Would you like to play a game?
As I mentioned in a post earlier this week, I’ve never really gotten into online virtual worlds like Second Life, and I’ve certainly never gotten into MPORGs (Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Games). However posts this week from Libraryman, The Shifted Librarian, and Terri at Creative InfoPro have piqued my interest.
Apparently there is now a Libraries and Librarians Guild in World of Warcraft (WoW).
The problem is that I’m not completely sure what the significance of that is. Libraryman suggests that this guild may help newcomers to WoW overcome the steep learning curve, which has been a barrier to my participation in MPORGs. Terri at Creative InfoPro suggests another game called Entropia Universe which I’d never heard of but looks pretty interesting. I’ve also seen some chatter about PMOG which might be a little better suited for me.
The real problem is value. These games seem like they can really suck out a lot of time, so what’s the value of them? And it doesn’t have to be an educational value, which I’m starting to see more of in Second Life. And while there may be professional value for public librarians who use gaming to expand library services and presences in virtual worlds, that’s not my current situation. It’s ok if they’re just fun, entertainment value is valuable. But I haven’t figured out which game might deliver that.
The time investment is a big issue also. There may be weeks at a time when I may not touch my computer outside of work. I need a game that I can drop for a few weeks and pick up later.
But again, maybe with the creation of a specific guild in WoW now’s the time to try it out, or at least start some research finding a game that’s right for me.
If you’re reading this and have a plug for a game that should be on my shortlist please let me know.
Or maybe I’ll just follow Joshua’s advice and settle for a nice game of chess.
- Posted by Jason at 01:48 pm
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Hey Jason,
When you said “I’m not completely sure what the significance of that is” in relation to the Libraries and Librarians Guild, I’d have to say that in many ways we (the Guild) aren’t either. It is an experiment really, an we as a community will decide it’s significance as the group evolves.
It is only a couple of days old, but in the rare hours when a few of us were playing at the same time we did a whole bunch of text chatting where we introduced ourselves, found out about mutual Libraryland friends and interests, and well, just had fun hanging out as librarians with a similar experiences and interest. If nothing else, that, to me anyway, has some pretty solid value.
You make a good point though in that WoW can be a massive time suck. But so can tv, or anything else you do for fun and really enjoy. Ultimately though you have control over that and decide how to let it suck up your time. And even if you don’t play more than a few hours a week, it is still the best video game I have ever played (well, there is always Ms. Pacman, Tempest, Miner 49er, Sly Cooper II and Zelda Windwaker, but other than THOSE, LOL).
But Wow is definitely not for everybody. For instance there is the monthly playing fee which isn’t to everyones liking (though a $50 game disc is 4 times that fee and gives much less value generally in my experience). Truth be told I hate faeries and Orcs and wizards and all that stuff. But I like the simplicity coupled with complexity of this game a lot. Also the actual game play and the social facets. Those win me over.
Anyway, thanks for your post. WoW play or no WoW play, its all good. I’m ust glad we are noticing the tech developmetns that are changing so many things we as libraries and info pros do.
PS-Another part of why I play WoW that I didnt mention is that I believe browsing the web will be a lot like WoW in a decade or two. ore like WoW though, not like Second Life (at this point anyway).
Web browsing like WoW? Hmmm. So just when you’re homing in on that really awesome resource some big bad beastie walks up and kills you and you have to regen at the local graveyard and walk on back and regain your sensitivities? That would definitely encourage users to be more efficient and focused in their information searches.
PS – This librarian guild tempts me greatly to rejoin WoW (especially for the week before Fall semester begins)
Interesting subject, Jason. I’ve written a couple of pieces for The Oregonian about a group of Portlanders who constructed a virtual Portland in Second Life as a way to promote the city. They don’t consider it a game at all, but rather as a way to instill a sense of community. Interestingly, former Portlanders who live in other parts of the country visit virtual Pioneer Courthouse Square, virtual Saturday Market and virtual NW 23rd out of nostalgia.
Colleges and universities also are flocking to Second Life as a place to hold real-time classes for students scattered across wide geographic areas. I don’t know if there’s an equivalent use for librarians, but Second Life might come in handy in lieu of teleconferencing.