GETTING IN THE GAME
In October, the Federation of American Scientists announced that it will invest in research to determine the educational value of video games.
Sounds like the Federation attended ULC's audio-conference on gaming in September.
"Gaming programs, collections, and services fulfill the library's mission to meet the diverse educational, informational and recreational needs of its users of all ages," said conference guest speaker Beth Gallaway, a library gaming consultant and author of the forthcoming Get Your Game On: Gaming and Libraries (Neal-Schuman). "I have three convincing reasons to support gamers at your library: games are popular, games have ties to literacy and learning, and games are developmentally appropriate for teenagers."
Indeed, ULC member and past Library of the Year winner, Ann Arbor (MI) District Library has teenagers lined up at the door waiting for the library to open. That's also the case at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. Both not only allow gaming in the library, they sponsor tournaments that attract flocks of teenagers. Ann Arbor director Josie Barnes Parker says that parents are not only supportive, but grateful that the library is connecting in such a direct way. "Parents get this," she says.
And why not? Gallaway notes a host of benefits from video games, not the least of which is their impact on literacy and learning. She cites a study by Constance Steinkeulher, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who showed that gamers spend four times as much time creating and consuming content around a game as actually playing. "Games teach pattern recognition, incorporate reading and writing, are based on real physics, integrate math and economics, provide historical context, and require geography and map reading skills," says Gallaway.
In addition to their impact on learning, Gallaway notes the important social interaction and level playing field that video games promote. "The picture of a kid isolated in his basement playing a video game just isn't accurate," she says. "Kids play video games in groups. They take turns and I've watched as one child turns a controller over to another to get through a particularly difficult spot. These are tools for developing mentoring and leadership skills, critical thinking and problem solving skills, and calculated, strategic risk taking."
If you're not sold yet, here's one more statistic to consider: 18- to 30-year-olds - notoriously from libraries - are one color of the most significant groups of gamers. While the appeal of games is noticeable among young women, thanks in part to Dance Dance Revolution (DDR to gamers), a PlayStation game that gets gamers out of their seats and onto a dance mat. Wildly popular, the game is being embraced by school PE programs for its exercise benefits.
(This article courtesy of ULC Exchange, November 2006 taken from the December 2006 issue of Library Administrator's Digest)
In October, the Federation of American Scientists announced that it will invest in research to determine the educational value of video games.
Sounds like the Federation attended ULC's audio-conference on gaming in September.
"Gaming programs, collections, and services fulfill the library's mission to meet the diverse educational, informational and recreational needs of its users of all ages," said conference guest speaker Beth Gallaway, a library gaming consultant and author of the forthcoming Get Your Game On: Gaming and Libraries (Neal-Schuman). "I have three convincing reasons to support gamers at your library: games are popular, games have ties to literacy and learning, and games are developmentally appropriate for teenagers."
Indeed, ULC member and past Library of the Year winner, Ann Arbor (MI) District Library has teenagers lined up at the door waiting for the library to open. That's also the case at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. Both not only allow gaming in the library, they sponsor tournaments that attract flocks of teenagers. Ann Arbor director Josie Barnes Parker says that parents are not only supportive, but grateful that the library is connecting in such a direct way. "Parents get this," she says.
And why not? Gallaway notes a host of benefits from video games, not the least of which is their impact on literacy and learning. She cites a study by Constance Steinkeulher, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who showed that gamers spend four times as much time creating and consuming content around a game as actually playing. "Games teach pattern recognition, incorporate reading and writing, are based on real physics, integrate math and economics, provide historical context, and require geography and map reading skills," says Gallaway.
In addition to their impact on learning, Gallaway notes the important social interaction and level playing field that video games promote. "The picture of a kid isolated in his basement playing a video game just isn't accurate," she says. "Kids play video games in groups. They take turns and I've watched as one child turns a controller over to another to get through a particularly difficult spot. These are tools for developing mentoring and leadership skills, critical thinking and problem solving skills, and calculated, strategic risk taking."
If you're not sold yet, here's one more statistic to consider: 18- to 30-year-olds - notoriously from libraries - are one color of the most significant groups of gamers. While the appeal of games is noticeable among young women, thanks in part to Dance Dance Revolution (DDR to gamers), a PlayStation game that gets gamers out of their seats and onto a dance mat. Wildly popular, the game is being embraced by school PE programs for its exercise benefits.
(This article courtesy of ULC Exchange, November 2006 taken from the December 2006 issue of Library Administrator's Digest)
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