I’ve been reading Marshall McLuhan, who is the prophet of all things tech. Here’s how I explain Video Gaming as a Media through the lens of McLuhan’s book Understanding Media.

As we advocate for gaming in libraries (and classrooms), the obvious question is “why?”. While we have an ever-expanding list of reasons here, one reason that deserved a more in-depth analysis is the connection between Information – Human Perception & Behavior – Various Media Forms – Human Thought.

A McLuhanist explanation of what “media” means is that the light bulb (as a media) is “pure information”. The light from the blub is used for both surgeons’ tables and baseball stadiums (the content), but it is the medium of light that shapes the content. Think of video gaming media as a light bulb, and the “content” becomes less relevant.

Content, as explained by McLuhan, is “always another medium”. The content of the video game Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six comes from the book Rainbow Six, the content of that book is written word, the content of written word is speech, and McLuhan on the content of speech:

“…[speech is the] actual process of thought, which is in itself nonverbal.”

So we (as librarians and educators) should not place judgments on forms of media, because all media is an extension of our human thought processes.

More quotables from Understanding Media:

…the “message” of any medium or technology is the change of scale or pace or pattern that it introduces into human affairs.”

He then gives the example:

“The railway did not introduce movement or transportation or wheel or road into human society, but it accelerated and enlarged the scale of previous human functions, creating totally new kinds of cities and new kinds of work and leisure.”

The railway (as media) “…is quite independent of the freight or content of the railway medium.” He continues to say that the airplane DID dissolve some of the “content” the train had concerned itself with. Video gaming has and will continue to replace many things other older media concerned itself with. For instance, there is now less “board gaming”.

Getting back to the theme of this post, the question “why gaming in libraries?” is not a bad one or a negative one. It is a question about the core understanding of what “is” a library’s function.

McLuhan continues:

“When IBM discovered that it was not in the business of making office equipment or business machines, but…in the business of processing information, then it began to navigate with clear vision”

In the same sense, libraries are no longer in the “business” of being a book lender&depository, but in the human/social business of helping people navigate information. Book lending is still part of what libraries do (just as IBM still sold machines to businesses), but not the core of what a library represents.

Video Gaming is more than just elementary school recreation; it is a new media for content, information, and ultimately human thought. Libraries and schools should be shaping our understanding of information in all media, including video games.

Please continue this conversation by posting comments here on the blog or tweeting us @8bitlibrary.

Post dedicated to the work and memory of Marshall McLuhan !