RedheadFangirl

Donate old games!

Yeah, I know we all love our games, especially the more retro they become, but as gamers we can donate our games to a good cause–

DonateGames is an innovative social enterprise dedicated to supporting children with rare diseases through the collection and re-purposing of donated video games and gear

Just put your game in a padded envelope and send…if you give your email and return address they’ll send you a tax-deductible receipt.

Still pawing through stacks from New York Comiccon-  found the ICv2 newsletter with this article–

Hobby Games Up, Video Games Down

Recession Related or Long Term Trend?

Hobby games up, but sales of video games were down 8% in the first seven months of 2010.

The board game category, which is one of the main beneficiaries of the increased interest in family gaming, continues to grow with distributors reporting increased sales through independent toy stores as well as hobby game outlets.

The full print article had many quotes about the social nature of family games, and how parents don’t want their kids ‘sitting in front of the TV playing videogames’  ’looking for stuff to do with their kids’  ’play a board game you are interacting with people, not staring at screen’.

As librarians that promote gaming as social interaction, we need to be aware of this perception from people about playing solitary videogames.  I can say that our library gaming programs make kids social– they have the same console and games at home, but want to come and play with other kids.

Also,  $50 for a playthrough video game is not the same as a board game because ‘every time you play it it’s different’.

Final quote is from Lori Aitken at Pegasus Games in Madison “There’s a backlash against videogames and solitary games….people saying they want a game that gets my kid interacting with someone”.

Halloween candy for thought…

1001 video games you must play before you die

For devoted gamers as well as those interested in groundbreaking graphic design, this is the first, most comprehensive, and only critical guide ever published to video games. The video game has arrived as entertainment and as an art form.

Available Oct 12th; libraries should add to their nonfiction collections.  I hope to add a copy to my library and see what percentage I’ve played.

Halo, Grand Theft Auto, Legend of Zelda, Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Final Fantasy…