Online
games: a look at user-led digital materials and emerging technologies
in the library.
At pretty much any library I have
worked at kids come in regularly to the library (goals, right?) and
use the free computers to play games. For librarians, according
to Spatariu "it is important to understand that new media
technologies such as online gaming, texting, and social networking
are a central part of young children and young adults’ life"
(Spatariu et all, 2012, p. 28) and I agree.
So for the best professional
development exercise I have ever done I roped my brother and teenage
nephew in to help me learn how to play a popular online multiplayer
game called Stardew Valley (Stardew
Valley, n.d.). This game is recommended for ages 10+.
What did I
learn?
I learnt the content of the game!
It is a slow-paced cooperative game where you can get some land near
a sweet little village and grow a farm with friends. You can go
fishing lots (one of my favourite things to do!) and have 'quests' to
work on. If you feel like a bit of 'hack and slash' in
the gentlest possible way you can go down the mines and collect
slimes.
I also learnt about major online gaming
communities out there that kids and adults are now using to access
games, like Tabletopia (Tabletopia,
n.d.), GOG (GOG, n.d.) and Steam
(Steam, n.d.).
One big deal for me was learning how to
operate a headset for communicating with team mates.
This can be done through online gaming-specific audio chatrooms like
Discord (Discord, n.d.) which I
also learnt how to use for the game. Now I will be able to help kids
connect to headsets to control sound in the library.
How was me
playing a game relevent to my professional practice working with
children and youth?
This will help me relate to kids in the
library when they talk about games. I also now have some
sort of understanding how to set it up for them if they need help.
"Most public libraries have recreational music and movies as
popular forms of media. Gaming stands alongside movies and music as a
popular form of recreation, so it follows that libraries supporting
recreational media should also support games and gaming."
(Nicholson, 2013, p. 341) I am lucky to work in a large library where
there are PCs in the children's area and games and some sort of noise
are allowed.
After playing the game it has also
given me ideas for future CYA programming. I see kids in
the library playing online games, often getting tutted for being on
computers when adults could be doing "important STUFF".
Maybe in the future public libraries could consider getting
access to particular games and headsets and have dedicated sessions
for popular games like Stardew Valley in a dedicated space for our
youth where no tutting is allowed!
What gaps in
my knowledge were revealed and how might I fill those gaps?
I
have watched from a distance the way that online gaming has
transformed over the years but as a library officer I admit I had
also became uncomfortable that I didn't understand the technology
being used so much by our youth. There was no way I could help
them with any troubleshooting if they asked, which has led me to
learn how to game again!
Reference list
Discord. (n.d.). https://discordapp.com/
GOG. (n.d.). https://www.gog.com/
Nicholson, S. (2013). Playing in the past: A history of games, toys, and puzzles in North Americal libraries. The Library Quarterly, 83(4), pp. 341-361. Retrieved from http://scottnicholson.com/pubs/playinginthepast.pdf
Steam. (n.d.). https://store.steampowered.com/
Spatariu, A., Peach, A., & Bell, S. (2012). Enculturation of young children and technology. In S. Blake, D.L. Winsor, & L. Allen (Eds.), Technology and young children: bridging the communication-generation gap. (pp. 24-28). IGI Global InfoSci-Books. doi: 10.4018/978-1-61350-059-0.ch002
Tabletopia. (n.d.). https://tabletopia.com/
Discord. (n.d.). https://discordapp.com/
GOG. (n.d.). https://www.gog.com/
Nicholson, S. (2013). Playing in the past: A history of games, toys, and puzzles in North Americal libraries. The Library Quarterly, 83(4), pp. 341-361. Retrieved from http://scottnicholson.com/pubs/playinginthepast.pdf
Steam. (n.d.). https://store.steampowered.com/
Spatariu, A., Peach, A., & Bell, S. (2012). Enculturation of young children and technology. In S. Blake, D.L. Winsor, & L. Allen (Eds.), Technology and young children: bridging the communication-generation gap. (pp. 24-28). IGI Global InfoSci-Books. doi: 10.4018/978-1-61350-059-0.ch002
Tabletopia. (n.d.). https://tabletopia.com/
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