Week 11: Gaming and Virtual Worlds

 This week's topic - gaming and virtual worlds - has honestly had me a little mystified from the beginning of this course (and this is probably one of the reasons I signed up for this topic for my group project).  I just couldn't get past my initial musings as to what value or use such applications could have in a library environment. Well, after doing the readings and exploring the case studies, I was soon to find out they were many and varied.  I had a few 'aha' moments this week and I think I will limit my readings discussion to these, so without further ado...

Articles and Readings

In the article How Gaming Could Improve Information Literacy by Ameet Doshi

the one point that really resonated with me was the fact that Information Literacy training simply cannot be successful without engaging the audience in such a way that the information won't go 'in one ear and out the other' (or simply fall short of the ears all together).  For today's youth this basically means - in the author's own words - "in an environment relevant to their world view" - or games and online virtual environments.  With the younger generation especially, the one dubbed the 'digital generation,' it can be especially difficult to retain attention and ensure messages are getting through - so why not employ elements of the digital world they inhabit in order to help us get our messages through in a library setting?  Teachers have been experimenting for years with alternative, more interative and cooperative teaching styles and I think employing tools such as online quizzes, knowledge games or even discussions and lectures within a virtual environment (like Second Life) can have enormous value when dealing with the generation that craves interaction. 

Now this is not to say that adults don't have the capacity to be averse to the traditional teaching/learning methods, but I think utilizing an online game would generally have a higher success rate with the younger generation as there would typically need to be less (if any) time spent also teaching the audience how to first use the tool being employed as a learning supplement.  That being said, I completely agree with the author that the importance of being able to impart information literacy knowledge to the younger generations is immensely important today because of the massive potential for them to come into contact with misinformation on the Internet - and I think librarians should definitely consider utilizing gaming and virtual worlds as possible supplements to the traditional Information Literacy methods.

Aside from the possible benefits to be realized by being able to use gaming and virtual worlds to relate to a youth patron in a format or environment they understand and are comfortable with, especially with regard to information literacy, I soon found myself wondering "What other practical uses could there possibly be for gaming and virtual worlds within the library environment?"  After reading Jenny Levine's Understanding the Importance of Exploring Virtual Worlds, I soon began to agree  with her point that even though we may never find a practical library use for many of these sites, services, and features - the important thing is that we explore them and see what potential they do have.  This line of reasoning - simply exploring the 'new frontiers' and 'future spaces' - virtual and physical - embodies the very spirit of librarianship by striving to meet the patron where they live and by ensuring we offer as many resources they may find useful as we can.  Thirty years ago the typical librarian probably never imagined the 'Library' outside of the traditional bricks and mortar building filled with books, but now - with the possibilities for information dissemination and retrieval so close to limitless - it seems to me it would be contrary to the evolution of the 'Library' to ignore things such as games and online virtual worlds simply because they may not seem at first glance like a legitimate service for a library to offer.

Case Studies

Just a few comments on some of this week's examples of the use of games and virtual worlds in a real-world library environment....

The Information Literacy Game 

This game really ties in with the ideas expressed in the Doshi article - by making information literacy into an engaging and (dare I say it) fun activity, library patrons may actually come away from an info literacy session having learned something about info searching and how to find what they need.  I think such a tool would be a really great addition to any library's arsenal, as I have sat through my share of instructional sessions in the past - more often than not conducted by tired and exasperated librarians and attended by bored and disinterested students.  I still think the basics would need to be taught - perhaps via the traditional lecture or one-on-one sessions, but the use of a game such as this to really drive the content home has great value.

Gaming Blogs

A few examples were offered of libraries implementing blogs about gaming.  I remember from a guest lecturer from the Lodon Public Library that their YA game nights (where games like Guitar Hero and Dance Dance Revolution were played) were some of their most successful events.  I have to admit that, though gaming blogs and sponsored game nights may not have much to do with the library at first glance, I think they can be key in maintaining a feeling of community associated with the library by adding another way for people with similar interests to relate to one another - all with the library at the center.

Gaming Success Stories

The Library Success Wiki has a lot of interesting content related to this week's topic and I was most impressed by the fact that it gives meaningful and useful information - not only descriptions of programs that have worked in the past - but tactical information and tips to help make gaming events and initiatives work in your library (I especally think the idea of recruiting youth patrons to help run the events is a great idea - especially since they can often use the time as community service hours for high school).

Well, that's all for this week.

If you're interested in this topic, be sure to check out my group's project - a descriptive blog posting is soon to come!