12. Questions? Harris, Amy, and Scott E. Rice. Gaming in Academic Libraries: Collections, Marketing, and Information Literacy . Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, 2008.
13. Quarantined: Axl Wise and the Information Outbreak http://gaming.techsource.ala.org/images/e/ec/Quarantined_techsource.pdf Blood on the Stacks at Trinity http:// www.trinity.edu/jdonald/bloodonthestacks.html Bioactive http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/games/bioactive/aboutus.html Library Arcade http://www.library.cmu.edu/Libraries/etc/index.html Benevolent Blue http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/00907320810920342 Orange County Library System http:// www.ocls.info/Virtual/Galleries/Events/gaming.asp?bhcp =1 Library Game Links
14. Library Game Blogs Library Games http://librarygames.blogspot.com/ LibGaming http://libgaming.blogspot.com/ Research Quest http://researchquest.blogspot.com/ ALA Techsource http://gaming.techsource.ala.org/
15. Resources & Game Info Entertainment Software Association http://www.theesa.com/ Gaming Bibliography http://www.refworks.com/refshare?site=045671184310000000/RWWS6A1113260/gaming%20in%20libraries Worldcat.org List http://www.worldcat.org/profiles/johnfudrow/lists/42713 History of Video Gaming http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_video_games
Editor's Notes
Introduction.
http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~mbolin/f-smith.htm Notre Dame Several text based concepts mimic paper games while making them available online. They are effective activities but are limited in their immersion abilities. Games are successful when the player believes they are a part of the story and they have something invested in finishing the game. Simple word games are fun diversions but may leave the younger students bored with their simplicity.
Going back to the evolution of analog to digital, this concept mimics an actual board game for info lit instruction as a online game. This transition was rather successful but begged to be drawn out further. The limitations here are that the questions are merely closed ended questions for points. How does the user learn how to apply this knowledge in the library itself.
From paper to narrative some libraries have used images and words to guide the players into something akin to interactive tutorials. This type of game integrates library research activities with an interesting and engaging mystery storyline. http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/games/bioactive/aboutus.html
http:// www.trinity.edu/jdonald/bloodonthestacks.html Trinity University This is a multimedia spatial mystery that is more about outreach and library locations than information literacy. Though it is quite elaborate the concept could involve info lit aspects if so deisred. http://www.trinity.edu/jdonald/bloodonthestacks.html
Quarantined developed a in-depth role playing game that utilized library resources to solve a mystery. The player must search the catalog and decide what resources are viable as clues. This method gets closer to simulating decision making problems but requires a longer time for play than many other games. Would the investment in time be made by the player?
Orange County Library System http://www.ocls.info/Virtual/Galleries/Events/gaming.asp?bhcp=1
http:// www.moddb.com/mods/benevolent -blue University of Calgary This mod of Half Life 2 set to make use of video game design technology in order to create a virtual space for new students. They recreated their library, in a very detailed manner, and allowed users to explore at their own pace. It is still in development.
Some games have been developed to aid in IL instruction. Originally designed to be mini-games in a larger narrative, the 2 Library Arcade Games utilized fast gameplay and simple actions to find some modicum of success. The main problem for the developers was finding a means of assessing whether the player was actually grasping the concepts or just playing to beat their last score. Though they were extensible in nature, the issue of scoring correct answers was never fully completed. Further still, the librarians wanted to provide more instruction upon the player choosing a less than desirable resource, but to do so would interrupt the time based scoring and further detract from the “quick and easy” play style. Currently they are being translated into Arabic for a Middle Eastern release.
There are many ways that games can be used to reach out or teach, but the success lies in melding your expectations with the capabilities of gaming. At its core gaming isn’t primarily about teaching. The first video games were side projects designed by scientists. Though games become even closer to art or fully developed interactive cinema, the ability of libraries to use them to teach becomes even more challenging.
Whatever the game design you choose, there are countless questions that face the design team. Each aspect also translates in some degree to any technology based initiative for education.
