Professional reading for librarians and teachers

Today’s youth are technologically savvy, and many are avid video gamers. These recently published books are great professional development tools. They offer a broad look at video gaming and provide important insight into teen culture. Librarians and teachers interested in incorporating video games into their programs and lesson plans will find a treasure trove of information, and don’t be surprised if your high school students ask to borrow these titles.

BUREK-PIERCE, Jennifer. Sex, Brains, and Video Games: A Librarian’s Guide to Teens in the Twenty-first Century. 130p. bibliog. index. American Library Association. 2008. pap. $35. ISBN 978-0-838-90951-5.

The author, Assistant Professor at The University of Iowa’s School of Library and Information Science, has set out to determine how librarians can best serve teens based on research concerning adolescent brain development. The book’s six well-written and informative chapters survey “...today’s teens through the lens of neurological, psychological, and educational research. Putting this research in the context of library services, [the author] challenges librarians to question their assumptions about teen patrons and provides new answers based on research findings.” The book covers a wide range of adolescent issues and interests, such as “Taking on the Teen Brain” and “Myths and the American Teen.” One excellent chapter, “The Wired Generation: Connections and Limitations,” alludes to the research findings in covering topics such as teens and multitasking, interactive technology and information literacy, the pros and cons of video games, the brain’s response to this format, and more. In discussing violence in video games, the author suggests that the library may be a safe place for teens to develop a perspective on such issues. Librarians with some knowledge about the importance of this format to youth culture will get the most from this well-researched and thoughtful book.

DILLE, Flint and Zuur Platten, John. The Ultimate Guide to Video Game Writing and Design. 260p. photos. glossary. appendix. Lone Eagle. 2007. pap. $19.95. ISBN 978-1-580-65066-3.

This resource for aspiring video game writers and designers as well as teachers, written by experts in the field, offers practical advice about integrating story into the game, writing the game script, creating the design document, and more. Creative writing, language arts, and filmmaking teachers will be able to incorporate some of the examples provided into their own lessons plans, such as using dialogue to convey information, developing the setting, engaging readers, and revision. High school students interested in a career in the field will find that this book is chock-full of useful information. Be aware that some of the games referenced are M (mature) rated.

HUTCHINSON, David. Playing to Learn: Video Games in the Classroom. 256p. photos. index. Teacher Ideas Press. 2007. pap. $30. ISBN 978-1-591-58492-6.

More than 100 video game activity ideas for grades 4 to 12 are included in this volume that helps teachers integrate the study of video games into the classroom. The exercises, which cover all subject areas (language arts, social studies, history, science, health, drama, music, math, business, visual arts), are arranged in alphabetical order by the title of the activity—from “Advertising Campaign” to “World’s Best Gamertag”; the index arranges them by subject area. (Arrangement by subject would have facilitated use.) Activities include writing an alternate history of the world, creating a car of the future, discussing the relationship between realistic body images and the physiques of video game characters, designing a new city, creating a newscast, designing a video game survey, and scores more. For each exercise, a brief background is provided, the activity is explained, and follow-up discussion ideas are offered. While most of them can be replicated easily, some knowledge of video games would be helpful. Teachers could also use some of these activities as viable research topics for students.

KUTNER, Lawrence, and Cheryl K. Olson. Grand Theft Childhood: The Surprising Truth About VIOLENT Video Games and What Parents Can Do. 260p. bibliog. index. S & S. 2008. $25. ISBN 978-0-743-29951-0.

The authors, founders of Harvard Medical School Center for Mental Health and Media, studied 1,300 middle school students in Pennsylvania and South Carolina to determine the effects of video games and violence on young people. Anecdotal information is included along with solid evidence obtained from their federally funded research. Among the volume’s nine chapters are “Science, Nonsense and Common Sense,” “Why Kids Play Violent Games,” and “Sex, Hate, Game Addiction and Other Worries.” Librarians and other educators will find many helpful insights within these pages, and some previously held suppositions will be seen in a new light. The final chapter, “Practical Advice for Parents,” provides some important tips concerning violent games.

SALEN, Katie, ed. The Ecology of Games: Connecting Youth, Games, and Learning. 278p. photos. charts. glossary. index. MIT Press. 2008. pap. $16. ISBN 978-0-262-69364-6.

Librarians and teachers who want to be able to relate to today’s youth culture will want to read this book that explains how gaming empowers young people and contributes to literacy. The book’s three sections—“Learning Ecologies,” “Hidden Agendas,” and “Gaming Literacies”—feature 10 essays that cover virtual worlds, console games and the transference of learning, game design for those with disabilities, and more. For example, in the essay “Education Unleashed: Participatory Culture, Education and Innovation in Second Life,” Cory Ondrejka writes: “Schools that fail to embrace this change may find themselves increasingly on the outside of knowledge, increasingly outdated, and falling further behind as those who are mastering community and peer-to-peer education accelerate into the future.” While the information is appropriate for readers with little knowledge of video games, those with a prior background will be more familiar with the myriad references incorporated into the text. A great resource for educators making a case for incorporating gaming into their programming.

SALWELL, Melanie and Jason Wilson, eds. The Pleasures of Computer Gaming: Essays on Cultural History, Theory, and Aesthetics. 197p. photos. illus. bibliog. index. McFarland. 2008. pap. $35. ISBN 978-0-786-43595-1.

These eight theoretical essays look at computer gaming in the broader context of other media including “cinema, television, music, visual arts, and pre-digital games.” For example, “Forbidden Pleasures: Cheating in Computer Games” by Julian Kucklich explains the importance of cheats in a gaming context rather than as a deceptive practice. Librarians might be convinced to invest in strategy guides after reading about this concept. “Gaming/Gambling: Addiction and the Videogame Experience” by Joyce Goggin examines gaming and addiction in the larger context of industrialization and modernity. These essays will give readers a better appreciation of the culture of gaming and why it has become an important aspect of library service.