1. Information Resource Officer
Games in Libraries
Laura Kaspari Hohmann
Information Resource Officer
US Embassy Rome 1

2. A profile of today’s kids & their gaming habits*
*The Pew Internet & American Life project survey on Teens, Video Games and Civics

3. 97% of teens play games (computer, web, portable, or console)‏
50% played a game yesterday
48% use a cell phone or handheld device to play games 3

4. 80% of teens play 5 or more different game genres
Girls play an average of 6 different genres
Boys play an average of 8 different genres 4

5. “Social game play is thought to offer the possibility for youth to have collaborative and interactive experiences, experiences that potentially parallel may real-world political and civic activities.” . 5

6. --Seth Priebatsch, founder of SCVNGR
“The last decade was about the social Web. This next decade is the decade of games.”
--Seth Priebatsch, founder of SCVNGR 6

7. 7

8. Consider…. We spend 3 billion hours a week as a planet playing games
There are 183 million active gamers in the USA.
There are 100 million active gamers in Europe
5 million Americans spend 40 hours a week or more playing games.
From Jane McGonigle’s book…
Games are doing a better job of provoking powerful positive feelings of curiosity, optimism, and motivation, while also strengthening social relationships in real life. 8

9. Think games are just for kids?
McGonigle…
Think games are just for kids?
The average young person will spend 10,000 hours playing games by the time they’re 21 – as many hours as they’ll spend in the class room. 9

10. Think games are just for kids?

11. 40 % of all gamers are women 1 out of 4 gamers is over the age of 50
The average game player is 35 years old and has been playing for 12 years.
Most gamers expect to continue playing games for the rest of their lives.
Some facts about adult gamers 11

12. Why use games in libraries?
To bridge generational differences
To teach literacy skills
To encourage active engagement
Help gamers feel connected to the library 12

13. “It’s inevitable: soon we will all be gamers.” – Rob Fahey, 200813

14. Games in the Library
Games in the Library 14

15. 15

17. The Connection Between Gaming and Literacy17

18. Why use games to teach information literacy skills?18

19. games are fun & highly interactive games are cognitively engaging
games motivating & challenging . 19

20. games help students to make and sustain the effort of learning
games are a welcome break from traditional library instruction (or classroom) activities
games help students to make and sustain the effort of learning
games enhance problem solving skills 20

21. Gaming teaches:
-information literacy skills -reading -keyboarding -social skills -eye hand coordination -multitasking skills 21

22. Gaming teaches 21st Century Literacies:
Visual Literacy
Media Literacy
Programming Literacy
Science Literacy
Technology Literacy 22

23. Information Literacy Standards Applied to Board Games23

24. for the 21st Century Learner
AASL Standards
for the 21st Century Learner .

25. AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner
Applying the standards to board games 25

26. AASL Standard 1
AASL Standard 1
Inquire, think critically, and gain knowledge.

27. AASL Standard 2
Draw conclusions, make informed decisions, apply knowledge to new situations, and create new knowledge.

28. AASL Standard 3
Share knowledge and participate ethically and productively as members of our democratic society.

29. AASL Standard 4 Pursue personal and aesthetic growth.

30. Guidelines for Developing a Games Collection
Select games that are authentic and fun
Factor in time it takes to play the game
Consider return on investment

31. For School Libraries
Align games with state/provincial/national curriculum standards
Describe games as instructional tools that can be used to boost student achievement

32. 32

33. Case Study: World of Warcraft
Association of College & Research Libraries Information Literacy Standards Applied to Games
Case Study: World of Warcraft 33

34. 34

35. WoW & ACRL Information Literacy Standards
ACRL Standard 1: Determines the nature and extent of the information needed
WoW: Player has a goal, but needs to figure out how to get there and get to the next level. 35

36. WoW & ACRL Information Literacy Standards
Standard 2: Accesses needed information effectively and efficiently
WoW: Players must figure out where the necessary tools are. If they don’t get them, they run out of energy or supplies. 36

37. WoW & ACRL Information Literacy Standards
Standard 3: Evaluates information and its sources critically and incorporates selected information into his or her knowledge base and value system
WoW: If you don’t evaluate a source’s validity, you may die or be slowed down in your quest. 37

38. WoW & ACRL Information Literacy Standards
Standard 4: Uses information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose (individually or as a part of a group)
WoW: Teams of people play together and must work together to figure out their goals and how to best reach them. 38

39. WoW & ACRL Information Literacy Standards
Standard 5: understands many of the economic, legal, and social issues surrounding the use of information and accesses and uses information ethically and legally
WoW? 39

40. 40

41. Game Creation/Game Design workshops in libraries41

42. Why Game Design? Constructivism: Learners create their own knowledge
Constructionism: New ideas developed when an external artifact is created and shared
Benefit: Long-term retention 42

43. Why in Libraries? All the benefits of playing games
Bring in people, engage them with each other and library resources/staff
Artifacts of Creativity
Motivation to learn and explore
Diverse groups engaging deeply
Literacy (digital, traditional, gaming)‏

44. 44

45. 45

46. Resources
American Library Association’s Games & Gaming Resources e=Main_Page
The Librarian's Guide to Gaming: An Online Toolkit for Building Gaming at your library 46

47. Additional Resources
American Association of School Librarians Standards for the 21st Century Learners elinesandstandards/learningstandards/sta ndards.cfm
ACRL Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education dards/informationliteracycompetency.cfm
Meet the New School Board. Harris, Christopher. School Library Journal; May2009, Vol. 55 Issue 5, p24-26

48. Resources for Board Games
Games for Educators
Board Game Geek

49. Thank you for coming today! hohmannlk@state.gov
Questions?
Thank you for coming today! 49