Wired For Fun:An Introduction to Online Gaming and

Programming in Your Library

Steven KrausSkills Development AdvisorOntario Library Service – Northskraus@olsn.ca

AgendaFrom your service desk, you have seen young patrons participating in online games. Games have come alive in public libraries.

• Some Statistics on Gaming• Why Gaming is so popular• Gaming and socialisation • Opinions on gaming – Socialization Theory,

Medical Research, Perspectives and Education Theory

• Gaming tie ins – Movies, Music, Social Networking, Communities and Socialization

• From a Programing Perspective – What should I do to promote and support gaming in the library?

• Resources, Tips and Opinions and other good things

Gam(es)ing…as a format…

To Game or Not to Game…

How many Teens are “online”…

94% Teens are Online94% Teens are Online

– 89% Access the Internet from Home– 77% Access the Internet from School– 71% Access the Internet from Someone else’s house– 60% Access the Internet from the Library!!!!– 7% Access the Internet by other means

Teen Content Creatorshttp://www.pewinternet.org/Presentations/2009/~/media/Files/Presentations/2009/Teen%20content%20creators%20pdf.pdf

Gaming Statistics97% of teens ages 12-17 play computer, web, portable, or console games.

Additionally: • 50% of teens played games “yesterday.” • 86% of teens play on a console like the Xbox, PlayStation,

or Wii. • 73% play games on a desktop or a laptop computer. • 60% use a portable gaming device like a Sony PlayStation

Portable, a Nintendo DS, or a Game Boy. • 48% use a cell phone or handheld organizer to play games.

http://www.pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Reports/2008/PIP_Teens_Games_and_Civics_Report_FINAL.pdf.pdf

Gaming Statistics• 53% - of all adults play video games of some kind,

whether on a computer, on a gaming console, on a cell phone or other handheld device, on a portable gaming device, or online

• Among older adults 65+ who play video games, nearly a third play games everyday, a significantly larger percentage than all younger players, of whom about 20% play everyday.

• Out of all the gaming devices, computers are the most popular among the total adult gaming population, with 73% of adult gamers using computers to play games, compared with 53% console users, 35% who using cell phones, and 25% using portable gaming devices.

Adults and Video Games by Amanda Lenhart, Sydney Jones, Alexandra Macgill Dec 7, 2008 http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2008/Adults-and-Video-Games.aspx

Why is Gaming so popular?

• A “new” kind of “social” activity• Healthy Escapism???• Tie Ins to other “fun” activities?

The Toronto Public Library is searching for

close to $300,000 to start a circulating video

game collection, as well as to set up gaming

programs at eight branches across the city.

HPL has added a browsing collection of games

for the Wii, Xbox, and Playstation3 consoles. The

games may be borrowed for up to one week. At

this time, we are not allowing renewals or

holds.

Visit our catalogue for a current list of titles. February 4, 2010 Time: 3:30 to 5:30 pm

Play a wide variety of video games and board

games after school with your friends.

Includes Wii, band, guitar, dance, combat

games and more. This event is free. Snacks

provided..

Growing Up A Gamer… The Individual's Role

• You're the star. You are the center of attention of every game, unlike, say, Little League, where most kids will never be the star.

• You're the boss. The world is very responsive to you. • You're the customer, and the customer is always

right. Like shopping, the whole experience is designed for your satisfaction and entertainment; the opponents are tough, but never too tough.

• You're an expert. You have the experience of getting really, really good ... early and often.

• You're a tough guy. You can experience all sorts of crashes, suffering, and death--and it doesn't hurt.

“The gaming generation." Library Technology Reports 42.5 (2006): 18+. General OneFile. Web. 30 Mar. 2010.

Growing Up A Gamer…How the World Works • There's always an answer. You might be frustrated for a

while, you might even never find it, but you know it's there. • Everything is possible. You see yourself or other players

consistently do amazing things.... • The world is a logical, human-friendly place. Games are

basically fair. Events may be random but not inexplicable.... • Trial-and-error is almost always the best plan. It's the only

way to advance in most games, even if you ultimately break down and buy a strategy guide or copy others on the really hard parts.

• Things are (unrealistically) simple.... You can figure a game out, completely. Try that with real life.

“The gaming generation." Library Technology Reports 42.5 (2006): 18+. General OneFile. Web. 30 Mar. 2010.

Growing Up A Gamer…How People Relate • It's all about competition. You're always competing; even if you

collaborate with other human players, you are competing against some character or score.

• Relationships are structured.... • We are all alone. The gaming experience is basically solitary,

even if played in groups.... • Young people rule.... Paying your dues takes a short time, youth

actually helps, and there is no attention paid to elders. • People are simple. Their skills may be complex,

multidimensional, and user-configurable, but their personality types and behaviors are simple....

"The gaming generation." Library Technology Reports 42.5 (2006): 18+. General OneFile. Web. 30 Mar. 2010.

Growing Up A Gamer…What You Should Do • Rebel. Edginess and attitude are dominant elements of the

culture. • Be a hero. You always get the star's role; that is the only

way to succeed or get satisfaction. • Bond with people who share your game experience, not

your national or cultural background.... • Make your own way in the world. Leaders are irrelevant

and often evil; ignore them. • Tune out and have fun.... When reality is boring, you hop

into game world. When a game gets boring, you switch to one that isn't. (2)

"The gaming generation." Library Technology Reports 42.5 (2006): 18+. General OneFile. Web. 30 Mar. 2010

Your Potential Audience…“One of our teen patrons who recently moved to our small town came to tell me that one of the video games we purchased for the programs was not compatible with the system we purchased. He asked to ride with me when I took it back and helped me pick out another game to take its place. He asked me if I owned the library. I replied that I was the director but that I didn't own the library, I only managed it. He asked me who did own it and I replied, "Well, you do." I explained that public libraries were owned by the citizens that used them and/or lived in the community, and that their taxes went to pay for the services. He thought about it for a minute and said "That's really cool! I guess I'll have to hang out here more since it's mine." It made my day”.

--Beth Wheeler Dean, Guntersville (AL) Public Library (1)

Levine, Jenny. "Chapter 3: Libraries, videogames, and civic engagement." Library Technology Reports 45.5 (2009): 11+. General OneFile. Web. 24 Mar. 2010.

Case Study Content…Lessons Learned in the Gaming Sphere…

• Gaming isn't just for kids anymore, and the average age of today's gamer is thirty-five. Libraries can reach out to twenty-somethings and thirty-somethings, a traditionally underserved audience itself, using a variety of gaming programs.

• Once certain groups find out that one demographic is allowed to game in the library, they often request it for themselves because gaming has become such a pervasive activity in our society.

• Gaming is a great way to bring diverse groups of people in the community together.

• Trivia nights are an easy--and inexpensive--way to offer gaming for adults.

Levine, Jenny. "Chapter 4: A powerful draw beyond youth culture." Library Technology Reports 45.5 (2009): 19+. General OneFile. Web. 24 Mar. 2010.

Case Study Content:Pro-Gaming…

“Students have become avid information seekers, based on easy access to technology. The preference is passive information reception in the form of entertainment rather than through the more challenging critical thinking process (Okan, 2003). Yet, it is argued that, when used effectively, technology especially digital games develop critical thinking skills through actively solving problems (Hostetter & Clemens, 2002)”.

Green, Mary, and Mary Nell McNeese. "Using edutainment software to enhance online learning." International Journal on E-Learning 6.1 (2007): 5+. General OneFile. Web. 24 Mar. 2010.

“Learned” Techniques Interactive learning techniques used in DGBL (Digital Game-Based Learning)

vary from sophisticated problem solving to basic memorization:• Practice and feedback, sometimes associated with drill-and-kill

programs, can be valuable for learning facts or basic skills through repetition.

• Learning by doing adds the elements of exploration, discovery, and problem solving.

• Learning from mistakes is lifted from reality (trial and error). Players move forward until an error is made; sometimes they must return to the beginning and start over.

• Goal-oriented learning is related to learning how to do something, and motivates students to push on to overcome failures.

• Discovery learning and "guided discovery" are associated with adventure games, which involve problem-solving scenarios.

• Task-based learning involves students solving a series of tasks or problems that build on each other and gradually increase in difficulty. Guidance and modeling are provided to assist players with learning skills.

Deubel, Patricia. "Game on! Now educators can translate their students' love of video games into the use of a valuable, multifaceted learning tool." T H E Journal [Technological Horizons In Education] 33.6 (2006): 30+. General OneFile. Web. 24 Mar. 2010.

Case Study Content:“Learned” Techniques cont…

• Question-led learning is connected with quiz games in which players reason among options.

• Role-playing provokes reflection, which is an important part of learning. Simulation, adventure, strategy, and puzzle games require players to consider options, which means that games incorporating these strategies might move at a slower pace.

• Coaching provides assistance to help solve problems and move through a game.

• "Accelerated" (multisensory) learning incorporates memory techniques and a see-hear-do approach that appeals to multiple learning styles. The strategy has proven to be effective in learning foreign languages (see www. acceleratedlearning.com).

Deubel, Patricia. "Game on! Now educators can translate their students' love of video games into the use of a valuable, multifaceted learning tool." T H E Journal [Technological Horizons In Education] 33.6 (2006): 30+. General OneFile. Web. 24 Mar. 2010.

Selecting Game Types • Games can roughly be categorized as Action, Adventure,

Fighting, Puzzle, Role-playing, Simulation, Sports, and Strategy. Choosing the appropriate type depends on the content to be learned and/or mental processes to be developed (see "Choosing the Right Game," left). Several other variables must also be considered, including:

• Students' age, characteristics, gender, competitiveness, and previous gaming experience.

• The game's target age level, which indicates the likelihood that students will understand the rules and possess the necessary motor skills for playing by them.

• Gender and racial diversity. In its choice of characters, language, or situations, does the game offend or slight any particular group of students?

• Number of players. How many can play at one time? Will too many be left sitting on their hands?

Deubel, Patricia. "Game on! Now educators can translate their students' love of video games into the use of a valuable, multifaceted learning tool." T H E Journal [Technological Horizons In Education] 33.6 (2006): 30+. General OneFile. Web. 24 Mar. 2010.

The Nuts and Bolts of Gaming

74% of Gamers are interested in Racing Games (NASCAR, Mario Kart, Burnout, Need for Speed, Gran Turismo)

72% of Gamers are interested in Puzzle Games (Bejeweled, Tetris, Sudoku)

68% of Gamers are interested in Sports Games (NBA 2010, Madden Franchise, NHL 2010, Tony Hawk)

66% of Gamers are interested in Action Games (Grand Theft Auto, Halo, Call of Duty)

61% of Gamers are interested in Rhythm Games (Guitar Hero, Dance Dance Revolution, Rock Band)

59% of Gamers are interested in Strategy Games (Civilization V, Star Craft, Command and Conquer, Risk)

Honorable member mentions: First Person Shooters, Role Playing, MMOG’s (World of War Craft)

Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project. Gaming and Civic Engagement Survey of Teens/Parents, Nov. 2007-Feb. 2008. Teens who play games n=1064. Margin of error is ±3%. Note: games listed in parenthesis were provided to respondents on an as-needed basis by interviewers; not every respondent received the prompts.

Teens who play Games

Definition Alert!Massively Multi-player…

• MMORPG (Massively multiplayer online role-playing game)

• MMORTS (Massively multiplayer online real-time strategy)

• MMOFPS (Massively multiplayer online first-person shooter)

• MMOSG (Massively multiplayer online social game)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_gaming

Socialization Theory…

“What complicates the analysis (of online gaming) is the role of players in creating MMOGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Games). While developers program the initial parameters of such games, the interaction of the players provides the substance of their virtual worlds, creating behavior patterns, social rules and collective institutions”

Playing on the digital commons: collectivities, capital and contestation in videogame culture. Sarah Coleman and Nick Dyer-Witheford UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO, CANADA http://mcs.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/29/6/934.pdf

Socialization Theory…

“The vibrancy of the online community determines whether a game persists and becomes profitable. Since MMOGs depend on the multiple interactions of thousands of inhabitants, all of whom use the game but none of whom own it, they have, in a very general sense, a commons component”.

Playing on the digital commons: collectivities, capital and contestation in videogame culture. Sarah Coleman and Nick Dyer-Witheford UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO, CANADA http://mcs.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/29/6/934.pdf

Socialization Theory…

“This is enhanced at a second, more specific level, in that much of the governance of these worlds is performed by player associations – ‘guilds’ or ‘clans’ – which evoke high levels of voluntary cooperation, mutual aid and resource-sharing among players.”

Playing on the digital commons: collectivities, capital and contestation in videogame culture. Sarah Coleman and Nick Dyer-Witheford UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO, CANADA http://mcs.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/29/6/934.pdf

Gaming and Literacy…“Edward's digital games research and the design and presentation of his PowerPoint achieved many of the Level 5 National Literacy Benchmarks (1) standards in English he had previously struggled with. He was able to read and view imaginative, informative and persuasive texts around digital games that explored ideas and information related to the gaming topics, themes and issues that he was interested in. His research identified the narrative, themes and levels explored in Dragon Ball Z Supersonic Warriors 2, as well as some of the game's paratexts. He also used the PowerPoint presentation to provide supporting evidence to justify his interpretations. As he worked through the four roles of the reader, he inferred meanings and messages in the digital games and analyzed how social values or attitudes are conveyed and compared”.

Walsh, Christopher. "Systems-based literacy practices: digital games research, gameplay and design." Australian Journal of Language and Literacy 33.1 (Feb 2010): 24(17). General OneFile. Gale. Ontario Library Service - North. 23 Mar. 2010 <http://find.galegroup.com/gps/start.do?prodId=IPS&userGroupName=ko_gov_olsn>

Gaming and Medical Science?…“…..Dennis Levi and colleagues at the University of California, Berkeley, to begin a trial to see whether gaming can help people with amblyopia (lazy eye syndrome). Bavelier's results show gaming's potential for clinical treatment, says Lotfi Merabet, a neuroscientist at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, who uses games for visual rehabilitation. He predicts gaming will become a common clinical tool.”

Motluk, Alison. "Shoot 'em up combat is good for your eyesight." New Scientist 202.2702 (2009): 11. Academic OneFile. Web. 23 Mar. 2010.

Social Networks and Gaming…• Facebook – Apps – Farmville, Mafia Wars, Armies etc.http://pagedata.insidefacebook.com/gainers/week/?cat_id=0&fanbase=0&official=1&sort=gain

• Multiplayer Online Games – Runescape – http://www.runescape.com/ – World of War Craft- http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/index.xml – Command and Conquer - http://www.commandandconquer.com/ – Second Life - http://secondlife.com/?v=1.1

• Cell Phones and the world of “Apps” – “Apple Inc. began selling Sudoku for its iPod digital device through

the iTunes Store in September 2006. Sudoku puzzles can also be played on the Motorola Razr cell phone and two Palm Treo smart phones, one of which runs the Palm operating system, while the other runs Windows Mobile. Players say that the game is enriched when played on such devices. They can play against other Sudoku fans online, and the iPod offers colorful background graphics”.

Boehret, Katherine. "Playing Sudoku Without Pen and Paper." TecTrends 14 Feb. 2007. General OneFile. Web. 6 Apr. 2010.

Social Networking Experiences… from a designer point of view…

"We are learning an awful lot about a very different type of game experience than we are used to doing," Moore told Reuters in an interview.

"We use social networks primarily right now for building marketing tools," he said. "We then look at how do we build games, and we will be doing that in conjunction with Playfish."

EA Sports accounts for about 30 percent of the company's overall revenue, which was $4.2 billion in the year to March 31.

"EA eyes Facebook sports games, more digital buys." CIOL (Jan 29, 2010): NA. General OneFile. Gale. Ontario Library Service - North. 23 Mar. 2010 <http://find.galegroup.com/gps/start.do?prodId=IPS&userGroupName=ko_gov_olsn>.

Gaming Tie-Ins

• Serial Games – EA Sports• Final Fantasy• Super Mario• Tekken • Star Craft• War Craft• Franchises and Retro Gaming

Movie Tie-Ins

“Hollywood has long seen the appeal of video-game licensing deals. Having a hot new computer game released in conjunction with the latest blockbuster can mean added buzz and ticket sales. And as games get more sophisticated, there are even more ways to forge movie tie-ins”."Online Extra: Syncing Hollywood and Gamers; The relationship between films and games hasn't produced memorable offerings, complains Titanic director James Cameron, who aims to change that." Business Week Online 7 Feb. 2006. General OneFile. Web. 29 Mar. 2010.

Movie Tie-Ins

“After Dave Long, the CEO of Seattle-based Screenlife, discovered the technology to randomly shuffle and track information on a DVD, he was able to turn his prototype of a film-clip trivia game, SceneIt?, into a mega-seller DVD board game. Screenlife sold more than one million games in 2004, up from the 30,000 units it sold in 2002. With nearly $100 million in revenue for 2004, the gamemaker projects 100% growth for 2005”. "Cover Story: Analyzing the buzz." PR Week [US] (2007): 17. General OneFile. Web. 29 Mar. 2010.

Movie Tie-Ins

“The company's Scene It games, which consist of a board game and DVD, are often co-branded with pop culture entities like Disney, American Idol, and James Bond. However, Nancy Jenkins, Screenlife's PR director, says the company noticed early on, from both online and offline monitoring, that consumers made up their own rules by eschewing the board and playing solely with the DVD”.

"Cover Story: Analyzing the buzz." PR Week [US] (2007): 17. General OneFile. Web. 29 Mar. 2010.

Movie Tie-Ins

“Screenlife is five-year-old company that is just one of many diverse organizations that now view online monitoring as a high priority. The company hired Evan Wight, director of e-Marketing, in May 2006 to pay closer attention to the space. Wight was a senior producer at a local advertising agency”.

"Cover Story: Analyzing the buzz." PR Week [US] (2007): 17. General OneFile. Web. 29 Mar. 2010.

Music Tie-Ins“In the early 1990s, Machover and his team at the Media Lab began exploring ways that hyperinstruments might allow amateur, rather than trained, musicians to experience musical virtuosity. These efforts found their most popular expression in the simple yet powerful electronic "guitar" that forms the heart of the Guitar Hero video game series. In 1995, two former MIT graduate students founded Harmonix, the technological developer of the Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and other musical games. Building on concepts developed with Machover in the Media Lab, Harmonix revolutionized the gaming world with the 2005 release of Guitar Hero”.

Vaughn, Vanessa E. "Machover, Tod (1953-)." Newsmakers. Ed. Laura Avery. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Discovering Collection. Web. 29 Mar. 2010.

Music Tie Ins

Guitar Rising is a music video game where the player plays a real guitar as cued by the game’s visuals. Following rock music sequences and streaming notes, players play guitar melodies and rhythms. Beginner difficulty levels are designed for non-guitar players and hard difficulties will challenge experienced guitarists.

www.guitarrising.com/

Quick Play Games

• Civilization V http://www.civilization5.com/

History Channel Gaming…The History Channel: Great Battles of Rome The History Channel: Civil War - A Nation Divided The History Channel: ShootOut! - The Game The History Channel: Dogfights - The Game The History Channel: Battle for the Pacific The History Channel: Lost Worlds The History Channel: Battle of Britain 1940 The History Channel: Crusades - Quest for Power The History Channel: Alamo - Fight for Independence The History Channel: Civil War - Great Battles The History Channel: Digging for Truth

Role Playing Games

“The concept is as brilliant as it is simple. Take a traditional role-playing game--something like Dungeons & Dragons, say--where a couple of players assume heroic alter-egos and take part in adventures both thrilling and strange. Now move that experience, which usually takes place at the kitchen table, and put it online. Now instead of gaming with your regular group of four or five local friends, you can game with thousands of people from around the world.”

Coffin, Bill. "Rest in pieces." Risk Management 53.6 (2006): 4. General OneFile. Web. 8 Apr. 2010.

The future looks like….?“With ever-increasing access to higher bandwidths and high-speed Internet connections, more and more games will be downloaded and played digitally. WildTangent ORB (www.wildtangent.com)seeks to revolutionize PC gaming to make it more like console gaming. WildTangent has its own PC platform game development studio and has distribution agreements with Dell, HP, Gateway, and Toshiba, meaning that their proprietary PC Game Console for direct to desktop games is bundled to 25 million new consumer PCs annually. Their gaming portal, WildGames (www.wildgames.com), hosts 20 million players worldwide who play 250 million game sessions a month, and it supports over 8,300 affiliates from top online game developers like HipSoft, PlayFirst, Sandlot, and PopCap. (5) Using virtual tokens called "WildCoins," garners purchase sessions of ad-free gaming. Instead of having to buy a subscription, players pay only for their actual playtime. The company also has a try and buy model in which games can be purchased for $19.95. Libraries might consider subscription models, or even offering subscriptions or tokens as prizes for gaming related programs” Gallaway, Beth. "The future of gaming: gamers and gaming are changing with the times--are librarians?" School Library Journal 55.11 (2009): 21+. General OneFile. Web. 30 Mar. 2010.

Selected Resources:On Gaming / Gamer Culture

On Gaming from the CBC archiveshttp://archives.cbc.ca/arts_entertainment/media/topics/3607/

The Video Game Revolution PBShttp://www.pbs.org/kcts/videogamerevolution/index.html

The Video Game Invasionhttp://topdocumentaryfilms.com/video-game-invasion/

Pure Pwnage – Mokumentary Web Series (Just moved to Television for 2010)http://www.purepwnage.com/

Questions/Comments/Contacts…

Steven KrausSkills Development Advisor334 Regent St.Sudbury OntarioP3C 4E21-800-461-6348 ext. 228skraus@olsn.ca