Course:LIBR559B/Games & game culture

Discussion Topics

Games and gaming culture is huge, huge topic. We've decided to focus on a few ways that gaming intersects with larger contexts - home, school and libraries. To this end, we've chosen a few readings that explore these contexts in more depth. Most are quite short (2-3 pages!) and others have sections that are more relevant than others, which we've tried to point out.

Gaming and Libraries

While reading the following articles, you might want to consider:

• How you feel about the idea that gaming is another form of literacy that libraries should promote
• How you would implement this in a physical space
• Whether play is no longer play if it is required - and where do libraries fit in this idea

• ALSC Children and Technology Committee. (2009). "Going for Games: What Libraries, and Kids, Can Learn About Gaming". Children and Libraries.
• Neiburger, E. (2007). "Games... in the Library?". School Library Journal.
• Finish Your Games So You Can Start Your Schoolwork: A look at gaming in school libraries (Scott Nicholson)

More links to current studies are available at The Librarian's Guide to Gaming

Gaming and Schools

The following (short) article is a summary of the author's book. It makes the interesting argument that its not enough just to put video games in schools, we need to make school more like video games:

• Gee, P. (2003). What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy. Computers in Entertainment, 1(1).

This article is getting a bit farther away from just gaming, but for anyone who is really interested in how games can/should be implemented in schools, this takes an important next step:

• Owston, R., Wideman, H., Ronda, N.S. & Brown, C. "Computer game development as a literacy activity". Computers in Education. 53.

Gaming and Home

This national study found the prevalence of pathological gaming to be 8.5% of gamers. It details the difference between "pathological" and "high use" gaming:

• Gentile, D. "Pathological Video-Game Use Among Youth Ages 8 to 18". Psychological Science, 20(5).

This article offers perspectives on the motivations and practices surrounding intergenerational gaming:

• Fields, D. & Kafai, Y. "Knowing and Throwing Mudballs, Hearts, Pies, and Flowers: A Connective Ethnography of Gaming Practices". Games and Culture, 5(1).