Lunchtime Gaming in the School Library:

It’s more than just child’s play

Introduction:

Over the years, there has been much research into the important role of games in education. As a result, it is now generally accepted that digital game based learning has a place in the classroom, as games have the potential to develop a wide range of useful skills. But where does the school library fit into this picture? What benefits can be derived from students playing games in the Library in the lunchtime break?

Traditionally, libraries were known as the silent domain, where only quiet activities such as reading, research and perhaps quiet chess or card games were encouraged. In todays’ digital age, the modern library bears little resemblance to the libraries of yesteryear. Despite many advances however, video games are still regarded by many Librarians as a waste of time with little relevance to the pursuit of information literacy or the promotion of reading. Drawing on research, this chapter will examine how gaming in the school library at lunchtime, can in fact have many benefits for students; benefits that include the development of essential skills for the 21^st century and an increase in reading enjoyment.

Benefits of gaming in the school library

A marketing tool:

“If you want to save souls, first you need to put folks in the pews” (Navarrette, 2013). The same could be said for libraries. Without patrons, they are just buildings full of unread books. Librarians must continuously seek new ways to bring students through the door of the library. Once they are in, they are exposed to a reading culture. 21% of respondents to a survey on gaming in libraries referred to the value of games to attract young people to the library, especially non-traditional users.  They may read or even borrow a book they are waiting for their turn to play. One survey respondent said “The boys who do warhammer were not previous users of the library.  Although they don’t borrow much, it does encourage the use of the library as a cool place to be, thus breaking down barriers” (McNicol, 2011, Glazer, 2006).  The anticipated outcome or benefit of these non-traditional users coming in to the library is them returning to make use of non-gaming resources.

Encourages students to develop an appreciation for reading:

Whilst video game detractors believe that games do nothing to promote reading, evidence would suggest that they are in fact being successfully used to promote books and encourage reading. There is evidence that students who come to the library for gaming, also use the book collection more (Levine, 2008). Games can motivate kids to read if they have a compelling reason to do so. Consider a game like Minecraft for example. It is surrounded by a “culture of literacy” (Thompson, 2014). The actual game comes with little instruction of how to play, so new players must learn how to play outside of the game itself.  They can do this by watching expert videos, but also by reading “how-to” Minecraft wikis or instructional gaming sites written by other gamers.  Or, they can read books such as “The Redstone handbook” or the “Minecraft construction handbook”.  Then there is the plethora of Minecraft novels writen to complement the games.

In her research on the subject of gaming and reading, Constance Steinkuehler, games researcher at the University of Wisconsin Maddison, discovered that a group of struggling readers were able to read texts that were well above their reading levels. The students were able to read these texts with no difficulty because they were motivated to do so.  She refers to this as situated knowledge (Steinkuehler, 2011).

For many young people, reading is not an activity replaced by playing video games. Rather, reading is an integral part of playing the games. More than a third of gamers (36%) regularly read game-related texts such as game reviews, strategy websites, fan fiction, and forum discussions as part of their gameplay. More than half (59%) of MMO players engage in reading related to the game (Lenhart et al, 2008). According to the Kaiser survey (Glazer, 2006), teens who spend more than an hour a day gaming, spend more time reading (within the game itself) than teens who don’t play games at all. So rather than being a cause of adolescents not reading, as many so readily believe, in fact gaming appears to be a solution.  Video games and reading are not therefore in competition with each other, but rather should be seen as complementary to each other. (Steinkuehler, 2011)

Informal learning of essential 21^st century skills:

Video games have the ability to provide students with certain essential skills to be prepared for their 21^st century lives beyond school.  They will not acquire all of these skills in the classroom alone, therefore the school library has a responsibility to students to provide the opportunities to gain these essential skills. Gamers regularly engage in model-based thinking, which is designing, building and using models. This requires them to engage in design-based thinking which means they have to consider how systems interact with each other (Gee, 2009). They master the ability to apply information learned to real-life situations. Games are essentially one big set of problems that the player must learn how to solve, therefore players develop an attitude of perseverance or “grit” as it is sometimes referred to. They become innovative and creative in their efforts to solve the problems and create strategies for overcoming obstacles (Prensky, 2003).  They learn when they can safely take risks. In massive multiplayer games, they are required to organise themselves into cross-functional teams and must collaborate effectively with their teammates (Gee, 2012).  They learn to multi-task. The best part about this type of learning is that it is unforced and often players are not even aware they are learning. Kids love to learn when it isn’t forced on them (Prensky, 2003). All of these benefits have a follow on effect by supporting classroom learning. Recreational gameplay has been proven to help students learn from more traditional materials (Steinkuehler & Squire, 2014).

Emotional benefits:

While many are culturally conditioned to dismiss gaming as a frivolous waste of time and a sign of laziness or inefficiency, it is important to understand the motivational benefits that can come from playing simple games as a form of relaxation. Research shows that time off-task is important for proper brain function and health. It gives the brain an opportunity to make sense of what it has learned, and can refresh a learners’ mind, so they can return to the task later, able to focus better (Smith, 2013). Simple games that are easy to access, for example Angry birds, Solitaire or Bejewelled, can improve players’ moods, promote relaxation and ward off anxiety. The Casual Games Association (CGA) says casual video games (CVG’s) can be important in stress reduction during lunch or after school. A study of gamers in 2006 revealed that 88% of respondents derived stress relief from playing CVG’s. This study revealed that participating in CVG’s produced changes in brain waves consistent with improved mood. Significantly, the study revealed anger scores decreased after playing CVG’s which is contradictory to the notion that all video games provoke violence (Russoniello et al, 2009). Librarians need to recognise the benefit of CVG’s and understand that the library is uniquely positioned as the ideal place for students to play them (Granic, Lobel & Engels, 2014). Libraries have an advantage over other school spaces when it comes to playing and exploring video games. They are open to all ages, and are multidisciplinary. Because they do not have to be curriculum driven, they are able to explore the use of video games for the fun value (Curry, 2013).

Social benefits:

Gaming is often a social activity for teens and can form a major component of their overall social experience. 76% of teens play games with others at least some of the time (Lenhart, 2008).

Bringing students together who may not otherwise socialise with each other can break down social barriers and create a culture of inclusivity and collaboration for all students, but especially those students who typically struggle in the playground. A 2011 study found that people who play video games that encourage co-operation are more likely to be helpful to others while gaming than those who play the same game competitively (Granic, Lobel, Engels, 2014). Whilst gaming, students work together and teach each other how to play the game.

Face to face interactions are not the only social interactions gamers will engage in.  In MMO games, they are interacting with others, often from different parts of the world. This can encourage empathy for other cultures. Players learn the etiquette of the game from others within the games; what is and isn’t acceptable behavior and interactions. They also often participate in gaming forums and websites, where once again they are interacting with others with a diverse range of ages and background.

Equal oppportunity for the socioeconomically disadvantaged:

Not every student has access to the internet. Disadvantaged students are falling behind in 21^st century digital media skills. Providing gaming in the library is a way to ensure that socioeconomically disadvantaged students have the opportunity to learn and develop 21^st century literacies (Elkins, 2015, Gee, 2012).

Creates a connection between students and library staff:

Librarians have long been stigmatised for being stern, boring and old fashioned. Hosting a lunchtime game club will go some way to helping remove the stigma that surrounds libraries and Librarians as being out of touch. It can help create a connection between students and library staff. Students are more likely to ask for help from someone they know. It also allows librarians a glimpse into youth culture and brands the library as a technically advanced communal place where students can come. (Squire & Steinkuehler, 2005)

Negative attitudes towards gaming in the school Library

Despite the research that proves digital games play an important role in the 21^st century classroom, the use of digital games in the school library is still treated suspiciously by many Librarians. Digital game detractors consider games as entertainment at best, but at worst, as desensitizing and degenerate, certainly no match for the literary value of reading a book or holding little relevance to the pursuit of information literacy (Neiburger, 2007).

The lack of familiarity with the vast array of video games available coupled with a lack of knowledge about the benefits of gaming means that some regard games as requiring no thought, but are merely about a quick reaction or “twitch” (Adams, 2009). Also, because of the publicity surrounding the violence in video games, there are many who believe that video games are “destructive activities that corrupt moral capacity” (Halverson, 2005). Many believe that they disrupt and distract from the main “business” of libraries, which is reading and the provision of information (Adams, 2009). They believe games are noisy and not only do not promote books or reading, but in fact, disrupt it. There are many who have concerns that games are addictive and unhealthy and therefore are convinced the library should not be contributing to this malaise, but rather, should be encouraging the pursuit of other healthier and non addictive activities (Nicholson, 2012). Finally, there is the issue of budgetary constraints. Libraries around the globe are feeling the pinch of ever tightening budgets. Any money spent on technology is money taken away from the purchase of books. Adding a gaming collection to an already stretched library budget is unlikely to be viewed favourably (Lefebvre, 2013).

Worldwide, libraries; both public and school are in crisis. Budgets are getting progressively smaller. Qualified Librarians and Teacher Librarians are being replaced with unqualified staff. Many libraries are closing altogether. Faced with dwindling budgets, decision makers are no longer seeing the value of their library (Bradley, 2016, Burns, 2016, Kachel, 2015). The old, traditional ways are clearly no longer working. It is vital that libraries evolve to meet the changing demands of those they serve. Librarians need to start considering digital games not as the nail in the library coffin, but rather, as its potential saviour. In this video below, Scott Nicholson addresses some of the critics concerns about gaming in the library.

Implementation:

As well as having to combat negative attitudes towards gaming, there are a number of other challenges that can potentially affect the successful implementation of a gaming program in the school library. Library staff should consider the following before embarking on a gaming program:

• Support from school community/school policies: Would a gaming program get support from the school community? Many schools have policies banning casual games. Librarians may need to advocate for games to be allowed in the library.
• Budget: Does the school have sufficient hardware to play the games? Does the school already have licences for some games? What additional software/hardware would need to be purchased? Could donations be requested from the school community? Will any purchases have to be taken out of library budget?
• Determination of goals and objectives of a library gaming program. Methods of assessment to track student progress. How can these measures be improved? (Brown & Kasper, 2013)
• Physical space: Gaming is often noisy, which does not create an atmosphere conducive to quiet reading or studying. Will it alienate traditional users? Is the library big enough to have a separate space for the gaming? How regularly would gaming sessions be held?
• Types of games played: What sort of games should be played? Casual video games, more complex games, online games? How would these games fit the goals of the program? , If online, what security needs to be considered? Does everybody play the same game or do they choose? What level of control will there be?
• Staffing/Training: Who will staff or monitor these sessions? Library staff, IT staff, or do the students run it themselves? Is there a requirement for further staff training?

Case study

An exciting case study of a successfully implemented library game club is found at Schoeneck (2016). This high school Librarian won awards for his “Gaming in the Library” program. He was keen to promote the library as more than just a place to read. He also wanted to expose the students to history, to create interest in non-fiction topics. He found the program had the following benefits:

• It helped create an atmosphere where education was “fun”,
• Students became more engaged in reading as they wanted to learn more about the specific historical events the games were based on,
• Increased social interaction between students who normally wouldn’t have socialised with each other,
• Changed the teacher-student dynamics. As other teachers became involved, they were able to laugh and have fun with the kids, resulting in the students becoming more respectful of those teachers.

Conclusion

There is a compelling need for school Librarians to engage students on their level by using multiple methods to reach them (Curry, 2013). It might mean being able to chat to a student about a great book series, but equally it might be sharing their enthusiasm for a game that they are playing. Ultimately, it requires a recognition that non-traditional users of the library, as many gamers are, have just as much right to use the library space as the traditional users such as the readers and researchers. Furthermore, evidence suggests that allowing students to play games in the library has a multitude of benefits. If Librarians are to ensure their school libraries claw back the important position they once held within the school community and go forward with renewed relevance for the 21^st century, then they must embrace digital gaming and all it entails.

References:

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