review
Who wants to play Construction Fail?
Jul 10th
Great for gaming or just for patrons looking for gaming sites at home or while using the library computers is the new GameFly Arcade.
The best part is no membership or downloads required– just click and play (as long as you have Flash installed).
Games called Construction Fail, (Don’t) save the princess and Gangster Bros..how can you go wrong?
GameFly Arcade is a new section on GameFly.com that brings together over 2,000 of the best free Flash games on the Web. Our Flash games are all hand-picked by hardcore gamers, and available to play any time with no downloads.
Best of all, GameFly Arcade is completely free for both members and non-members, so tell your friends! You can even share the games you like with friends via e-mail or your favorite social networks while you play.
Also, we’ve just released Update 1.2.5 for GameCenter on iPhone. Now you can Keep the games you’ve rented and want to own right through the app! Just go to your GameQ, and you’ll see the big blue Keep button if a game you have rented is available to Keep.
Review: Tail of the Sun
Jun 28th
WHAT? It’s a video game…sort of! Tail of the Sun is a doozy of a game released WAY BACK in 1997 on the Playstation One. You’re a caveman whose job is to to build a tower of mammoth tusks to the sun. So how do you do that? You randomly roam around, gather and eat food, sleep, and, um…do stuff.
That’s where this game gets interesting. You really are just wandering around without any guidance. And you can do that forever if you’d like. Who cares. Is this really a game?
WHY? Tail of the Sun is a pretty revolutionary game. Coming out at a time where “non games” were few and far between, releasing this title to an American audience was a pretty bold move. In the almost 15 years since it has been released, games like Animal Crossing have established the non game genre as something very legitimate (and money making). These games where you just “do stuff” have taken off. Endless Ocean? Heck, what about Second Life? Non games are here to stay, and it (sort of) started with Tail of the Sun.
WHO? I’ll be dead honest here. This game will turn off 99.5% of players out there. Heck, I’m a fan and I even got pretty bored with it. The graphics were kind of boring at the time of release and they still don’t look too good on the eyes. The endless wandering can be a bit of a drag. But if you’re into gaming advisory, this title is PERFECT for fans of the non game genre. If you like Animal Crossing you’ll dig this.
(Yes, this is actual gameplay footage)
Check Mii
Jun 21st
One simple way to add some fun to your Wii Sports, Sports Resort and other Wii gaming is to add celebrity or character Mii’s.
The Check Mii Out channel is a free downloadable channel. There are Wii artisan contests to create character Mii’s (Marie Antoiniette, someone who loves plants). You can download these Mii’s to your system, and then when students/you play, they appear.
You can also choose from the Top 50 Popular Mii’s.
On my home system, I still get a kick when I am bowling and Chuck Norris or Batman is watching. Or if I run on Wii Fit, and pass Snoop Dogg. A friend created all the Lost characters, and playing Wii baseball, I had Sawyer pitching to Kate and Claire in the outfield.
Of course, allowing your regulars to customize their own Mii for playing can be great too.
Just a few minutes of time every few months can add just a little extra to your Wii experiences! 
Wikipedia & Gaming aka “5 Clicks to Jesus”
Jun 17th
A few years ago, I was turned on to a fun little game that I wanted to share with you.
It is called “5 Clicks to Jesus” and the rules are simple:
ONLY use your mouse.
Go to the main Wikipedia page and click on “Random Article”. From there, using only the links within the Wikipedia articles, you have 5 mouse clicks to get to the Wikipedia article on Jesus.
I found it a bit too easy after playing for awhile. Additional rules, such as not being allowed to click on the articles for Years or Countries, will increase the difficulty.
The variation we liked to use is “5 clicks to Batman”. And getting to this guy doesn’t count:

The Jesus, from The Big Lebowski
Teachers & Librarians who prefer print encyclopedias over Wikipedia are ruining the fun for us gamers.
Feel free to share any 5 click paths that were especially fun or difficult with us in the comment box below!
The Joy of Boardom
Jun 14th
See 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.
Review: Nintendo DSi
May 19th
WHAT? Hello Nintendo. It’s about time you put something like this out. The Nintendo DSi is the newest in the line of handheld DS series put out by Nintendo. The perks of this new model: two cameras, connection to an online store, and external content storage (via SD card). The bad? The GBA cartridge slot (which opened up a totally different catalog for gamers to play) is gone. Crap.
WHY? The Nintendo DSi seems to be Nintendo’s answer to the Sony PSP. Whereas the PSP has multimedia and internet capabilities, the original DS was rather lacking in that department. The addition of two cameras, the online DSi store, and external content storage has changed that. Can the DSi do what the PSP does? Not really, but that’s not the point. Nintendo manages to incorporate some of those features and twist it up in the Nintendo style. It’s like they’re trying to create their own slightly odd yet refreshing version of a portable gaming/social media device.
WHO? Of course I’m gonna encourage libraries to lend out these systems. Not only are they fun, but they’re teaching users about creating content and sharing it. I’m gonna take this one step further…they’re especially wonderful in pairs. Imagine a family of four being able to swing by the library and rent out four DSi systems for some Saturday night family gaming. Heck, give them Mario Kart DS (see yesterday’s review) and send them on their way. Everyone will have fun as a unit and they’ll get to explore and understand new technology TOGETHER.
And that my friends, is what gaming is all about.
Review: Mario Kart DS
May 18th
WHAT? The immensely popular Mario Kart racing series hits the Nintendo DS with full force. Mario Kart DS was the first title playable via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection online service, thus cementing its place in history as a title MADE for gaming in libraries.
WHY? Let’s talk about community gaming for a moment. Perhaps one of the most wonderful features of the Mario Kart series is that its versus mode not only creates competition but also community. The 8 player Wi-Fi play mode used in conjunction with DS Download Play (players can use only one game card to play multiplayer) will get the crowds together and gaming. This type of play is also cost effective for libraries that are programming (have a copy of Mario Kart DS handy at your gaming events and encourage participants to bring their own DS systems)
WHO? Most of my reviews on Nintendo games always say the same thing…”these titles are so easy to pick up and play that any age can do so with ease.” Mario Kart DS is in the same vein. This title will fly off your library shelves, so I’m gonna recommend extra copies of this game at your library.
(I played this game on the new Nintendo DS-i system, which I will be reviewing here at 8BitLibrary tomorrow. Stay tuned.)
Review: Cave Story
May 10th
WHAT? Side scrolling adventure is back on the Wii with Cave Story, a title that I’m giving the term “Epic Side Scrolling Adventure” to because, well, it is just that.
(Side scrolling, BTW, is a term used to identify games that move left to right on a two-dimensional plane. A good example of this would be the original Super Mario Bros.)
WHY? Side scrolling is a genre that, while still popular in some circles, has lost out in terms of mass appeal to 3D gaming and better technology. It’s a bit sad to me because without side scrolling games, video gaming may not be as popular as it is right now. Cave Story is a beautiful game that may just bring the side scroller back into the limelight. Full of depth, action, and originality, this is an excellent title to introduce the gamers in your library to. At the same time, it’s also quite a simple game that anyone can enjoy it.
WHO? Put on your salesperson hat. Time to sell this game to the gamers at your gaming program at your library. They’ll be better gamers for knowing this title. Highly recommended.
For more information on this excellent title, please visit http://www.cavestory.com/
6 month 8bit review!
Apr 29th
In case you are new to 8bitlibrary.com, here are some of our favorite posts of the last 6 months. This is a great list of gaming resources for people at the start of gaming in their school & library!
Don’t know where to start? How about the $500 start up!
Have open gaming stations in your library.
Take your library into the community.
Teachers are using gaming in the classroom.
Lesson plans for YOU to use gaming in the classroom.
When things aren’t working, move on (Why nobody plays Second Life).
Video Games for Readers Advisory.
Video Game Collection Development 101.
And of course… PROJECT BRAND YOURSELF A LIBRARIAN
Review: Punch Out!!
Apr 21st
WHAT? Little Mac and Doc Louis are back on the Nintendo Wii. Their quest for the Heavyweight Championship continues in this excellent update of the classic Nintendo series.
WHY? Let’s face it…the series was due for an update. Both the Nintendo 64 and Gamecube didn’t get an updated Punch Out!! In fact, the last title in the series was the excellent Super Punch Out which came out in 1994 (which you can download it on the Wii Virtual Console). The Wiimote/Nunchuck control combination is perfect for the game. It gives the game a classic Wii feel while still remaining an easy to pick up arcade style boxer.
WHO? Think of Punch Out!! as not only a beautiful re-visioning of the classic NES title, but also as an extension of Wii Sports Boxing. Fans of that title (and there are a lot, both young and old), will enjoy Punch Out!! as well as hardcore fans. Each opponent makes the player think about weaknesses and will find them developing strategies for each match. Highly recommended for library collections.


