Wii helps lose weight

by Lisa Baertlein, Reuters, 1/19/07
"Video gamers who'd rather battle virtual villains than fight the flab can take heart. Use of the new Nintendo Wii can lead to weight loss. " Thanks Jesse.

Financial Support to D&D Clubs

"Starting in January 2007, Dungeons & Dragons will provide $20,000 to clubs to encourage and perpetuate their roleplaying adventures."

Search for Best Video Game Concept to Reduce Spread of HIV/AIDS

"mtvU, MTV’s 24-hour college network, and the Kaiser Family Foundation today announced the “Change the Course of HIV Challenge” – a competition offering college students digital tools to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS among young people in the United States."

Online service through Wii console

by AP, 1/25/07
"The Wii News Channel, scheduled to debut Saturday, January 27, will primarily feature top news stories and photographs from The Associated Press."

Lionsgate and HABBO team up

by PRNewswire, 01/16/07
"Lionsgate the leading independent filmed entertainment studio, goes viral this January as the company, identifying the next step in new media opportunities, has partnered with HABBO, one of the world's largest online communities for teenagers, to allow today's teens to determine the fate of a Habbo animated release."

Call for Presenters: 2007 ALA TechSource Gaming, Learning, and Libraries Symposium.

Presenters on gaming & libraries topics wanted!

Deadline is March 1

Details at http://gaming.techsource.ala.org/index.php/Call_for_Presenters

We <3 you, ALA TechSource!

Computer game to boost key skills

"They would come knocking on the staff room door and wouldn't let us go until we had taught them how to calculate area."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6254989.stm

Bloody brilliant!

Online Game Mystery Revealed

CNN, 1/10/07
"After weeks of sifting through clues, bloggers, gamers and technology enthusiasts got some relief this week when Microsoft Corp. revealed that Vanishing Point is part of a viral-marketing campaign for Vista, the new PC operating system set for a consumer launch later this month." Thanks Jesse for the article.

Using Games to Prepare for the Work Force

by Lisa Baertlein, Reuters, 1/11/07
"Schools should use games to prepare children to compete in the work force, where juggling technology is a daily requirement."

Games for Change-January 12

Games for Change will be organizing a session on 'videogames for good' from 11am-12:15pm at the National Conference on Media Reform in Memphis. This meeting will discuss how the medium of video games is used and can be used for 'serious' purposes such as bringing awareness to Darfur or fighting poverty for example. Email: gamesandsocialjustice-subscribe@googlegroups.com for more information.

Fight obesity with activity-based games

by Brendan Sinclair, Gamespot, 1/4/07
"Mayo Clinic researchers put into perspective the amount of extra calories burned by children playing DDR or EyeToy games."
Thanks for sending Matt R.

"Welcome to the New You" SLJ article on Second Life

40,000 teenagers "live" in Teen Second Life (TSL), a 3-D digital environment created by Linden Lab and targeted at youth ages 13 to 17. Is a teen in YOUR community one of them?

What does Teen Second Life (TSL) have to do with gaming? The navigation through the 3-D interface is very similar to playing a video game. TSL can be compared to the a sandbox style game where the user creates his or her own experience. Although TSL is not competitive or focused on set goals and objectives like the Sims or Madden '07 (although, some locations in TSL have games, objectives or contests as you move through the space), it is a game, as defined by Merriam-Webster: an "activity engaged in for diversion or amusement."

TSL is much more than a diversion though--Kelly Czarnecki, Teen Librarian at the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County (PLCMC) in Charlotte, NC calls it "a Web presence that helps teens develop positive identities, take charge of their lives, and assume leadership roles as world citizens, " which drew her interest in connecting TSL to library services.

The article details the Teen Loft's leap into TSL as well as other school/community/library partnerships that are taking place virtually, making an excellent case for developmental needs met and literacy activities pursued in the space.

Check out the article by Kelly at http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6403251.html
or in the January 2006 issue of School Library Journal.

Upcoming Gaming Events!

What are you doing with gaming at your library? The LIbrary Success Best Practices Wiki has a page on gaming with a section on upcoming and past events. Please add your gaming club, free play, tournaments, etc to the page at http://www.libsuccess.org/index.php?title=Gaming
The site is great for finding our who is doing what - and if something someone else is doing catches your eye, you can contact a colleague for the 411

Dance Dance Revolution Overtakes Urbana Library

by Paula Rigaux, The Frederick News-Post, 1/01/07
"The game, which has been used as a recess tool in schools across the country, recently was introduced to teenagers at Urbana Regional Library (Maryland), not as a substitute for books, but as entertainment during the lull between holidays, said Mary Ann Foltz, the youth services librarian."