Download - Gaming In Libraries March2009
Gaming & Libraries
Sonja P. Morgan, LibrarianComputers In Libraries 2009
LON
G A
GO
AN
D FA
R A
WAY…
PAPER
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OLLS
We cut them out, talked about them to others, played alone and in small groups and probably remember them fondly.
"Online gaming is a technology rather than a genre; a mechanism for connecting players together rather than a particular pattern of gameplay." An online game is a game played over some forms of computer network.
At the present, this almost always means the Internet or equivalent technology; but games have always used whatever technology was current.”
~Wikipediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_gaming
TO
DAY…
TH
E D
OLL PA
LAC
E Create dolls, share stories, play…
The Doll Palace: where cartoon dolls live
•43,059,353 dolls made so far
•3,312,278 user accounts
•Membership is free but a premium account costs
TH
E D
OLL PA
LAC
E Our library created a presence in the Doll Palace in 2007. The original intent was to engage patrons and staff on an online social network and to reach a population of patrons that we did not feel we were serving.
What do kids do in the Doll Palace?
•Chat with friends•Trade dolls and cards•Write & share stories, poems, jokes, journal•Join clubs or groups•Add friends•Play dress up & games•Add their favorite songs•Discuss books•Seek homework help
The Doll Palace Library Page• Librarians play a role in encouraging users to write• Book reviews and suggestions shared with users• It is reader’s advisory & outreach• Connecting patrons globally and to each other• Learning what patrons want to read• Young adults volunteer for the library• Live chat reference
• Members add friends to chat, share files, upload pictures, create dolls, add “diary” entries (blog), can search databases, and email
Webkinz Have Online Tournaments & Games And…
Webkinz Foundation—Charitable Giving Trading Cards—Collections
Stores—Collaborate With Local StoresStuffed animals—Another Collection
Webkinz Night at the Library
Trading Cards
Nintendo Wii & Playstation Portable
Whyville…
Inside Whyville
Whyville
• Members create avatar• Established in 1999
• Play games• Buy objects
•Interact with each other—Social Network
“We have to meet our users where they are with the tools they can [use] and are comfortable using.” ~Anonymous
Pirates of the Caribbean
Considerations:• Software development causes
hardware to be obsolete very quickly
•Limited library resources—time limits restrict user experience
•Not all users in the community believe gaming is a worthwhile use of library.
•Costs
References
Webkinz World by Ganzhttp://www.webkinz.com/us_en/
The Doll Palacehttp://www.thedollpalace.com/
Sonja Plummer-Morgan, MLISMark & Emily Turner Memorial Library39 Second StreetPresque Isle, Maine 04769(207) 764-2571www.presqueisle.lib.me.ussonjaplummer@presqueisle.lib.me.us
Presentation available by email or on Slideshare
Whyvillehttp://www.whyville.net/smmk/nice