Kotaku: Library

The Arcade Flyer Archive Liquidating Collection

fdemarco — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 19:00:00 MST

A few months back I mentioned that The Arcade Flyer Archive, an amazing collection of vintage and new arcade flyers, would be liquidating their collection. They've already been through one portion of the sale which we unfortunately missed out on. But never fear, there's still plenty more to be had. The flyers cover Arcade Video Games, Pinball machines and other types of arcade amusement machines. Everything you need to know about the sale including the list of available flyers, prices and shipping can be found at coinopvideogames.com. These guys have put a ton of hard work into cataloging this amazing collection so help support them by buying a few flyers. They're going cheap!

Board Games > Video Games?

fdemarco — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 10:00:00 MST

While youth centers, libraries and even some churches are implementing video games as a way to entice youngsters into their folds, some groups are taking a different gaming tact: board games. Robert Fix, the director of board games for Metro Detroit Gamers, is trying to stir up interest amongst Detroit's youth by offering board game nights at local libraries. But, can actual human interaction on a board compete with the rich, in depth worlds a video game can offer?

"They may look at it and go 'Phhht, I get more out of a video,' " Fix said. "But board games can always change; video games like Halo or Guitar Hero always have the same result. ...We're not saying there's anything wrong with video games. They can be fun, but there are some great board games out there."

Interestingly, I had a similar experience with a board game gone virtual recently. I had grabbed Carcassone when it was free on XBLA a while back and while I was staying with a friend, I got him to play with me on occasion. We wanted to include some other friends who weren't apt to pick up a game controller, so I went to the local board game store (who coincidentally refuses to carry any video game related items like Eye of Judgment cards) and picked up a boxed copy the game. I brought it back to the house and the hold it had on the various roomates was astonishing. Everyone in the house became instantly addicted and I found myself much preferring sitting down at the table and playing than using the XBLA version. It was a much more engrossing experience and I found my strategy was much sharper when faced with flesh and blood opponents.

While I'm not prepared to make the bold statement that board games are greater than video games, they certainly have their charm and for a truly social gaming experience, they can't be beat. Sitting around a table with friends and the tactile nature of the game with its tiles is an something you just don't get with video games. And on a side note, if you ever want to really hate your friends, get The Tower expansion pack. Friendship to bitter enemies in thirty minutes guaranteed.

New games come aboard [Detroit Free Press]

Library Tricks Kids Into Reading By Promising Wiis

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 17:30:06 MST

In an effort to get the kids to read books, Cape Coral, Florida libraries are bringing in Wiis, in a classic bait and switch scam that will get the youth hooked on "learning." The lure of Nintendo software will probably be more successful than clubbing them on the head and transporting them to the library via gunny sack, think local parents. "If each kid plays for 15 minutes, the rest of the kids are going to be waiting and they're going be talking. They're going to be picking up books," said a concerned parent of a four-hour-a-day gamer. These poor kids. They'll be choosing their own adventures in no time, enjoying the works of R.L. Stein and J.K. Rowling and dozens of other child-friendly, initials-only authors like a bunch of book addicts.

Library Wii's [WRCB TV]

Library Offers Halo 2 Competition, People Freak

Mark Wilson — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 12:00:08 MDT

To attract a teenage readership, an Illinois library has planned a Halo 2 competition for this weekend. Minors can come and participate as long as they've had a permission slip signed by an adult. But to the National Institute on Media and the Family, that's just not enough. President David Walsh claims:

...it borders on irresponsibility for a public library to sponsor an activity for kids as young as 12 that the industry itself has said is for adults.

And while the permission slip doesn't specify the game is rated M, how many books in that library—perfectly accessible to children—hold the same level of violence, maturity or societal subversion without any designation? Ah, nevermind. Books like that are better off banned, anyway.
Critics say 'Oh no' to Halo [via gamepolitics]

Libraries: Not Just For Books Anymore

fdemarco — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 16:00:16 MST

The Library: a bastion of books, silence, nerds, old people, the homeless and now, video games. A children's librarian once told me that the only reason kids come to the library after school anymore is to use the computers to play online games. He spends more time signing kids up for computers and making sure the kids aren't gambling than he actually helps people with books. So, I was interested to see this article on Bits, Bytes, Pixels and Sprites about how some libraries are using video games to lure people through their doors.

BBPS points to a story on The Shifted Librarian about a Louisiana Library Systems Administrator who is trying to get the Wii into his local branch.

The Lafayette Public Library System in Louisiana held a tournament using their Gamecube, but Systems Administrator Adam Melancon also brought in his own Wii to let folks play with. He's already started thinking about best practices (for example, put an "x" on the floor using tape so that people know where to stand or else they tend to move about and run into things!). Adam even has Friends of the Library money to buy two Wiis, four Wiimotes (controllers), and two copies of "Excite Truck" for the Library if he can just get his hands on them.

And so, the final downfall of the Public Library System begins. Soon they will be nothing more than a book museum where you go to play games and remember what it was like when you were still able to read something more lengthy than an instruction manual. Flynn De Marco

Wiibraries [The Shifted Librarian]

Want to Learn More about Mario Kart? Visit Your Library!

kotaku.com — Fri, 31 Mar 2006 16:40:00 MST

King County, Washington is taking the startling step of putting video games in libraries. Not to check out — we all know they'd never come back — but to actually play in the library on GameCubes, Nintendo DSes, Xboxes, and Xbox 360s. Apparently the idea is that once lured in by promises of E- to T-rated gaming pleasures, the kids might suddenly realize that they're surrounded by books and decide to read one. Also, one librarian is quoted as saying "To succeed in a game, players need to read manuals and understand the rules." Read manuals? Like open them up? Then what are the in-game tutorials for?

Video games add interactive dimension to local libraries [King County Journal]

Video Game Librarian's Year in Review

lsmith — Wed, 25 Jan 2006 14:40:14 MST

The thriving video game library we've written about before still seems to be doing pretty well according to the Librarian himself, John Scalzo. In his look back at the library's first year of stocking video games, he's pretty pleased. They ended up with 77 games, just shy if his 100 game goal for the year. The ten most circulated games are after the jump.

It's the End of the Year As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) [Gaming Target]
Video Game Library Continues to Thrive

1. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
2 (tie). Spider-Man 2
2 (tie). Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4
2 (tie). Scaler
5. Men in Black II: Alien Escape
6 (tie). Viewtiful Joe
6 (tie). Tony Hawk's Underground 2
6 (tie). Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
9 (tie). Katamari Damacy
9 (tie). Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time