brian Mayer, Beth Gallaway, Paul Waelchli and Jenny Levine chatted and shared anecdotes about the evening’s events, which included:

Wits and Wagers

Ingenious

Can’t Stop

TransAmerica

Hamsterrolle

Rock Band

Mario Kart

Dance Dance Revolution

Boom Blocks

Some questions raised:

• How do you keep people moving between activities?
• What will ALA Open Gaming look like night year?
• What one piece of advice can you give to someone interested in getting involved in this games and gaming movement?
• How do you deal with food in gaming programs?

I covered the winners of the ALA Gaming Citation, which I blogged about a few weeks ago.

Some of the resources mentioned in the podcast:

• Alignment of AASL standards
• Free Rice
• Darfur is Dying
• ALA Gaming resource wiki
• Developmental Assets
• National Gaming Day
• Pictureka
• 2007 Gaming Survey (complete by July 31, 2008)
• Game Maker Academy, Wilmette Public Library
• Gaming Initiative, UIUC

What did you think of episode 3? We’d love to hear your comments!Want to contribute to Games in Libraries podcast? We’d love to hear about your gaming stories–successes AND flops!–as well as game reviews and other topics. Send MP3 files 5-10 minutes in length to Scott Nicholson by August 1 2008.

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The Frances P. Bunnelle Foundation has just awarded to the Georgetown County Library a grant of $600,000 to expand their successful interactive gaming/computer program for teens throughout the county. The library will receive $200,000 per year for the next three years to continue their work at Carvers Bay while establishing the program at three other public libraries.

Starkville (MI) Public Library held a 2-day Monopoly tournament, won by a local homeschooler.

The Fayetteville Public Library has been providing a videogame experience for all ages since May; event organizer Monica Kuryla comments that “the 21st-century library is turning into a community media center. It’s about the social experience of the community,” and gaming furthers that purpose. The article also cites Scott Nicholson’s work with GameLab at Syracuse.

The Longview Library is leaving Rock Band set up and available from 3-6 on Wednesday & Thursdays all summer in the Library’s soundproof, air-conditioned auditorium.

Carroll County Public Library is offering game tournaments this summer. “Video games are actually a perfect fit for the library,” said PR specialist Lisa Back… “A lot of video games focus on learning and they have a social aspect.”

Vashom (WA) Library offers a mix of gaming experiences: board, card, computer and console, and has for the last ten years in their Late @ the Library programs every other month for four hours on Saturday night. “We wanted to give the teens something to do at the library … It’s really given them a sense of ownership of the library,” Librarian Hester Kremer said.

Gamespot sponsored a program featuring the PS3 and Wii Fit at the Bossier (LA) Parish Library with plans to return in the fall.

The Serious Games Portal picked up on libraries getting serious about games. with a nice round up blog post about notable gaming initiatives and ALA’s Verizon grant.

The Detroit Free Press has an article about how libraries have reinvented themselves in the digital age, and because of it, libraries in most communities are thriving.

The Teen Scene at the Waco Library is using a blog to promote their gaming events. Notice the poll about DDR in the left menu

Other Gaming news:
Rock Band II’s track list hase been released, with 84 songs to start with and more available for later download.

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The Entertainment Software Association’s Electronic Entertainment Expo ran this week in Los Angeles, CA. It’s an annual computer and videogame expo for developers, publishers, programmers and other industry types. Since it’s become invitation only, a event for the public — Entertainment for All– takes place October 3-5, 2008.

What happens at E-3? It’s a like a trade show. Console companies and game publishers hold press conferences and parties to announce and celebrate new developments and products and show off game demos. The video game television network offers near complete coverage, including televised press conferences. Microsoft’s was on Monday night, and their big announcements were:

• $50 price drop on the XBox 360 Premium edition, good news for libraries considering this as a purchase
• Netflix partnership to stream movies direct to your XBox360; don’t forget both microsoft & Sony consoles double as a DVD player, so with apublic performance license for films or anime, you can get a lot of programming mileage out of a console
• Highly anticipated titles your gamers will want: Final Fantasy XIII!

Nintendo’s press conference stressed they want to  break down the psychological barriers between gamers & non-gamers, and they are committed to content creation and community building. Their top announcements: 

• Wii Motion Plus! is coming soon! New remotes that are supersensitive, accurate controllers. Plan to replace your original remotes in the near future
• Animal Crossings will be introducing voice chat; it could follow for other games
• Highly anticipated titles your gamers will want: Call of Duty: World at War, Rayman Raving Rabbids 3, Star Wars: Clone War, Wii Music, and for the DS: Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades, Spore, Pokemon,  GTA: Chinatown Wars, and productivity type software for airports and ballparks. Gosh, what about a LIBRARY application?! 

Sony declared 2008 to be the year of the PS3! Other announcements:

• Little Big Planet will allow gamers to create games, combining social networking, user-created content & gaming in one title
•  A number of PS3 best sellers will be dropping to $29.99 (titles include Need for Speed, Rainbow 6 Vegas, Assassins Creed, Elder Scrolls, and Ninja Gaiden, to name a few; this is GREAT news for collection development! 
• Another 130 titles will be released for the PS2 before the end of the year - the PS2 isn’t dead yet! At just $129 new for a slimline PS2, it’s a great bargain for budget conscious libraries.
• Playstation Home is still in the works - to combine games, film, music & more
  
• Highly anticipated new releases: DC Universe Online, Resistance 2, God of War 3
• More games available through Sony Online Entertainment (Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty, Crash Commando, PAIN Amusement Park, Flower, Siren: Blood Curse, Rag Doll Kung-Fu: Fists of Plastic) means libraries may want to consider subscriptions to SOE.
  

Further press coverage is online from G4TV, Jostiq, and Gamasutra, among other sites.

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Of possible interest, to any of you attending Comic-Con:

Saturday, July 26; 6:30-7:30 Gamers in the Library?

Did you know that at least 7 out of 10 libraries support gaming? From consoles to D20, board games to CCG’s, gaming in libraries is a hot topic. Find out about this seemingly odd combination with Kearsten LaBrozzi (Glendale Public Library, Arizona), Susan White (University of Advancing Technology), Mike Pawuk (Cuyahoga County Public Library), and Merideth Jenson-Benjamin (Glendale Public Library, Arizona). Hear about successful programs, learn pitfalls to avoid, and find out why gamers in the library are here to stay.

Room 30CDE

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