You are hereBlogs / dillon's blog / Week 11: Gaming and Virtual Worlds
Week 11: Gaming and Virtual Worlds
Despite the clear evidence that gaming has moved into the mainstream, I'm still dubious about the efforts of libraries to adapt to it. Van Eck's point about "use" vs. "integration" strikes me as very appropriate, but also problematic. If past technologies produced little or no effect vs. traditional teaching methods, it would seem apparent that libraries should attempt to integrate themselves into the culture of gaming. Librarians have gotten this message, but I'm afraid that the resulting over-emphasis on virtual worlds is a symptom of the enthusiasm to deeply submerge into the gaming world.
I feel that Danah's skepticism about virtual worlds pretty much matches my own. Second Life may be growing in popularity, with 2,000,000 visitors last year, but compare that to the 2.4 million copies of Halo 2 that were sold in a single day. Virtual worlds are still a niche within a burgeoning industry. MMORPGs such as Warcraft are also not directly comparable to the undefined world of Second Life.
Some of the articles this week suggested good ways to integrate gaming without having to strap on the butterfly wings of a second life avatar. Stocking games - particularly educational games - seems like an excellent idea (although not without challenges, from parents and theft particularly). LAN parties also offer a way to bring a dedicated audience back to the library again and again. I don't think that making ventures into the world of Second Life is a bad idea, but I do think that libraries should carefully examine whether or not the returns merit the investment of time.
Case Studies:
First off, I really disliked FindIt!. I thought it would be a cool trivia game, but it just turned out to be lame library PR and "gimme" questions. Gaming Success Stories looks like a useful resource, but it's a shame there are only a few stories available. The Information Literacy Game definitely has better visual appeal than FindIt, but the fun factor is once again AWOL. Video Game and Gaming Collection is a better approach, with a gaming collection, gaming information, and gaming-related class information all integrated into one well-designed web presence. Both of the blogs seemed decent, but The Gaming Zone seemed a little unsure of its audience. It invites gamers to a LAN party, but only shortly after a post explaining what online games are.
- dillon's blog
- Login to post comments
Hi Dillon,
I will be the firt to admit that I'm one of those people who may have an overabundance of enthusiasm for libraries to jump right into gaming and virtual worlds...I am biased as this week's topic was my group project. You make some good points, though and while I think the most important thing is for libraries to be open to the possibility of expanding their presences in these environments, I also realize it's not entirely practical and likely won't be for quite some time (see my group's blog posting about the restrictions of Second Life). Most computers - even my home desktop (which is relatively new) chug under the strain of SL software....just one of the many details that make it difficult or impractical for libraries and patrons to jump into gaming and virtual worlds.
Thanks for the post!
Dillon,
I agree that gaming should be integrated in order to be useful, and I think, like all of the topics we've examined, gaming won't be a fit for every library, and not every library will be willing to take on the challenge. I think you suggest some good ideas to consider for a library considering the use of SL, for example.
Hi Rebecca,
You raise an interesting point about computer power. I hadn't really considered just how much virtual worlds will require in terms of hardware and bandwidth, but it could present a barrier to service. Libraries are going to have an increasing presence online, regardless of their involvement in virtual worlds, but if their presence starts to require more and more computing power, some users might be left behind (or, additionally, libraries may need to spend money to provide access. But it's good to see things from a pro-virtual worlds point of view.