Thing 15 - Gaming

All right, back on the soapbox!

As far as gaming in the library goes - as a former classroom teacher, I definitely know (and used) the hook that gaming can have in the education process. "Educational" games are a great way to "trick" a kid into learning (I even have a five-year-old daughter at home who has been learning to read, do math, etc. through online games), and probably have other benefits that I am not even aware of. I have NO problem with the idea of kids playing some games during the school day. However, as a school librarian, my biggest concern is the type of atmosphere I want my library to have. Overall, I want the library to be thought of as a work/learning environment. Now, I know I just said that gaming can have some educational benefits, but the problem is in where the line between learning and other gaming endeavors lies. While I may sound a bit too "old school" for a program such as this, the rational side of me understands that sometimes it is just easier to say no game-playing in my library in order to avoid the inevitable arguments about which games are educational and which are not.
I did go into "Puzzle Pirates" for a bit (albeit a very short bit). I don't know - I guess I am just not a true "gamer" - it really didn't strike my fancy. I did not set up an account with SecondLife, but I did watch the video and read some of the articles. Again, not MY thing, but I guess it looks like there are those out there who are making this virtual world very realistic and the fact that there are libraries, classrooms, etc. do lend some credence to their existance.
In the end, I will probably stick with the "No Game-playing In the Library" policy that my school has been operating under unless I come across something that I just can't pass up. We will see.