"The case for video games in libraries" by Suellen S. Adams

Suellen starts off the introduction to her article by pointing out that some "educators and academics [believe] that perhaps video games are too trivial a pursuit to bring into the library" ... Amusing wordplay aside, these detractors should be reminded that books of fiction were once thought to be "too trivial" to include in library collections as well ("Facts only, libraries are just for research!").

In my opinion, this is simply another case of people dismissing something because they do not truly understand it (which is illustrated nicely by Suellen's quote from Squires that "games have come to typify the essentially subversive side of computing [emphasis mine]") ... A large amount of mistrust has been built up amongst the "older" generations - which includes several academics and librarians - when it comes to video games, because they don't take the time to explore this "world" that younger people find so easy to delve into; there was a point in time when older people didn't like/understand rock and roll music or comic books either, so they attempted to demonize such things for no other reason than the fact that it was something that young people enjoyed (they "got" it) and they didn't.

That's why it's important for those within the profession (such as through classes like LSC597!) to become educated about the benefits of programs like gaming in libraries, and not just base their opinions on the medium solely through some slander piece they saw on FOX News about violent video games ... Video games hold many possiblities and tackle many genres, just like television and motion pictures; some might be appropriate for teaching patrons information literacy skills, some might not be, but that doesn't mean that the entire industry should be ignored and cast aside as a result (imagine a library refusing to stock any movie DVDs because of one title - let's say one of the "Saw" films - that they chose to represent the entire medium!).

In fact, as Suellen points out, an unwillingness to accept video games into libraries is misguided because they have already been implementing "games" within their outreach programs/collection development for years now (the only difference being a move into the "digital" realm) ... She mentions storytelling as an example of "emphatic identification with the protagonist of the story," something that the interactive nature of gaming also offers to its users; this reminds me of Scott Nicholson's 2008 article "Reframing gaming", where he argues that gaming in the library could serve as a type of "storytime for the rest of us," not just for the very young ("Having a variety of gaming activities can draw interest from not only the teens who are drawn to video games but also the adults and seniors who may be interested in other forms of gaming").

Also, Suellen makes the observation that "libraries have hosted a variety of game-related programs in the past [such as] chess clubs, board games and pencil and paper role-playing groups"; again, it is only because video games carry a (largely unfair) negative stigma with certain individuals that they are treated as somehow separate and "different" from these types of activities ... Once again, this is a subject that Scott Nicholson also addresses, and - if anyone is interested in further educating themselves about this subject - I highly recommend that you check out his series of videos about gaming in libraries via YouTube.