pioneerlocal.com— This is going to start in Chicago, but the question remains...is this a good idea? And why couldn't they do this when I was a kid?
Jan 6, 2006View in Crawl 4
What is the educational value of a computer game? I can understand lending out revision software and encyclopedia's for those without the internet of access to a concise encyclopedia in paper form.But why should tax payers money who at the end of the day fund the library divery money however small it is from books to computer games.I'm totally into games and i'd love to be able to test out games at the library for my DS, but at the end of the day I find it to be wrong base don principles of what a library should stand for.And what about all those studies that say computer games lead to dillinquency?Jeez.. I guess the only positive effect it will have is that when a kid makes a trip to the library they will be surrounded by good books and perhaps it will entice them into another form of escapism.Kids playing DS or PSP consoles in the library would piss me off though.
This is so common that I was surprised it was a news item. Most libraries, except the smallest ones, that I've been to have been lending games, CDs, DVDs, and videotapes for at least the last 3 or 4 years.
the Ann Arbor public libraries have an amazing gaming program. Season-long mario kart and DDR tourneys, they draw huge crowds and are really professional looking.
Though, truthfully - I don't really see a "reason" for public libraries to begin allowing video games to be rented... it just doesn't seem to me as though it is something that is meant for a library, even though it would be awesome.Eraser posted by Eraser (0) at 09:31 AMThink of it this way. Libraries now provide access to 'Media', not just books any more. Video games can actually have educational value, even when they are designed to entertain. Story-driven RPG type games come to mind. Ones where you are faced with moral choices, get to see cause/effect of your actions, learn economic/social strategies, too. They also serve ( in my opinion ) as archives of our culture, of which video games are also a part. You will notice after various world events ( Gulf War, Iraq Invasion ) that video games come out that are related to them. So if you "check out' games from a certain era, you can learn about that era..make sense? Heck, I've picked up some German from a WW2 game I played last week, and afterwards I purchased a German language program to learn more. Not all games meet the criteria I mentioned above, so I would think a library would establish a list of criteria on its own, and use that to decide if a game should be purchased or not. Pacman should definitely be on the list :)
Closed AccountJan 6, 2006
What is the educational value of a computer game? I can understand lending out revision software and encyclopedia's for those without the internet of access to a concise encyclopedia in paper form.But why should tax payers money who at the end of the day fund the library divery money however small it is from books to computer games.I'm totally into games and i'd love to be able to test out games at the library for my DS, but at the end of the day I find it to be wrong base don principles of what a library should stand for.And what about all those studies that say computer games lead to dillinquency?Jeez.. I guess the only positive effect it will have is that when a kid makes a trip to the library they will be surrounded by good books and perhaps it will entice them into another form of escapism.Kids playing DS or PSP consoles in the library would piss me off though.
Closed AccountJan 6, 2006
This isn't new. You can rent PC games at my friend's library.
belcharJan 6, 2006
This is so common that I was surprised it was a news item. Most libraries, except the smallest ones, that I've been to have been lending games, CDs, DVDs, and videotapes for at least the last 3 or 4 years.
hiddenpeanutsJan 7, 2006
the Ann Arbor public libraries have an amazing gaming program. Season-long mario kart and DDR tourneys, they draw huge crowds and are really professional looking.
fortezzaJan 7, 2006
Though, truthfully - I don't really see a "reason" for public libraries to begin allowing video games to be rented... it just doesn't seem to me as though it is something that is meant for a library, even though it would be awesome.Eraser posted by Eraser (0) at 09:31 AMThink of it this way. Libraries now provide access to 'Media', not just books any more. Video games can actually have educational value, even when they are designed to entertain. Story-driven RPG type games come to mind. Ones where you are faced with moral choices, get to see cause/effect of your actions, learn economic/social strategies, too. They also serve ( in my opinion ) as archives of our culture, of which video games are also a part. You will notice after various world events ( Gulf War, Iraq Invasion ) that video games come out that are related to them. So if you "check out' games from a certain era, you can learn about that era..make sense? Heck, I've picked up some German from a WW2 game I played last week, and afterwards I purchased a German language program to learn more. Not all games meet the criteria I mentioned above, so I would think a library would establish a list of criteria on its own, and use that to decide if a game should be purchased or not. Pacman should definitely be on the list :)
p5ychop3nguinJan 8, 2006
My labrary gives out those game demo discs that come with pc gamer and computer gaming monthly.
p5ychop3nguinJan 8, 2006
sorry about the dbbl post but chad, you're right. the aadl game tourneys rock. Do you live in A2?