Gaming in Special Libraries

Presented by Dan Hood and John Fudrow

Who We Are

• Dan Hood– Information Literacy Fellow at

Carnegie Mellon University

• John Fudrow– Soon to be Assessment Librarian at

the University of Pittsburgh

Who We Are Virtually…

Who We Are Virtually…

Public Libraries

•Marketing

3 Distinct Uses

Academic Libraries

•Teaching

Special Libraries

•Skill Building

Everyone’s a Gamer

Average Game Player Age is: 33

25% -- 50+ yrs.

44% -- 18-49 yrs.

31% -- under 18 yrs

From Entertainment Software Assocation, 2007.

How can it help?•Benefits

– Increases Productivity•An active mind is a happy mind

– Relieves Stress•Meditative States

– Builds Friendships•Community and competitive relations

MMORPG’s(Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Games)

Teamwork & Communication

through

MMORPG’s

World of Warcraft Guild Wars

10 Million Subscribers 5 Million Subscribers

MMORPG’sPros

•Teamwork•Communication•Fast paced•Team goals - task oriented

Cons

•Causes rather than relieves•Addicting - too immersive•Steep learning curve

In MMORPG’s and Squad Based Games, communication is key to completing tasks.

Communication

Those same communication skills are highly sought after traits in the business world.

Halo 2

Communication

Tabula Rasa

CommunicationPros

•Cooperation and Planning•Leaders emerge•Verbal and Emoted Signals

Cons

•Language•Embarassment

Games can provide stress relief, similar to meditation.

Stress Relief

Endless Ocean

Stress Relief

Tetris

Stress Relief

Bejeweled 2

Stress ReliefPros

•Psychomotor Rather than Cognitive•Easily Attainable Tasks•Enjoyment through process•Single or Multiplayer

Cons

•Can be Addicting•Not for Everyone

•Different Audiences

Skill Building

Games often help players develop hand/eye coordination and fine-motor skills.

Skill Building

Trauma Center

Skill BuildingPros

•Fine Motor Skill Honing•Pure Enjoyment of Training•Quick – Yet Effective

Cons

•Not All Games are Equal•Limited in Scope

References• Game Player Data- Fact Sheet, Entertainment Software Association,

http://www.theesa.com/facts/gamer_data.php (Accessed November 5, 2007

• Nardi, B. and Harris, J. 2006. Strangers and friends: collaborative play in world of warcraft. In Proceedings of the 2006 20th Anniversary Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (Banff, Alberta, Canada, November 04 - 08, 2006). CSCW '06. ACM, New York, NY, 149-158. DOI= http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1180875.1180898

• Richard Wray, Communications editor 2007. Financial: Corporate world makes haste to get in step with the virtual world: The digital universe: Business sees new ways of reaching consumers - and their own workers. The Guardian, July 14, http://www.proquest.com/ (accessed March 25, 2008).

• KAMAU HIGH 2004. How playing power drives lessons home: CORPORATE TRAINING: The fast- growing US business e-learning market is an unlikely beneficiary of gaming technology, writes Kamau High: :[LONDON 2ND EDITION]. Financial Times, September 8, http://www.proquest.com/ (accessed March 25, 2008).

• WoW is the New MUD: Social Gaming from Text to Video. Mortensen, Torill Elvira. Games and Culture, Oct 2006; vol. 1: pp. 397-413.

• Williams, D., N. Ducheneaut, L. Xiong, Y. Zhang, N. Yee, and E. Nickell (2006, October). From tree house to barracks: The social life of guilds in world of warcraft. Games and Culture 1 (4), 338-361.