Dan HoodInformation Literacy Fellow
LOEX of the West 2008
Las Vegas, NV
Carnegie Mellon University Libraries
"..don't use force in training the children in the subjects, but rather games.”
Plato, The Republic (421 BCE)
Project Overview
Why Games
Play!
Why Games?
Public Libraries
•Marketing
Academic Libraries
•Teaching
2 Distinct Uses
Other Library Gaming Projects
University of Calgary•Hardplay (Future)
Arizona State•Quarantined
UNC Greensboro•The Information Literacy Game
Everyone’s a Gamer
Average Game Player Age is: 33
25% -- 50+ yrs.
44% -- 18-49 yrs.
31% -- under 18 yrs
From Entertainment Software Assocation, 2007.
Is This Our Audience?
Why (not) Edu-gaming? • Cons
– Integration– Traditional assessment is boring– Development tools– The "Lame Factor“
• Pros– Learning = Fun?!– No consequence for failure– Master skills in demand by today’s
employers– Games offer attributes important for
learning
Gaming & Culture
•History
•Progress
•New Audiences
As Easy as Pong
World of Information
Virtually Physical
Mental Health
http://media.ds.ign.com/media/899/899492/img_4819084.html
http://media.ds.ign.com/media/740/740437/img_3448533.html
Arcade @ Home
What About the Web?
The Library Arcade Project
The Grant
•$50,000•“to develop and promote engaging, web-based information literacy tutorials for students throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania and beyond”•Build on momentum from Eden Hall $168,000 grant
•Stipulations•Must be an Outreach Component
•Open Source/Customizable/Easily Modded
The Team
• Librarians• Biomedical, Chemical, Materials
Engineering• Software Engineering• Information Literacy
• ETC Faculty Advisor• ETC Students
• Computer Science• Electronics/Communication• Fine Art• Psychology• Journalism
ETC
• Entertainment Technologies Center• Masters of Entertainment
Technology, 2 year degree
• Semester-long project• Team is design firm
March 2006 to Present
Project Timeline
[Phase 1] Decide to make games/team forms
(March 2006 ~ August 2006)
[Phase 2] Design and Production of Games
(September 2006 ~ February 2007)
[Phase 3] Testing and Marketing Begins
(March 2007 ~ August 2007)
User Testing & Feedback
•In Library and Student Union
•Assessment
•Survey Monkey
Game One
Game Two
Game Three
Game Four
Problems
•Library Centricity!
•Working with an inexperienced team
•META Problem – ACRL Standards
•Bandwidth…have some on hand
Future Directions
•Get more $$$
•Complete games 3 & 4
•Track players’ progress
•Add storyline (wrapper)
•Create a new team
•Marketing plan
Recommendations
•Overestimate budget
•Overestimate time investment
•Have a champion (project manager, leader)
•If outsourcing, be strict with designers
•Learn Flash?!
Our Sites
Library Arcade www.library.cmu.edu/Libraries/
etc •Play the games
•Learn about the developers
•Take the survey
Planning Blogcmlibrarygaming.wordpress.com/
•Find references on gaming
•See the survey results
•Share your research on gaming
U Haz Questions?
References• Game Player Data- Fact Sheet, Entertainment Software Association,
http://www.theesa.com/facts/gamer_data.php (Accessed November 5, 2007).
• UNC Greensboro, The Information Literacy Game (2004).• Arizona State, Quarantined (2005).• University of Calgary, Hardplay (2007).• Pong Screenshot, http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f8/Pong.png ,
(2007).• Pokemon Trading Card image taken from Ebay sale reference,
http://mollybol.50megs.com/Mollyweb/Book/Diary%20Pics/pokthur.JPG , (2007).
• Big Brain Academy Screenshot, IGN.com, http://wiimedia.ign.com/wii/image/article/795/795126/big-brain-academy-wii-degree-20070608011557637.jpg , (Accessed 11/05/2007).
• Flash Focus Screenshot, IGN.com, http://media.ds.ign.com/media/899/899492/img_4819084.html , (Accessed November 5, 2007).
• Brain Age Screenshot, IGN.com, http://media.ds.ign.com/media/740/740437/img_3448533.html , (Accessed November 5, 2007).
• All other images taken from their respective Wikipedia.com entries