Rochester College

Ennis & Nancy Ham Library

presents:

GAME ON!

Greetings, and welcome to the official web page of Game On!, the Ennis & Nancy Ham Library's video game and tournament event !

WARP ZONE:

• Why video games in the library?
• What inspired Ham Library's video game nights?
• Who are the tournament champions?
• When is the next event?
• Which games will be available at the next event?
• How can I participate in the next event?
• Where did you get your information?
• Credits!
• Facebook
• Blogger

WHY VIDEO GAMES IN THE LIBRARY?

STEREOTYPES

It seems like an odd fit, doesn't it?

We all know the stereotypical image of a librarian: a middle-aged woman with thick glasses, a cardigan sweater, her hair tied tightly in a bun, and her index finger firmly pressed against her lips in a "SHUSH!" position.

Similarly, the popular image of a video game player is just as stereotypical: a gangly, pimple-faced teenaged boy, born with a game controller in both hands, his eyes glazed over from staring at the TV screen, and afraid to venture out of his parents' basement into the real world.

REALITY

The bottom line is that neither librarians nor gamers are as monolithic as the news and media portray them.  Librarians love to have fun just as much as their clients do.  The Ham Library staff enjoys hobbies as diverse as reading, music, art, sports, travel, cooking, writing, collectibles, church activities, and, yes, gaming.

The days are long passed since the time that libraries were thought of as warehouses of books.  Today, our profession is geared toward service, rather than storage; people, rather than products; what we can do, rather than what we have on hand.

Likewise, gamers come from all demographics.  36.5 percent of adults in the United States have a video game console in their home.  Many of them had played Pac-Man in the arcades in 1980, or rode the Nintendo wave in the mid to late 1980s.  Of the adult gamers in the United States, 66 percent of them have children who have grown to be second- and third-generation gamers.  Even senior citizens enjoy gaming.  The popularity of World War II first-person shooter (FPS) games draws the attention of veterans.  Nintendo's revolutionary Wii console includes a sports game that allows seniors, who can no longer lift a twelve-pound bowling ball, to participate in their favorite sport with ease.  The latest advent of the Wii has been in physical rehabilitation; therapists are implementing Wii Sports into their patients' routines to improve movement, strength, and confidence, all while having fun.

Gaming is no longer a solitary activity.  Multiplayer online gaming allows gamers to work together to accomplish their objectives, thereby building communication, leadership, and teamwork skills on a grand scale and undermining the misconception that gamers lack in social skills.  The world wide web has been instrumental in helping bridge the gaps between gamers of many various generations, social classes, geographic borders, and languages.

GAMERS AND THEIR INFORMATION NEEDS

Gamers are consumers, too, and libraries will need to cater to their unique information needs.  Video games form a substantial portion of the revenue generated in the entertainment industry.  NPD Group sites that video game sales in the year 2006 reached a record of $13.5 billion in the United States, up 18% over 2005.  When compared to book sales, which ranked over $10 billion in 2006, the gaming industry is a force to be reckoned with.  Libraries cannot and should not be wary of all "new" forms of media.  Beyond books, we have embraced newspapers, magazines, film, record albums, microforms, audio and video cassettes, compact discs, software, and DVDs.  Some libraries have even started game collections, such as the Undergraduate Library at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

THE FUTURE

Does the future have a place for gaming at most public and academic libraries?  With technology changing rapidly, who can say?  Although the Ham Library does not have a video game collection at this time, we feel that we can embrace a technology that has been in existence since Pong first debuted in 1972, and has spawned generations of avid fans.  Breaking barriers is what libraries are all about, so we hope that you consider our game nights a giant leap toward meeting the needs of you, our Rochester College community, and cementing lasting relationships for lifelong learning and entertainment.

WHAT INSPIRED HAM LIBRARY'S VIDEO GAME NIGHTS?

Here are some of our inspirations for Game On!

PEOPLE:

Eli Neiburger

Eli is the Information Technology Manager at Ann Arbor District Library.  An avid gamer since the days of the Atari 2600, Eli has merged his passion and his profession with dramatic success.  Throughout the year, he serves as host and master of ceremonies at AADL's game tournaments.  Eli also presents seminars on gaming culture and tournaments.  The program is designed to teach librarians how to plan, promote, and host game tournaments.  His first book, Gamers... In the Library?!: The Why, What, and How of Videogame Tournaments for All Ages was published in July, 2007, by the American Library Association.

Eli's tournaments include a huge projector screen, multiple televisions and game consoles, food, and prizes.  Featured games include Super Smash Bros. Melee, Mario Kart Double Dash, Pokemon, Guitar Hero, and Dance-Dance Revolution.  The tournaments are so popular that college students come from far and wide to audition for the coveted position of color commentator.  Ann Arbor's public access cable television station films the tournaments and broadcasts them.

PLACES:

The Museum of Science and Industry

Located in Chicago, Illinois, the Museum of Science and Industry presented GAME ON, an exhibit displaying the history and culture of video games.  In the summer of 2005, visitors ranging from avid gamers to curious tourists got a chance to see and play numerous games.  The featured games included early gems, such as Pong and Space Invaders, and progressed through the decades, culminating with today's rhythm and music games, such as Donkey Konga and DDR, as a precursor to the future of gaming.  There were also displays about the impact of gaming on marketing and industry.  Video games have been used to promote such products as clothing, books, action figures, breakfast cereals, and Saturday morning cartoons.

One of the museum's visitors that summer was Rochester College's own Brian Angell.  He loved the exhibit so much that he has adopted its name for our campus' game nights.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Wake Forest University: Z. Smith Reynolds Library

These universities regularly host game events and tournaments. Lynn Sutton and H. David "Giz" Womack from Wake Forest published an article about their game nights in College & Research Libraries News.

THINGS:

The various video games that we have enjoyed over the last 35 years.  This list is hardly exhaustive, but consider it the highlights.

Pong	Space Invaders	Pac-Man	Donkey Kong
Super Mario Bros.	The Legend of Zelda	Contra	Metroid
Mega-Man	Punch-Out	Dragon Warrior	Final Fantasy
Tetris	SimCity	Mario Kart	Street Fighter
Crash Bandicoot	Super Smash Bros.	Dance-Dance Revolution	Madden NFL
Halo	X-Men: Legends	Guitar Hero	Wii Sports

WHO ARE THE TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS?

REVENGE of GAME ON!

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

September 5, 2008

CHAMPION: DAVID VENET

RUNNER-UP: Nick Timmer

THIRD PLACE: Alex Venet

Other tournament participants

GAME ON: BACK WITH A VENGEANCE!

DDR MAX 2

January 25, 2008

Entry-Level Tournament

CHAMPION: SANDY ANGELL

RUNNER-UP: Ken Boke

THIRD PLACE: Josh Woollard

Advanced Tournament

CHAMPION: NICK TIMMER

RUNNER-UP: Christian Eaves

THIRD PLACE: Tim Storm

Other tournament participants

GAME ON STRIKES BACK!

Guitar Hero II

September 7, 2007

Beginner's Tournament

CHAMPION: KENNETH COX

RUNNER-UP: Sarah Armes

Advanced Tournament

CHAMPION: ELIOTT KING

RUNNER-UP: Christian Eaves

Six-String Superstar

Serena Conrad

Dwayne Dalton

Other tournament participants

GAME ON: PART DEUX!

Super Smash Bros. Melee

February 16, 2007

CHAMPION: ERIC PHIFER

RUNNER-UP: Derek Williams

THIRD PLACE: Cam Cohu

Other tournament participants

GAME ON!

Mario Kart Double-Dash

September 8, 2006

CHAMPION: WAYNE BEASON

RUNNER-UP: Keri Rayment

THIRD PLACE (tie): Dwayne Dalton/Phil Travis

Other tournament participants

WHEN IS THE NEXT EVENT?

GAME ON Rocks the World!

January 23, 2009

7:00 - 11:00 PM

Tournament game: Guitar Hero III (PS2)

Tournament details and rules coming soon...

WHICH GAMES WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE NEXT EVENT?

More titles to come...

Remember: You can bring your own consoles and games for additional play!

HOW CAN I PARTICIPATE IN THE NEXT EVENT?

Game On! is open to the entire Rochester College community, as well as family and friends.

BLOG

The GAME ON blog is located on Blogger. If you would like to contribute your opinions about how to make GAME ON even better, be sure to stop by. We'd love to hear from you.

TOURNAMENT REGISTRATION

If you are just coming for the fun of it, and are NOT interested in competing in the tournament:

• Just come on up to the library!
• There is no need to register just to come.
• Just sign the attendance sheet upon arrival.

If you ARE going to compete in the tournament, then registration is REQUIRED!

There are four ways to register for the tournament.

1. Come to the Ham Library (second floor) and register at the circulation desk.
2. Call the Ham Library at (248) 218-2260 during business hours (listed on our website at http://www.rc.edu/lib/lib_info.php). Ask for Brian.
3. Email Brian with your name, telephone number, and email address.
4. RSVP on Facebook. Game On! is listed on the right-hand side of the page under Events.

CONTRIBUTIONS

There is NO cost to attend!

Game On! would not be possible without the help of our dedicated students and staff members who have helped by contributing games, consoles, controllers, televisions, projectors, screens, speakers, food, beverages, prizes, and their time.

If you would like to volunteer to help with our next Game On! event, then please call or email the Ham Library. We are always looking for additional gaming hardware and software for the following systems.

• Sony Play-Station 2
• Nintendo Wii
• Nintendo Game Cube
• Nintendo N64
• Microsoft X-Box

Please provide a list of game titles which you can contribute. NO M-rated games, please.

WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR INFORMATION?

STATISTICS

• Duncan, Geoff. (March 14, 2007). One-third of U.S. adults own game consoles?. Retrieved March 22, 2007, from Digital Trends http://news.digitaltrends.com/article12467.html
• Riley, David. (January 19, 2007). 2006 U.S. video game and PC game retail sales reach $13.5 billion exceeding previous record set in 2002 by over $1.7 billion: Total Industry Experienced 18 Percent Growth Over 2005. Retrieved March 22, 2007, from NPD press release http://www.npd.com/press/releases/press_070119.html
• Book Business (February 16, 2007). 2006 book sales remain steady at $10 billion. Retrieved March 22, 2007, from http://www.bookbusinessmag.com/story/story.bsp?sid=47549&var=story
• Wischnowsky, Dave. (February 16, 2007). Wii bowling knocks over retirement home. Retrieved August 22, 2007, from http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-070216nintendo,1,609357.story?coll=chi-news-hed&ctrack=1&cset=true

PEOPLE, PLACES, AND THINGS

• American Library Association: http://www.ala.org/
• Ann Arbor District Library: http://www.aadl.org/
• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (April 18, 2006): http://www.library.uiuc.edu/blog/undergrad/archives/2006/04/
• Wake Forest University: Z. Smith Reynolds Library: http://zsr.wfu.edu/about/news.html
• Museum of Science and Industry: http://www.msichicago.org/
• GAME ON: The History, Culture, and Future of Video Games: http://www.msichicago.org/scrapbook/scrapbook_exhibits/gameon/index.html

IMAGES

• Warp Zone pipe: http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/announcements/warp-pipe-to-comment-accounts-and-troll-slaying-202653.php
• Librarian action figure: http://www.uni.uiuc.edu/library/gallery/backwhen/newmillenium.htm
• Video Games are Mesmerizing: http://www.dancingcavy.com/Cartoons.html
• Rehabiliation patient playing Wii Boxing: http://www.mlive.com/flintjournal/index.ssf/2008/06/wii_is_big_hit_with_flintarea.html
• Senior citizen playing Wii Bowling: http://qctimes.com/articles/2007/08/11/news/local/doc46bd3a67284a9428804614.txt
• Rochester College students, faculty, and staff photos: taken by Brian Angell, Sandra Angell, Bruce Childs.
• Eli Neiburger: http://gaminginlibraries.org/2005symposium/speakers.html
• Eli demonstrating DDR: http://www.blyberg.net/2005/11/11/dancing-and-singing-librarians/
• Train engine at Museum of Science & Industry: taken by Brian Angell.
• Brian Angell and the Sentinel: taken by Sandra Angell.
• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: http://www.library.uiuc.edu/ugl/
• Wake Forest University: Z. Smith Reynolds Library: http://library.wfu.edu/
• Game screen-shots: from http://www.allgame.com/, except Pong, from http://www.stibbe.net/History/Games_Speech/Pong.htm
• Super Mario Bros. Starman, Fire Flower, and Mushroom: http://www.dgsoxon.org.uk/graphics/icons/games/supermario/

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

NOTE: Due to subscription policies, these articles cannot be hyperlinked. To view them, please visit the Ham Library and use the databases listed.

• Barack, Lauren (July 2005). Gaming at your library [Electronic version]. School Library Journal, 51(7), 22. Retrieved April 26, 2007, from Academic Search Elite database.
• Helmrich, Erin, & Neiburger, Eli (February 2005). Video games as a service: Hosting tournaments at your library [Electronic version]. Voice of Youth Advocates, 27(6), 450-453. Retrieved April 23, 2007, from Wilson Select Plus database.
• Neiburger, Eli & Gullett, Matt (Winter 2007). Out of the basement: The social side of gaming [Electronic version]. Young Adult Library Services, 5(2), 34-38. Retrieved April 16, 2007, from Academic Search Elite database.
• Schmidt, Aaron (June 1, 2006). Are you game? [Electronic version]. School Library Journal, 52(6), 52-54. Retrieved April 26, 2007, from Academic Search Elite database.
• Sutton, Lynn, & Womack, H. David "Giz" (March 2006). Got game?: Hosting game night in an academic library [Electronic version]. College & Research Libraries News, 67(3), 173-176. Retrieved April 23, 2007, from Library Literature database.

CREDITS

GAME ON @ the Ham Library page designed and coded by Brian Angell.

Special thanks to Ham Library director Allie Keller for giving the green light to GAME ON!

Also, many thanks to Jeanette Macadam for her tireless support of the Ham Library and GAME ON!

Finally, thanks to Bruce Childs for co-planning, co-hosting, and emceeing our GAME ON! events.

GAME OVER

for now...