Ban 'Second Life' in schools and libraries, Republican congressman says

This is particularily interesting because he gave his speech about the topic at a library, and it is specifically aimed at libraries and schools. What would something like this do to efforts such as Second Life Library 2.0? The Nebraska Library Commission also has a Second Life Library--what if there was a similar call to action here?

Rep. Mark Kirk, who is seeking re-election this year, staged a press conference at a library in his suburban Chicago district on Tuesday to highlight what he called the "dangers" of the virtual world to children. Flanked by local officials, he also released a letter asking Federal Trade Commission Chairman William E. Kovacic to "take action to warn parents of the similar dangers and sexually explicit content found on Second Life."

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"Sites like Second Life offer no protections to keep kids from virtual "rape rooms," brothels, and drug stores," Kirk said, according to a press release. "If sites like Second Life won't protect kids from obviously inappropriate content, the Congress will."

Library Arcade Games

These educational games were developed by graduate students from the Entertainment Technology Center, in collaboration with the University Libraries, and the generous support of the Buhl Foundation.

There's a shelving game and an item retrieval game so far.

What really strikes me about them is that they were developed by grad students and with grant money. Reminds me of the professor who developed the 3d educational biology game with $1million in funding and a team of people to create the game. You always have to keep in mind the resources that go into creating these things. You can't point at a random librarian and expect the same results (unless you're really lucky, in which case, you should be playing the lottery).

Chore Wars

Interesting beta site that uses some of the RPG game elements to reward people for completing tasks.

It can be used by households, offices, anything you can think of. There are 'quests' and even battles (although they do not affect the outcome). Users log in to their character's account in their party, and if they complete a chore, they receive a set amount of XP points. Essentially it is a means to keep track of what got done, and weight the tasks.

How Madison Avenue is Wasting Millions on a Deserted Second Life

Incredibly interesting article by Frank Rose about Second Life. At one point he talks about what the real numbers are for people in Second Life:

According to Linden Lab, the company behind Second Life, the number of avatars created by distinct individuals was closer to 4 million. Of those, only about 1 million had logged on in the previous 30 days (the standard measure of Internet traffic), and barely a third of that total had bothered to drop by in the previous week. Most of those who did were from Europe or Asia, leaving a little more than 100,000 Americans per week to be targeted by US marketers.

The article is aimed at advertisers using Second Life space, but it also applies to libraries. Are your users among the 100,000 Americans logging in per week? Is your SL Library typically an empty building?

"Library's Halo 2 contest causes a stink"

Gamepolitics.com reports that a public library holding a Halo 2 competition has caused some controversy. More info if you follow the title link.

While the library is requiring parental permission slips before admitting underage players to the event, the game's M-rating is not spelled out. Some worry that parents may not realize that their kids will be playing a violent shooting game.

What I find most interesting about the article is this part:

Rose Allen (left), the Mount Prospect library's teen director, explained that the Halo 2 tournament was created on the recommendation of the library’s teen advisory board in order to attract more teenage boys.

A Teen Advisory Board! Yay!

The Escapist: Dewey Decimals and Dance Dance Revolution

Issue 99 of The Escapist Magazine is all about educational games, including the above linked article about DDR in Libraries. Read through the whole issue to find out about DDR in gym class and business simulation games.

Less than a year and about $8,000 later, Neiburger and Helmrich had set up one of the first and largest gaming tournaments at any municipal library in the country. Kids came out of the woodwork to play Mario Kart: Double Dash and Super Smash Bros: Melee. Roughly a quarter of them had never been to a library before.

The French Democracy: a machinima smash raises questions about art and copyright

The Escapist Magazine has an article on machinima in their newest issue. They discuss copyright and art in using video games to create movies, among other issues.

The media's acceptance of "The French Democracy," contrasted with their widespread hysteria about videogames, confirms a gaping cultural divide. Reporters treated machinima with automatic respect, because society has accepted film as a meaningful art form.

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No, the main issue facing machinima is neither technical nor artistic. As any machinima maker can tell you, the main issue is copyright.