Contact Info: ggmontan@syr.edu
You may think that games are only a pleasurable way to pass
the time with no deeper value. Sure, you
can have great family fun or get bragging rights but other than that games do
not add anything to your life. I used to
think this way too. I was wrong and let
me explain to you why.
My brother is a hardcore gamer. He is so hardcore and good at games, video
games in particular, that he was exuberantly happy when he killed 1,000,000
zombies on Mob of the Dead Black Ops 2. Yes, that is right, ONE MILLION zombies. At the time I stuck my nose up at my brother. I thought to myself, “Wow what a waste of
time. I just finished an entire book while he just sat in front of the
TV.” Then, I logged online to complete a
module for my Storytelling course offered by Syracuse University. The topic of the module was storytelling
though gaming. The guest lecture was
Scott Nicolson who is a professor at the iSchool at Syracuse. He explained that games have a very
particular way of storytelling that involves two simultaneous stories happening
at the same time. The video game
developers have to make an interesting storyline following the typical literary
hero’s journey while at the same time making sure the player’s journey is
equally as compelling and interesting.
The player’s journey is the experience the actual “real life” person is
taking as he or she interacts throughout the game. (Marilyn Arnone, 2013)[1] I had never seen video games in this
light. I had never considered the
creative storytelling aspect needed for a successful game before. I had always thought that my brother was
wasting his time because he was not really doing anything. In reality he is so much more involved with
the story in his game than I am with the story in my book. He is critically thinking about how to
successfully beat a level and he is socializing with people online. He is following a storyline just as I do when
I read a book but he is taking it one step further and going on his own
personal journey.
The EUREKA moments involving games do not stop there. My father is so heavily involved with Fantasy
Football that he has his own league. I
personally love fantasy football because I love the NFL and I love the Dallas
Cowboys. However, I have always thought
it was just a fun way to have a personal experience with my favorite football
players. Again, I was wrong. Doing a little digging on gaming in libraries
I found that some academic libraries use fantasy football as a way to get young
people into their libraries. The genius
of this idea amazes me. The Association
of College and Research Libraries has a set of standards that determine if
someone is competent in information literacy.
This is just a fancy way of saying they set up a way to determine if
someone understands the information they need, how to find it, how to evaluate
it, and how to apply it properly. (ACRL Website. 2013)[2] According to Paul Waelchli, Fantasy Football
meets four out of the five requirements set up by the ACRL. He points out that to have a good fantasy
football team a person needs to apply information literacy skills every
week. For example, he says that a
fantasy football player needs to apply the information they evaluated to pick a
good player for their line up for the upcoming game. This necessary step in
Fantasy Football meets the requirement of using the information they have found
for an effective purpose (Paul Waelchli , 2009)[3]. Librarians are using Fantasy football as a
tool to teach and bring in young people, especially on college campuses.
Both of these examples have changed the way I have come to
understand gaming and its value. I now
see that playing a game has a deeper level than just pure fun. The fun is important and the main reason why
someone starts to play. However, both
examples show that games can be seen from different angles where more value and
learning outcomes can arise. The
storytelling aspect of a game shows the literary link that elevates a simple
video game up to a hero’s epic journey. The
added aspect of the player’s journey and how he or she changes because of the interaction
with the game is an interesting benefit that is specific to games. Fantasy football uses highly educated skills
that need to be applied in order to be successful and win. The strategy and level of skill required to
succeed in a Fantasy Football league really show the value of information
literacy. The connection between the two
is a wonderful opportunity for librarians to use to teach important skills that
some may consider dull.
These are just two examples of how games are more than what
they seem. Games can add real value and
depth when they are thought about on a deeper level. I will certainly be thinking about these
topics next time I pick up Phase 10 or any other fun game on family night.
P.S. To see more ideas on games in the library check out:
[1]
Marilyn Arnone (2013, June 4). Gamingstorytelling
Broadband. Retrieved July 17, 2013. From http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOFbK7f8N7s&feature=player_embedded
[2]
ACRL Website. (2013). Retrieved July 17, 2013. (http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency)
[3]
Waelchli, Paul. (2009) Gateway to Learning. St.Norbert
College Magazine Online Retrieved July 17, 2013, from http://www.snc.edu/communications/magazine/2009v41n3/waelchliexcerpt.html
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