Game design is something only the geekiest kids used to do. We huddled over our desks in back rooms drawing maps of imaginary worlds, cogitating on whether to use 6-, 8-, 12- or 20-sided dice (and how many of which) to get the right random number generation effects on outré charts. We thought about wandering monster frequencies, researched obscure medieval weapons, discussed targeted hit location probabilities, cooked up unlikely political systems from whole cloth. We invented terrible doom-laden spells for evil sorcerers to visit on the hapless adventurers, and for finger-waggling wizards to throw right back at the bad guys.

Later,...Read More

I talk a lot about the serious side of gaming here. Sometimes I think I don't talk enough about the serious aspects but I've addressed literacy issues, violence, age and generation issues, what players are learning and recently, about charity fundraising. I try to write in a light, easily accessible style so you don't flinch at my wall of words, as opposed to trying to bowl you over with my 133t polysyllabic erudition. If you confuse taking your work seriously with taking yourself seriously, you didn't catch my post ...Read More

If you live in or near Rochester, NY you probably already know about Picture the Impossible. Lucky you, I say! If you haven't heard about it, check it out. Yes, you have to register to see into the site, but let me give you their "About" information here.

Picture the Impossible is a community-based game developed jointly by the Lab for Social Computing at the Rochester Institute of Technology and the R...Read More

LaVerne Poussaint's guest column earlier this week, talking about NanoGaming and her planned efforts for the Extra Life charity initiative, didn't create comments here (boooo!) but I hope some of you will see fit to support her. What her column did create was a lot of conversation in my email inbox. 

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You might remember Jennifer Nelson, who wrote ...Read More

When I first started writing this blog last spring, I was asked to include consideration of the interests of medical libraries and librarians. My experience is in public libraries and, while I have mentioned games like Re-Mission and the idea of encouraging doctors (some of whom have beneficial video game experiences) to play something besides golf, I had little I could easily offer.

While researching information about charities for my November print column on "Gamers with Heart" (discussing charitable efforts of the gaming community), I heard LaVerne Poussaint's appeal to ALA members to support ...Read More

National Gaming Day is coming up fast – November 14th – so I hope you've signed up on the ALA website to participate and are making big plans! Whether you're doing a chess tournament, a board game event, or participating in the largest, simultaneous national video game tournament ever held...Read More

I feel pretty confident thinking that your library already carries Recorded Books. A Haights Cross Communications company that promotes itself as "the world’s premier publisher of unabridged audiobooks" services libraries all around the country. In a press release dated today, Recorded Books is announcing their intention to "provide public libraries with competitively priced games and equipment. Public library customers wi...Read More

Religion and gaming have often been at odds in the United States. Today's article in the Times of India offers a different perspective on the intersection of those two things. The Karmapa Lama, one of the four senior leaders of Tibetan Buddhistm and the only such figure recognized not only in Tibet and India but also in China, and likewise recognized by the Dalai Lama, is 24-year old Trinley Dorj. And he is a gamer.

Buddist monks are dedicated to peace. When asked if it was inappropriate for a monk to play violent war games, this was his reply:

'I view video games

I wouldn't normally post twice in one day but you need to hear about National Gaming Day (November 14), and you need to hear about it today. I'll talk about it more later but for the time being, go to ALA's blog to get information about the event.

To quote Jenny Levine, the awesome Shifted Librarian, "We’re lucky enough to have do...Read More

Just for the record, my drink of preference is water. I live in the Sonoran Desert. Drinking a lot of water is a necessity when living in a hot dry land where the plants defend their liquid resources with thorns and spines that could put the most dreadful fantasy monster's fangs to shame.

Which is not to suggest I never drink soda (or pop or soda-pop – whatever your regional dialect calls that syrupy fizzy stuff the ...Read More

Yesterday saw Apple’s special “It’s Only Rock and Roll” event, with Steve Jobs making an appearance with others to showcase the new iTunes, the price drop on iPod Touch, the video camera on the new Nano. The event also featured some commentary on games, which is why I’m bringing it up here.

Video game technology is constantly changing. It’s been reported that the unending demands by gamers for faster, more powerful computers drives much technological development of the high end machines that, on the whole, are used by businesses...Read More

So… Batman: Arkham Asylum released two days ago. Some of your customers have been missing for the last two days. And you — did you take a vacation day or just stay up too late? Probably neither unless you are a serious console gamer, but this is nevertheless one of those games that you have or will hear about if you’re at all interested in new releases of video games.

Batman has a long and storied history after all, since the Dark Knight first appeared in 1939. ...Read More