I’m just curious where the ‘collecting of game’ line is crossed. Nevermind there is no substantiation for your “stop collecting games or we will lose money” line.

2. That’s an old canard. And since I did not engage in that, you can take it up with the posters who did.
I welcome questioning of technologies as I engage in the same thing myself; nothing should simply get a pass when it comes to inclusion (although it does at times).

The Emperor has clothing on here. It reads: “Come to the library.” What is new here is that we have to market our materials and services as just another voice in this new information world. Gaming is just another form of marketing and/or outreach to building future relationships.

If you haven’t read the followup post to this, I suggest doing so as well.

I also think that gaming, electronic or otherwise, can be a part of libraries depending on the community and what they value. I work at a college where we have an e-game design major, so even though we don’t currently have it, I could see gaming being very much a part of our library.

But I don’t necessarily think that the emperor has no clothes on, maybe there is only a g-string bikini on, or maybe it’s a really terrible outfit choice, or maybe one thing could be changed and the clothes would be great. Questioning them is always good though.

1. E games are simply toys in new format. No bigger deal than old games or basketball. Do E games help make players smarter? Yes, but so do chess and soccer.

2. Many of us in our profession have the mentality that if someone questions the value of new toys, we accuse them of being against technology. That is very much similar to the 2003 pre-war mentality that if someone questions the war, people would accuse them of being unpatriotic. And we know now the questioners are as patriotic, if not more, and the war did not go well, partly because we were made to praise emporer’s new clothes.

We in our profession desparately need someone who can say: “The Emporer has nothing on.” Sorry for quotation again

Sometimes it’s useful to think of new technology in the ways it’s new and different. But sometimes it’s more useful, or accurate, to think of it in the ways it’s the same as existing technologies. And, in light of the funding questions, it truly might be more helpful to draw those parallels with familiar library stuff and services. (Lots of libraries have toys in their children’s rooms, yes? One of the ones near me will let you check them out for use in the library. Good times.)

Please stop treating toys (electronic or not) as technolgy, or we will continue to lose funding.