Thing #15: online games and libraries

When I saw the title of this Thing my first thought was "Online games? Surely this Thing is for not for academic libraries." But then I saw that ACRL is one of the sponsors for this year's ALA Techsource Gaming, Learning, and Libraries Symposium. So I took a closer look and saw that the program includes sessions on how to incorporate online gaming into information literacy programs, including at the college level. Perhaps MMORPGs could play a role in college library instruction after all. Maybe online games could be part of freshman orientation. Could St. Olaf have it's own virtual presence in Second Life, with reference and other services?

I find the social aspect of Second Life a bit baffling. If you're a social type, why not go out and be with real people? If you're less social, more of a private person, wouldn't socializing online be just as repellent as in the real world? I suppose for extroverts it might be a way to meet people with similar interests when it's hard to find them in real life. Maybe SL is a good way for people from different cultures and countries to educate each other. Maybe ... World Peace at last?!?

I admit to being intrigued by Second Life, however, now that I've looked at it. I'd like to "go there" at least once just to explore what it's all about. Information Island is something I would like to explore, at least to understand better what the reading referred to, for example the "theater that seats 50," college classes one can attend, virtual whiteboards, and virtual computers available at the virtual library. I'm having a hard time imagining what all that would be like.

So far my private nature is preventing me from signing up, though. Is there an invisibility option in Second Life? If so, and I don't have to talk to anyone, maybe I'll try it!

I found Puzzle Pirates about as unappealing as I found 2nd Life intriguing. I'm turned off by the pirate theme, the graphics, the terminology, and the apparent complexity. Sure, I like puzzles, but this seems too ... geeky. Not that I'm not geeky myself, but there's good geeky and bad geeky! So anyhow, although I took a look, I didn't get far, and I hope I'm never involved in creating some kind of library program using this particular MMOPRG (love that acronym, btw).