baby, you’re much too fast
Posts by Brandon
Play Along
01 year ago
I was inspired to write this article after a discussion in the LibGaming Google group, of which I’m part. It was a lively discussion about what librarians should know about gaming, and there were lots of participants. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention it, for what was said in that discussion certainly informed this article greatly.
If you’re a librarian, you do readers’ advisory. It may be a small part of your job, if you do cataloging or ordering or hold an administrative position. In fact, you may never do it while on work time, but if you work in a library, people (especially friends and family) are going to ask you if there are any good books out there. Conducting readers’ advisory at the family dinner table is no different than conducting readers’ advisory at the reference desk, and is part of the overall public service you perform as an information and media professional. Given this, you have to read. You have to sample from all genres and formats. You may not finish every book you start, but you need real experience with as much literature as you can get your hands on. Read-alikes, reviews, and guided tools found online can only go so far; effective readers’ advisory begins with reading.
Following this line of logic, effective gaming programs and advocacy begins with game play. If you’re planning on integrating games into your library’s offerings, you need to be at least an entry-level gamer.
You don’t have to be an expert on tactics and techniques for first-person shooters. You don’t have to have an encyclopediac knowledge of the classics and up-to-the minute know-how on new games. It’s not about being the best. It’s not about having a backlist of D&D characters at varying levels for use with multiple editions of the game. It’s about having an appreciation for the medium as an art form and a way to connect with others–and there’s no better way to do that than to actually experience the medium itself. Also, be an active gamer will give you more credibility when you advocate for gaming at your library; you’ll be able to bring your own experiences to the table along with the excellent research and professional writing done supporting games and gaming. What’s more, if you’re familiar with games and gaming, you’ll be able to actually play with your patrons during your game programs, just like I do.
Even if you don’t get into the action yourself, it doesn’t hurt having some know-how on basic mechanics shared by many of the most popular games, so that you can better assist your patrons on getting started with their game play.
You don’t even have to spend money on games to get into the hobby. Kotaku recently did a run down of the best free PC games. Maybe you can give some of these games a spin. If you have a friend that owns a gaming console, chances are they’ll have you over for a game night, or even let you borrow their equipment. Check around your community for gaming groups that get together for Dungeons and Dragons or other tabletop games. Gamers of any type are, for the most part, an enthusiastic lot who love to share their passion and welcome new members to fold. If you do end up having to take a financial plunge, don’t be afraid of buying used equipment and games from GameStop, eBay, or Amazon.
What games should you play? Well, as many of them as you can! Just like every book has its reader and every reader their book, there’s a game out there for everyone. If you’re a really competitive person, you may like Call of Duty: Black Ops or Halo: Reach for their online multiplayer modes. If big guns and tactical positioning isn’t your thing, and you prefer something a bit more fast-paced, then Super Street Fighter IV might be a good choice. Not up for that level of competition? Team Fortress 2 is one my favorites, because it’s just plain fun, even when you’re losing. Super Smash Bros. Brawl is already a popular game among your teens, most likely; why not give it a try yourself?
Like racing and fast cars? There’s lots of great racing games out there, both realistic (Need for Speed: Shift, Gran Turismo 5) and not (Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, Blur, and Split/Second). Mario Kart is always a fun, cartoony racing game that makes a great centerpiece for a party. Maybe you love puzzles. There is no shortage of puzzle games out there, but if I might suggest the excellent Portal, or the rather addictive game Plants vs. Zombies, which while not strictly a puzzle game certainly fires the same neurons as a puzzle game would.
If you love fantasy and science-fiction and always wanted to live those types of stories, try these role-playing/adventure games: Dragon Age: Origins, the Mass Effect series, Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, or any game with Final Fantasy or Zelda in the title.
Maybe you’ve played video games in the past and drifted away from the hobby. Well, I’ve excellent news for you. The Nintendo Wii has a feature called Virtual Console, which lets you purchase and play the old school classics for the consoles from the ’80s and ’90s. Super Mario Bros., Sonic the Hedgehog, and many others are right out your fingertips. Perhaps reconnecting with an old favorite is the best way to start your new gaming journey.
And to think, I just touched on video games! Board games are infinitely more varied. If you want something quick and easy, yet addictive and engaging, try Pictureka or In a Pickle. Chess, checkers, Connect Four, and Clue are old favorites that never fall out of popularity. I love Stratego because it’s highly tactical in its game play, much like the video games I enjoy. There’s also many, many card games out there, traditional and new. Collectible card games such as Magic: the Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh are great. Go to your local Target or Wal-Mart and look at the board games; you’ll find lots to explore. Also, hit up FunAgain Games to see some excellent, less mainstream games. And by the way, Monopoly is so yesterday: Settlers of Cataan is where it’s at now.
Regardless of how you get into games or what games you get into, you may find this to be a hobby you enjoy and want to keep at. Even if you don’t become a gamer, you need to learn to play if you want to bring gaming into your library. You need to connect with the material, experience first-hand its value for education (both direct and indirect), understand why people love games, and be able to speak the gamer’s language (not the one used by hardcore competitors, necessarily: they make sailors and tattoo artists blush). You need an appreciation for the demographic you are serving and you need to be able to help users engage with games on their level.
So go ahead. Get gaming!
Review: Killing Floor
01 year ago
WHAT: Combining elements from Counter-Strike, the Horde mode from Gears of War 2, and the kind of visceral shooting action from the Call of Duty games, Killing Floor is a game that is light on story but heavy on scares, firepower, and teamwork. While it won’t dethrone the King of the Co-Op Zombie Killing Hill, the Left 4 Dead series, Killing Floor is great for short sessions of pure action game play. You and up to five other players take on the role of special military and police forces as you work to clear various areas in post-apocalyptic London of bizarre and grotesque specimens that are the result of (what else) science gone terribly, horribly wrong. You’ll fight against hulking creatures that have chainsaws welded onto their arms, quick and fast specimens that can turn invisible, creatures that resemble overgrown rats with spikes sticking out of their backs, and numerous other vile things, all against the back drop of abandoned farms, office buildings, raves, and even an insane asylum. The specimens come in waves, and the players have an opportunity to visit a trader and upgrade their equipment between waves. Last until the final wave, and you take on the Patriarch, a specimen that wields a chain gun and a rocket launcher and can turn invisible. You can weld doors shut to help slow down specimens, but they’ll eventually get through your barricade. You can use a med-kit to heal, but it takes time for the med-kit to recharge, so you can’t use it constantly. In short: you’re probably not getting out of here alive.
WHY: Killing Floor is a cooperative game; players work together to achieve a common goal–namely, killing zombie-like creatures. It promotes and encourages good communication skills, communal strategy development, and watching your friends’ back. Like most multiplayer FPS games of late, Killing Floor uses a class system. Before each game, players pick one of several perks, which gives boons to weapons and abilities and discounts to items at the trader. For example, the Commando perk grants the player additional damage with assault rifle weapons, faster reloading, and a discount on assault rifles at the trader. Sharpshooters get damage bonuses on headshots. Support Specialists can weld doors faster. If your skill with the keyboard-and-mouse doesn’t allow you to be a pinpoint sniper, maybe you want to be a Field Medic, whose primary responsibility is to heal your teammates. Like things that go ‘splodey? Then you’re fit for Demolitions, who specialize in grenade launchers and other explosive weaponry. With the players relying on each other so heavily, everybody has a place in this game.
WHO: With this being a cooperative games as opposed to a competitive one, gamers who want to work as a team in an intense game play environment but don’t want the difficult experience that competitive play can be will find much to love here. However, between the constant threat of danger, impending sense of doom, often panicked pace, and buckets and buckets of gore, this is NOT a game for children or the faint of heart. If the films 28 Days Later or its sequel 28 Weeks Later is too much for you, this game is probably too much as well. Also, most libraries focus on games as a service for kids and teens, but there are lots of adults that game as well–this would be an ideal game for an adults-only gaming night, what with the blood and violence and disturbing imagery.
Review: Zombie Dice
01 year ago
All we wanna do is…oh, you know the song. And if you don’t, here ya go.
WHAT:
There’s no lack of great zombie-themed video games out there, but if you’re trying to expand your tabletop offerings at your library, one game you’ll want to invest in is the excellent Zombie Dice from Steve Jackson Games. It’s unique in that usually zombie games have you in the role of a human trying to survive and take out as many zombies as possible; in Zombie Dice, players take on the role of zombies trying to consume as many delicious brains as possible.
Quick to play and easy to explain, Zombie Dice is a game of chance with a heavy gambling element. After gathering your players and designating a scorekeeper, you determine who goes first by seeing who can moan “braaains” with the most feeling (aside: this is the greatest way to determine first turn EVER). That player then takes the dice cup, with all 13 dice in it, and shakes it up. They draw three dice (representing three victims) from the cup at random and roll those dice. You have three possibilities for each dice:
–Brain: You scarf that victim’s brain! Set that dice aside.
–Footprint: That victim made tracks. That dice stays on the table.
–Blast: Somebody was carrying a shotgun, and decided to fight back. Set that dice aside as well.
As a kicker, there are three different colored dice (green, yellow, and red). Green dice are easy victims, yellow are tough victims, and red dice are…well, they’re in the zombie-killing business, and business is good. The tougher the dice/victim, the more likely you are to roll a blast.
After the initial roll, the player can choose to keep going or stop. If they keep going, they re-roll any footprints AND draw new dice to replace any brains or blasts (you’ll always roll three dice). They’ll keep setting dice aside as necessary until they decide to stop OR they get three blasts. If the player decides to stop and they have less than three blasts, they score one point for each brain they have. If they get three or more blasts before they decide to stop, their turn is over and they score nothing.
Players take turns and continue keeping score until one player has a score of at least 13. At that point, everybody else takes one more turn and the player with highest score wins!
WHO:
Everybody loves zombies. If you don’t believe me, Google search “zombies” and let me know when you get to the end of the over 23 million results. Hang out at your local comic shop and see how many times zombie apocalypse survival plans are discussed. Ask a teenage boy what “Rule #2″ is and he’ll likely respond “double tap.”
See what I mean? People love zombies; gamers especially.
What’s more, this game is so easy to grasp and quick to play that there’s not too many people who won’t enjoy. It’s fun to play in small or large groups, it can be approached as a deep exercise in strategy or a quick hit against the odds, and it allows for a great opportunity to use your imagination. No matter what kind of gamer you are, you’ll enjoy it.
WHY:
Zombie Dice is relatively inexpensive ($13.99 MSRP, $10.73 on Amazon.com), offers up lots of personality and game play excitement, is easy to learn, and is never the same game twice. It accommodates a broad range of demographics and gamer skill levels. It’s the perfect game for libraries!
Review: Limbo
01 year ago
WHAT? If you want a game that is fun, relaxing, or fills you with joy, stop reading this review right now: you will not like Limbo. However, if you enjoy games that present you with thought-provoking narratives and puzzles that are frustrating in their difficulty but ultimately rewarding–if you enjoyed Braid, Portal, Half-Life 2, Bioshock, or Batman: Arkham Asylum–then Limbo, available exclusively for Xbox Live Arcade, is the game for you. Presented with film-grain black-and-white graphics that possess a classical depth and richness and telling the simplest of stories (“Unsure of his sister’s fate, a boy wakes to find himself in limbo.”), this game is a platform puzzler that refuses to give anything to the gamer, requiring precision timing and careful observation of one’s environment, Limbo is a deep-thinking game that begs to be digested in whole, even if in small dosages. It falters a bit near the end, relying more on luck as the gamer nears the final puzzles, but it’s hard to believe that even that element wasn’t part of Playdead Studios’ plan all along.
WHY?Aside from tense game play and a so-simple-its-complicated plot, Limbo challenges gamers on another level as well. The main character is a boy–that’s made very clear–and he dies many gruesome deaths (it’s part of the game play actually: sometimes, the only way to figure out a puzzle is to die so that you may start over again). These deaths are always shown in silhouette, so it’s not as graphic as it could be, but some of the imagery is unsettling, especially when cast against the frightening environments (chiefly a forest and a factory). It’s the kind of game that makes you ask question of yourself and challenges you to confront realities you’d rather not–it’s a video game that is unquestionably art. And what better institution to take a stake in this game-that-is-art than a library?
WHO? Limbo is not a game for the younger set; I’ll even break proper librarian protocol by skipping over the “it’s up to each parent to determine what is appropriate for their child” disclaimer, as I don’t see how any parent could let their child play this unless they were quite, quite mature. Despite it’s brutal difficulty and open-ended, philosophical narrative, the disturbing imagery was almost too much for me; I can only imagine how terrible it would be for a child. There is an option to turn off the gore in the game, so it’s possible to experience the game without the death scenes, but I’m not so sure it would be as memorable an experience were the game play the only thing the gamer experienced; without the philosophical pondering, the game might seem a bit too difficult and therefore a bit too not-worth-it. Gamers with a good deal of patience, an open mind, and a willingness to be challenged on an emotional level will find lots to love here.
Review: Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
31 year ago
WHAT? A side-scrolling beat-em-up with RPG elements, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is based on the hit graphic novel series that as also spawned a critically-praised movie. Players take on the role of Scott Pilgrim, or one of his three friends, as he embarks on a quest to defeat the seven evil exes of Ramona Flowers, a woman who has stolen his heart and captured his imagination. It’s a quirky story made up of hipster culture, video game tropes and imagery, comic-book styling, and lots of punching people in the face. Up to four players can crash on the couch (no online play, which I find refreshingly old-school) for multiplayer action, and the game has cheat codes (yes, old-fashioned CHEAT CODES) that unlock a Survival Horror mode (players fight off endless hordes of zombies) or a Boss Rush mode (fight the game’s bosses in rapid succession). It’s available as a downloadable title for the Playstation Network or Xbox Live Arcade.
WHY? With both a six-volume graphic novel series and a film serving as source material, this is one of those games that make so much sense for a library there’s no need to overwork the justification. Use the game to get kids/teens into the books, use the books to get them into other books (such as other off-beat indie comics), show the kids who get wrapped up in the surprisingly complex game play classic beat-em-up titles such as Final Fight, Double Dragon, and Streets of Rage and maybe throw in a few classic action-RPGs such as Champions of Norrath, Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance, or Neverwinter Nights, which of course lead right back around to books on the martial arts, popular fantasy fiction works, and any related film. . Did I mention that the soundtrack is done by the excellent band Anamanaguchi, who compose in the chiptune genre? There’s a chance to introduce somebody to some new music! Conduct your media advisory right and you could have a good number of teens being life-long library users, just from having played this one game. Plus, it’s simple fun that gets all the better when you have someone to share it with, and what’s better than that?
WHO? Teens will find this game attractive because of its tie-in to the graphic novel series and film (which, sadly, bombed at the box office, but I’m sure you have some fans in your community). Gamers who cut their teeth on the NES and Super NES will delight at the references made to old-school video games and the great soundtrack. It’s not a terribly easy game, especially with less than three of four players working together, and the combat is deceptively complex and requires precise timing and resource management; this will satisfy hardcore gamers. It’s a game with much to offer everybody, even long after you shut down your console.
The Joy of Boardom
3See what I did there? :)
Yes, with these newfangled video games, with their shiny graphics, motion-controls, and epic stories, it’s easy to forget how it all started: board games. Or, as I prefer to call it, tabletop gaming; said term includes board games, card games, and role-playing games. These “analog” games may look boring and unattractive against Rock Band and Halo 3, but there’s a reason why Monopoly, Risk, Connect Four, and countless other board games have been around forever; why Dungeons and Dragons is in its fourth edition; why ancient kings worked out battle strategies over chess. They have all the benefits of video games–mental stimulation, narrative interaction, and endless recreational value–with absolutely zero technological limitations and a high degree of social interaction–higher even than video games, because you must interact with others to play tabletop games. Did I also mention they’re cheaper?
Here are some classic tabletop games and how to use them at your library.
Dungeons and Dragons
Here it is: the father of all things geek and gaming. Relevant not only because of its pop culture significance but also because of its unlimited possibilities for blending gaming and narrative, Dungeons and Dragons is at the core of many successful library gaming programs. Not only is it a fun game that lets players stretch their imaginative muscles, it serves as an effective blank canvas to work any number of literacy skills. Want to help teens learn how to use an electronic database? Incorporate that into a quest! Do you have a group of teens that love to write creatively? Let them keep journals in-character, detailing their adventures. There is just so much to say about D&D, I’m going to have to write a post dedicated to it alone. Stay tuned!
Settlers of Catan
One of the first German-style board games to achieve popularity outside of Europe, Settlers of Catan derives its game play mechanics from economics and diplomacy. Players are attempting to colonize an island, and through dice rolls, special game play abilities, and open negotiation with other players, they collect resources, build cities and roads, and raise armies. While players are competing to win, it’s not the kind of hardcore competitive game to which veterans of Monopoly and Risk are accustomed. Settlers of Catan depends on the players working together as much as it depends on them working against each other. With numerous expansions available, it’s easy to build an ongoing library program off of this game alone. It’s a great game for players of all ages and experience levels, because it creates an even, friendly atmosphere. And please: don’t let my brief description fool you. It’s an inherently simple game that grows more and more complex as it goes on.
The beautiful thing about this game is that it gives players an illustration of economic and social development they can’t get from a history book; it’s easy to talk about civilizations having to get along with each other for the betterment of all, even as each individual civilization strives to be on top, but to see those principles in action, even on a very small scale, really drives the point home.
Pictureka
The game that helped launch ALA’s first-ever National Gaming Day, Pictureka is one of the biggest hits here at Wayne County Public Library. Players gather around a 3 X 3 grid of boards, filled with whimsical drawings of objects and characters. They are tasked with hunting down specific pictures, with a variety of conditions determined by dice rolls and cards. The first player to find a predetermined number of pictures wins.
Pictureka is very flexible. It can be adapted for team play or to make games longer or shorter. With a some poster board, index cards, and markers, one could even make their own version of the game, or you can adapt the game play principles into a library scavenger hunt (something I plan to do soon). The programming possibilities expand beyond the actual board game for this title, and it can easily entail information literacy.
Magic: the Gathering
You’re likely familiar with the customizable (sometimes referred to as collectible) card games Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh. This is the game that started it all. Magic: the Gathering was the first game blend the hobby of trading cards with the hobby of gaming, and it’s still going strong.
If you’re not familiar with how a CCG works, here’s how. Players often buy a starter set, which has enough to play a game. This starter set can be expanded on buy purchasing booster packs. Each game has its own set of rules on how to construct a deck for game play.
While this game looks about as the opposite of democratic as you can get (players who have access to the best selection of cards, usually those who can afford to buy lots of booster packs), there’s still a heap of potential for library programming here. Simply opening your doors and posting a sign that says “Magic: the Gathering Club, Wednesdays, 6-8″ is a start. Avid players will show up, and may even bring their friends out. You might be able to buy some starter packs, possibly some boosters as well, to use as attendance incentives (if you have a budget for gaming equipment, this is a great way to use it–especially if you’re in that end-of-the-fiscal-year crunch). The game essentially casts players as dueling wizards, so don’t be afraid to throw in some costume or fiction contests while you’re at it.
…and then there’s everything else!
I could (and just might, one day) write a book on board games in libraries. There is just so much potential there, and librarians run the risk of missing out on it if they focus too heavily on video games. There’s a wealth of board games out there, and they’re all versatile (“house rules,” anyone) and encourage social interaction. Be sure to check out Board Games with Scott if you want to educate yourself on the many, many great games out there. Scott Nicholson is an ALA Gaming Expert panelist, Director of the Library Game Lab at Syracuse University School of Information Studies, and an all-around nice guy whom I’ve had the pleasure of coming across a couple of times in my professional travels. To call him a tabletop gaming expert is a gross understatement; to say “if he can’t teach it, you don’t need to know it” is more accurate. And as always, you can’t do gaming without being a gamer yourself, so PLAY!
I’m a veteran video gamer myself, having cut my teeth on Super Mario Bros. and Street Fighter II, but I’ll readily admit that nothing beats a marathon session of Dungeons and Dragons where the players are using their imaginations to help shape the narrative of the game in a way that no video game could allow; it’s equally hard to beat helping a smiling child learn how to play In A Pickle–even if he is making up the rules as he goes along.
Playing (with your) Music
31 year ago
When we think of music games, we usually think of the Dance Dance Revolution, Rock Band, and Guitar Hero franchises. These games have been staples of library gaming programs for almost as long as there have been library gaming programs. They all have tremendous social benefits: DDR was getting gamers off the couch long before Nintendo ever put the Balance Board under our feet, and the Rock Band and Guitar Hero series’ have brought music, gaming, and even role-play together while promoting both classic and indie rock.
There’s a problem with these games, however. They’ve gone stale. DDR all but died out after Guitar Hero caught fire, and neither Guitar Hero nor Rock Band have offered much of anything new in their most recent incarnations. True, both Activision and EA have offered new music for download that gamers can use with their respective franchises, but that’s about it. This is great for casual gamers who just want to hang out and enjoy some music while experiencing some degree of interaction, but hardcore gamers (such as myself) have moved on.
True, with a library gaming program, you’ll always have patrons who have never played a music game before; there will always be an audience for anything. But what about your most enthusiastic gamers? What do you do when the teenage boys who crash the doors get tired of Rock Band?
Why, you expand, of course! There are some music games out there that offer the same boons as the more familiar series’ but serve up some fresh game play.
DJ Hero
DJ Hero was released late last year. It received generous reviews,but was something of a commercial flop. This has led to Activision, the game’s publisher, being less than supportive when it comes to downloadable content. It’s a shame, really, that this game didn’t get set any sales records; that means there are a good number of gamers missing out on a great experience. Instead of a guitar or drum kit, gamers get a controller shaped as a DJ turntable. The basic game play is the same: press the colored buttons in time with the on-screen display. However, the techniques that DJs use–scratching, sampling, crossfading, and rewinding–are thrown in to spice things up and encourage gamers to get creative. Noticeably more difficult, but also packed with much more personality, than any previous music games, DJ Hero makes incredible demands on a gamer’s dexterity and situational awareness, requiring almost as much raw skill as the 
most intense shooters. Of course, there are multiple difficulty levels and game play modes (including one that uses a guitar controller for some DJ/guitarist duets), so there’s no need for novice gamers to be intimidated. One thing I really like about this game is its music selection: the soundtrack is comprised of mash-ups of popular songs spanning numerous decades and genres. It’s available for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Playstation 2. It might be a bit pricey, but imagine a DJ battle at your next library gaming event.
Audiosurf
This is a game that is just plain fun no matter how you look at it. Like the great video games of the past, it is inherently simple, rewards success while allowing for massive failure, has a clearly-defined goal, and–despite its repetitive nature–never gets old.
Developed independently by Dylan Fitterer, Audiosurf uses your music collection to render its levels. You select the song from your hard drive or external storage device (it supports any non-DRM protected format), and from that song the game engine will create an obstacle course. You then pilot a ship down that obstacle course, avoiding gray blocks while picking up colored ones. As the music intensifies, so does the obstacle course: gray blocks are more frequent, while colored blocks are worth more points. There are multiple ships to choose from over three different difficulty levels, and the game comes with some tracks, should you find your digital music collection lacking.
Audiosurf is available for PC either through the Steam online marketplace. If you want it on multiple computers, you’ll need multiple Steam accounts (which are themselves free) and buy a copy for each account.
Beat Hazard
If Audiosurf is inherently simple and approachable, Beat Hazard is one for the hardcore crowd. An intense experience in both difficulty and presentation, Beat Hazard shares many of the same features as Audiosurft–including using the music from your digital collection to render its levels–and thus many of the same social benefits. Except where Audiosurft is a delightful experience in discovering music, Beat Hazard is a brutal test of skill, timing, and coordination.
As with Audiosurf, the more intense the music, the more intense the difficulty. Norwegian black metal will generate a more difficult game play experience than easy listening. However, the difficulty seems to revved up all over the board in this game; you would think The Cure’s “Friday I’m In Love” wouldn’t be that intense of a song, but it produced a tricky level in Beat Hazard.
Beat Hazard’s main differentiation from Audiosurf is that it’s not a racing game, but a twin-stick shooter (also called an arena shooter). I highly recommend a wired Xbox 360 controller for this game (you can hook it up via USB to your PC) as it’s built for this kind of game play. You use one joystick to move a spaceship through the 2D space while you shoot with the other stick, the ship shooting in whatever direction you aim. This makes it possible to move and shoot in two different directions–handy when you’re weaving in and out through waves of enemies. If an enemy touches you, you lose a life; lose all of your lives, and it’s game over. You’re given two screen-clearing bombs to help even the odds, and you can earn additional lives and bombs.
Also different in Audiosurf is an XP (experience points) system. You earn XP for shooting down enemy spacecraft and pulling off high-risk moves; you earn bonus points for surviving for an entire song. Accumulating enough XP will unlock rewards to help you accumulate even more XP.
Beat Hazard is presented with incredibly good graphics; strobe effects, huge explosions, and starships that fill the screen couple with your own music to create some truly memorable gaming moments. A recent update to the game gives gamers the option of removing the strobe effects so that people sensitive to such can still play and enjoy this game. It’s available through Steam, so the same DRM apply to it as do Audiosurf.
So what now?
You’ve downloaded Audiosurf and Beat Hazard to a few gaming PCs in your library, and you’re all set for a DJ battle in your multipurpose room. Use this opportunity to reach out to your teens. Set up a display of books on music, famous musicians, careers in the music industry, and fiction relating to DJ and rock star culture. Load some classical music onto the PCs that have Audiosurf and Beat Hazard to show the participants just how intense (and how much like popular music) classical music is. And don’t forget the opportunities for social interaction and inter-generational gaming. It’s easy to imagine teens trying to outdo each other with this game, playing the same songs and trying to rack up higher scores–or challenging each other to their own favorite music. Allow adults to bring in the music they enjoyed as youth and compare the kind of stages the oldies and classic rock render compared to today’s pop hits.
These games, especially Audiosurf and Beat Hazard, are a great way to demonstrate how gaming helps us interact with our favorite works of art on a more personal level: I really liked the Black Crowes, DragonForce, Metallica, the Smashing Pumpkins, Slipknot, and Dinosaur Jr. before, but I really like them now, as they are tied to my favorite hobby, and I’ve visualized their music in a real, interactive way. I can’t help but listen to a new song without imagining what its Audiosurf or Beat Hazard level would be like. The chance to experience music in an interactive way, and thus discover a new appreciation for it, was one of the things gamers praised about Rock Band and Guitar Hero, except for now they’re not limited to what EA or Activision is able to get a licensing deal with; any music they own can be used in the game. It’s mind-blowing at just how much musical education and appreciation can be launched with these games.
Of course, you’ll want to be careful with ripping music to the computer for in-game use; it’s easy to break copyright law, so delete any songs from your hard drive that are not taken from CDs owned by the library after your program to stay on the safe side of the law.
And by the way, don’t get rid of your DDR, Rock Band, and Guitar Hero collections. You can never have too many games, and you can never have too much music.
Review: Braid
3
WHAT? A beautiful, heart-breaking abstract narrative that just happens to be a video game, Braid tells the story of a young man named Tim who is desperately trying to reconcile a broken relationship with the Princess. As the gamer explores the whimsical, dream-like world of the game, overcoming incredibly challenging puzzles by manipulation time and by paying attention to pin-point physics, they discover that the story is not as simple as it may seem–that there is something darker and more sinister at play. What they find at the game’s conclusion is one of the most chilling and heart-wrenching endings ever for a game, or any other type of media for that matter. It’s a story only a video game could tell.
WHY?While Nintendo is hard at work proving that video games can be for everybody–and are doing a fine job of such–Braid proves that video games don’t have to be for everybody, just like some books or movies are not for everybody. It’s a deep narrative wrapped up in some of the most frustrating and difficult game play ever; overcoming the game’s challenges are less fun and more work, and bring about the kind of satisfaction that finishing a tough homework assignment or a hard day of lawn work grant. On top of that, the ending doesn’t even give you the warm fuzzies, like any good video game ending should. Why would anybody want to pursue such an arduous task for such a seemingly minuscule reward? Because it reveals much about you as a person, it makes you think sharper and quicker, it makes you more attentive to details,, and it builds character. Braid is the kind of hard-to-swallow-but-ultimately-good-for-you stuff that only the dusty classics are supposed to provide; it’s a game libraries would be wise to give attention.
WHO? Braid is a single-player game that is only available through digital download markets (Xbox 360 Live Arcade, Steam, Playstation Network, etc.). This makes it hard to integrate into programming, or even collection development, at least as far as traditional library gaming programs are concerned. Using the game to open discussion is the ideal implementation method here. It is the perfect game for a “game of the month club” (think book clubs, just with video games). It’s not the kind of game that casual gamers would enjoy, as its difficulty is legendary. While not a multiplayer game, it might be a good thing to allow players to pass the controller around and work out solutions to the puzzles with real-life collaboration and brainstorming; this turns the game play segments into a social experience but may dilute the narrative element of the game–of course, one could always host a forum or club meeting around game design, using this game as the center piece. All in all, if a librarian approaches Braid as centerpiece for exchanging ideas and promoting creative thinking, that librarian can’t go wrong.
Review: Halo 3
01 year ago
[JP's note: Let's welcome 8bitlibrary.com's newest contributor, Brandon, who's reviewing one of the best games of the modern gaming era.]
WHAT? Arguably the flagship game of the Xbox 360, Halo 3 is the conclusion of the much-loved Halo trilogy that began on the original Xbox and is one of the most-played online multiplayer games in existence. In the single-player campaign, gamers take on the role of Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, a Spartan super soldier born and bred to combat the theocratic Covenant, an army of alien races who believe they are on a holy mission to eliminate humanity. The real draw for this series, however, is the highly-competitive, fast-paced multiplayer, which pits players against each other in armed combat on some of the most well-designed maps ever seen in a video game. Gamers who aren’t very competitive need not worry about being left out; up to four players can work together to finish the game’s campaign mode.
WHY? The Halo universe is one of the richest, most engaging fictional universes out there, rivaling that of Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. Even gamers who aren’t fans know the story of Master Chief and his unending fight against the Covenant. The multiplayer mode sees over a million unique players a day. Unless your library has a definitive hard-line policy against M-rated games, not having Halo 3 on the shelf is akin to not having the Twilight series, the Harry Potter series, or anything by Stephen King in your fiction collection. As for programming possibilities, you could spend an entire gaming festival around Halo 3; there are so many game modes for both “lone wolf” and team play, you’ll never run out of ideas.
WHO? The elephant in the room is the M rating; the ESRB has determined that this game is inappropriate for anyone under the age of 17. You’ll want to keep that in mind as you circulate this game and plan programs around it. Also, this is definitely a hardcore gamer’s game: you’ll probably not want to set this up beside Wii Sports and Guitar Hero, games which are more relaxed and tend to draw new gamers in, not scare them away. Halo 3 gamers are competitive and dedicated, so be prepared to possibly entertain a bit less of a laid-back social crowd than you are accustomed to. It’s not all about the pwnage with Halo 3, however. The rich fiction in the game has spawned numerous books, comics, and even an anthology of short animated films; it’s an exercise in multimedia advisory all by itself.