#libgaming chat

8bitlibrary.com is now located at 8bitlibrary.com

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3 months ago
by JP in , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

HEY 8BITLIBRARIANS,

So, you are reading this on the OLD 8bitlibrary.com. 8bitlibrary.com no longer redirects here (to blog.8bitlibrary.com). Here’s JP’s “farewell” post to the blog…but first, some nostalgia…

In 2009, JP Porcaro and Justin Hoenke met for drinks and found out they were both ALA Emerging Leaders for the upcoming year. Our bromance continued with daily IM chats until Justin one day said:

Let’s start a librarygarden of gaming.

So, we did. We really started taking off and getting hits when Justin made a joke on twitter:

Let’s all get library tattoos.

And I was like, YEA LET’S DO IT. And that’s how this whole thing happened…Justin & I would brainstorm crazy ideas, and if they were just crazy enough to work, i’d #makeithappen. So we started Project Brand Yourself a Librarian, librarians shared it like crazy, and a bunch of librarians got tattoos.

So from the very start, within weeks, we strayed from the original “library garden of gaming” idea.

We came up with other crazy ideas and made them happen:

We also had lots of fabulous contributors, almost all the top names in the field of “gaming in libraries” either wrote for us or were considered part of the team.

And then we shifted from crazy ideas to more traditional ones:

In our heyday, we were getting about 4000 clicks a day (which is BIG for library blogs), and alexa.com had us listed as one of the highest trafficked library blogs. The only blogs that were getting higher traffic at the time were the ‘official’ ones; the LJ, SLJ and some of ALA ones…

Lots of success here in a short period of time, maybe moreso than any other library blog. So why did we let blog.8bitlibrary.com “die”?

  • All of our contributors are doing other things.

We all got busy. 8bitlibrary lead us to publication deals, speaking gigs, new jobs, and new leadership opportunities. Now that GameRT exists, we have a more formal place to do our gaming-in-libraries work.

  • Blogging is boring.

We should have figured out from day 1 that blogging was not what we were about. We were a successful BRAND, but never a good BLOG. All of the successes I listed had more to do with 8bitlibrary as a brand, and less to do with blog.8bitlibrary.com.

  • WordPress sucks.

The blog was constantly marred by slow load times, login problems for contributors, and errors on the user and contributor end. Anyone who was a frequent contributor knows what I mean when i say “500 Internal Server Error”

  • We have better places to “publish”

Blogging is NOT publishing. We’ll get some game reviews actually published via GameRT hopefully soon!

SO WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE 8BITLIBRARY?!

When Justin posted this on the new 8bitlibrary.com, people FREAKED out (they though we were killing everything, the facebook page, the twitter, the tumblr (which is now the main site) and the blog) and I had to write this.

Where we’re left without the blog is where we always belonged: as the party people of librarianship. So we’re still gonna do all the stuff we used to do, like ALA DANCE PARTY, Project Brand Yourself a Librarian, and all the Think Tanks and subsequent parties…but we won’t have to worry about keeping up this illusion that we’re a “professional” library blog.

We’re still here.

#partyhard and #makeithappen,

JP

 

#libgaming chat transcript from 6/30/2010

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1 year ago
by InformationGoddess in ,

With the end of ALA so close to the #libgaming chat on June 30, we had an open forum discussion. Topics covered include using Red Dead Redemption (Rockstar Games, 2010) at a library program, M-rated games in general, and game design and collections, briefly.

Jun 26
9:22 AM hood_and_hat: People on shuttle talking about how girls don’t game as much as boys. #getaclue  #libgaming #ala10

Jun 29
8:25 AM infogdss29: @hood_and_hat just saw this – I am getting fed up with the disdain for games girls play #libgaming

9:43 AM infogdss29: Learn Scratch to create library themed games &  programs! Space available in July online CE course: http://bit.ly/bUg41w #libgaming

June 30
1:04 PM hood_and_hat: @infogdss29 It’s pretty annoying. It was hard to hold back from interrupting the conversation, but I didn’t want to be rude. #libgaming

2:45 PM infogdss29: @8bitlibrary Are we having a #libgaming  chat today at 4pm EDT?

2:51 PM JustinLibrarian: @infogdss29 Nothing planned, do you want to have one? I won’t be around…

3:29 PM infogdss29: @JustinLibrarian I can tweet as I’m en route to the airport, and we can have an open discussion: say what’s on your mind re #libgaming :)

3:35 PM JustinLibrarian: @infogdss29 That sounds great. I’ll pop in from time to time…

3:35 PM JustinLibrarian: #libgaming today at 4pm EST: What’s on your mind? Open discussion!

3:51 PM infogdss29: Today’s #libgaming chat at 4pm EDT – what’s on your mind in regards to gaming in libraries?

4:02 PM infogdss29: #libgaming  I’m wondering if anyone went to the gaming session Sat at ALA?

4:03 PM infogdss29: And, what kind of #libgaming are you planning this summer? I’m doing Scratch – game design! -workshops

4:04 PM laileen: @infogdss29 Are ppl incorporating European-type board gaming in their libraries? I know it’s really popular now. #libgaming

4:06 PM infogdss29: I’m also thinking about the comment girls and gaming, overheard on the #ALA10 shuttle bus

4:07 PM genesis2kx: @infogdss29 I think I’m doing the same. I’d love to try out KODU game labs if I have the time to learn it. #libgaming

4:09 PM infogdss29: @laileen there is still a lot of education needed about European board games – hope open gaming night was useful for that #libgaming

4:09 PM jlborgerding: Join us now! Today’s #libgaming chat – what’s on your mind in regards to gaming in libraries?

4:10 PM jlborgerding: #libgaming  All my students are gone for the summer so no summer programming for me, but I have time to buy new games!

4:11 PM infogdss29: @genesis2kx cool! I want to try the DIY Wario [Ware] game for the DS – it’s a game creator #libgaming

4:12 PM infogdss29: @GMLGeek remember, someone has to be first! One concern for me is the intended audience has access to gaming usually #libgaming

4:13 PM infogdss29: @GMLGeek charlotte-mecklenburg did Halo – there is a writeup under Models at http://librarygamingtoolkit.org/plcmcgamingzone.html #libgaming

4:13 PM genesis2kx: Anyone hear about the possible plan to bring e-books to the Nintendo 3DS? Talk about transliteracy across devices #libgaming

4:14 PM 4:13 PM infogdss29: @GMLGeek also, a lot of M-rated games may not be the best fit for the library experience you want to deliver #libgaming

4:15 PM infogdss29: @jlborgerding what are you going to purchase? #libgaming

4:16 PM infogdss29: @genesis2kx I’m fascinated by how the DS is as much about productivity as gaming #libgaming didn’t hear about ebooks – proprietary format?

4:17 PM infogdss29: @genesis2kx I’ve seem a lot of posts about transliteracy lately – is that just another way to say multimodal? #libgaming

4:23 PM GMLGeek: I agree with the sentiment about M-rateds, but we have to consider what our patrons want as well. We’ll also do sports titles #libgaming

4:26 PM michellv123: @GMLGeek Just my opinion but if it is marketed for adults over 18 what would the issue be?

4:26 PM jlborgerding: @infogdss29 #libgaming Not for sure but I have a few student requests and will check the pre-order lists to see what’s soon to be hot.

4:27 PM michellv123: @GMLGeek Um…yeah, I do realize that the last tweet was a grammatical nightmare ; )

4:27 PM infogdss29: @GMLGeek how is RDR going over? @laileen‘s s.o. worked on it!

4:28 PM jlborgerding: @infogdss29 I buy games for PS3, XBox, and Wii. Occasionally I’ll get a PS2 game if someone requests it.

4:28 PM infogdss29: @GMLGeek those are not he’s with Hirt rounds, right? What’s the time investment?

4:31 PM jlborgerding: @infogdss29 Great! I would love to see the list. Will it be published on your blog?

4:32 PM infogdss29: @GMLGeek I agree “give ‘em what they want” – how does turn-taking work in a game where you’re building a character, like I’m RDF? #libgaming

4:33 PM infogdss29: #libgaming open forum today: what’s on your mind?

4:33 PM GMLGeek: @michellv123 No issue in gaming w/adults, but we have to be careful here as we don’t circulate & community still views games as 4 kids

4:35 PM GMLGeek: @infogdss29 RDR [Red Dead Redemption] looks fine, but might be issues for multiplayers. Dante’s Inferno is one we will NOT be doing. Too much sexual content 4:35 PM

4:37 PM GMLGeek: @infogdss29 I think w/RDR it’s going to take some serious time investment per player. Can’t just jump in/out like Halo or MW2 [Modern Warfare 2] #libgaming

4:39 PM GMLGeek: RT @infogdss29: #libgaming open forum today: what’s on your mind?

4:39 PM GoodnightMemLib: RT @infogdss29: #libgaming open forum today: what’s on your mind?

4:42 PM GMLGeek: @infogdss29 I believe it would make a GREAT compare/contrast discussion. Visuals are very tight & really rings true to Dante’s work 1/2

4:43 PM GMLGeek: @infogdss29 2/2 #libgaming at least down to Lust, the last ring to which I descended. It got sexy, kids came in, had to quit.

4:44 PM GMLGeek: In a game like RDR, a character could be community-built — IOW, several players take turns w/same character. #libgaming

4:48 PM infogdss29: @infogdss29 sorry, that should be “those aren’t with short rounds

4:48 PM: michellv123: @GMLGeek Ahhh. We do circ M games. Not sure if our community views them as kid only. Tho u may be right abt a program being viewed as such.

4:50 PM infogdss29: @jlborgerding cool! I’m working on an updated “recommended core collection” list :)

4:50 PM  GMLGeek: @michellv123 I think most non-geek adults still view them that way. Those of us who grew up w/them know the reality. #libgaming

4:55 PM GMLGeek: One thing I’ve learned — can’t allow patrons to bring their Xbox hard drives, mem cards & such. Unfair advantage! #libgaming

4:57 PM GMLGeek: @infogdss29 They pretty well self-regulate, esp. in difficult situations like an animal attack, gunfight or chase on horseback #libgaming

5:12 PM infogdss29: @GMLGeek just proves that gaming is social, IMHO #libgaming

5:13 PM infogdss29: #libgaming phone battery is dead & just arrived at BWI to learn flight is delayed, so wrapping up – watch @8bitlibrary for next week’s topic!

5:15 PM GMLGeek: @infogdss29 agreed! #libgaming

5:30 PM jlborgerding: #libgaming  I have to head out. Sorry I didn’t have much to contribute but enjoyed watching the discussion. ‘Til next week!

5:32 PM JustinLibrarian: Hey #libgaming , sorry I couldn’t make it. I was playing Monopoly with 7 teens!

5:34 PM GMLGeek: RT @JustinLibrarian: Hey #libgaming  , sorry I couldn’t make it. I was playing Monopoly with 7 teens! — Not bad! Did you win?

5:38 PM infogdss29: @jlborgerding don’t know yet – the collections recommended in my book are on delicious, and i have added some new stuff. #libgaming

5:38 PM infogdss29: @jlborgerding http://delicious.com/informationgoddess29/corecollections #libgaming most titles are annotated, & tagged by console & rating

5:39 PM infogdss29: @GMLGeek this is belated, but I’m wondering if Dante’s Inferno is one that would make a good game/book discussion… #libgaming

5:42 PM infogdss29: @jlborgerding maybe @8bitlibrary won’t mind if I post a core collection list there -my blog is mostly for archiving training #libgaming

5:45 PM jlborgerding: @infogdss29 #libgaming It’s bookmarked. Thanks!! :)

6:01 PM JustinLibrarian: @GMLGeek I kicked their butt. Actually, not at all!

6:02 PM JustinLibrarian: @infogdss29 @jlborgerding I say go for it Beth! That would be a lovely post!

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