Monday, December 31, 2007

Video Games Make History in 2007

12/31/07, BBC News

"The last 12 months have been one of the best years in video game history, both critically and commercially." Judges pick out the best games of the year.

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Help Form an ALA Games and Gaming Member Interest Group

Please take a moment to show your support for Scott Nicholson's initiative to start a Gaming and Gamer Member Interest Group of ALA!


Petition online at http://www.boardgameswithscott.com/ggmig.pdf
Print, sign, get your friends to sign, and mail to the address on the form - ASAP!

Monday, December 24, 2007

Literary Festival in Second Life

Stay tuned to the literary festival in Second Life and Teen Second Life to be held on Saturday, February 2 from 4am PST until 6pm PST. Games such as scavenger hunts with literary clues and solve the murder mystery game will be part of the events. Next planning meeting scheduled is Sunday, January 6 at 12p PST. IM Teofila Matova or BlueWings Hayek for a teleport. Join the googlegroup here.

Video Game Voters Network and Facebook

Video Game Voters Network 12/20/07
"The Video Game Voters Network (VGVN) is committed to raising awareness of the fight against video game regulation where ever we can. That's why we've launched a Facebook page, to help spread the word in this increasingly popular social networking site."

Member Interest Group on Games and Gaming

Scott Nicholson is interested in starting an ALA Member Interest Group on Games and Gaming.

The group's charge is:
To engage those interested in games and gaming activities in libraries and to collaborate with ALA units to support gaming initiatives and programs across the Association. Games, as defined in their broadest sense to include traditional and modern board, card, video, mobile, computer, live-action, roleplaying and miniature games, and gaming activities, including planning and running gaming programs, providing games for informal play, developing a game collection, creating games, development of information and other literacies through games and partnering with other community organizations to support gaming, will be topics for professional exploration. This group is open to all members.

100 signatures of ALA members are needed here in the next few weeks.

Monday, December 17, 2007

Create Your Own Avatar! Contest

There is still time to enter YALSA's Create Your Own Avatar Contest. Contest submissions will be unveiled at YALSA's 3rd Annual Gaming Extravaganza. Attendees at the Extravaganza will vote on the entries and the winner will be announced during the event. Even if you don't have the chance to attend the Extravaganza you can still enter. In other words attendance at the Extravaganza is not required in order to enter.

The winner will receive $100 in books and will be interviewed for a YALSA article and press release.

For more information on the contest and to learn how to enter read the Create Your Own Avatar Contest Guideline available at http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/avatar.pdf.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

YALSA Offers Mini-Grants for Teen Tech Week!

The Young Adult Library Services Association is offering, thanks to sponsor Wizards of the Coast, TWENTY grants of $450 + promotional materials for Teen Tech Week (March 2008) programs! Want to buy a console for your teen room, and lack the money? Enroll half a dozen kids in a Youth Digital Arts Cyber School class? Buy land in Teen Second Life? COnsider applying!

Details at http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/teentechweek/ttw08/contests/contests.cfm

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

w00t!

Merriam-Webster's word of the year is "w00t!" Further proof that gaming is ubiquitous and invading pop culture. Full article at:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071211/ap_on_re_us/word_of_the_year