MUVE and Gaming

This semester I learned what a MUVE is. Well, technically I kind of knew what a  MUVE (multi-user virtual environment) was, I just didn't know the actual definition. While I don't really engage in them myself, I know of Minecraft, a very popular MUVE. My friend's son is obsessed with the game, and brought it with him when we went out to lunch recently. He showed me his world, how he built it, and what he could do with it. I was impressed because it really gets people involved and is creative. I think they are a great idea for libraries and offer something other than a traditional video game. Any kind of game that gets kids thinking and being creative is always a positive thing.

Even though I don't play Minecraft or traditional MUVEs, I am still a gamer. I've been playing games since my father brought home our first system, when I was around 5 years old: The Intellivision. As the years went on, the consoles got more sophisticated. My father introduced my love of video games, and when he bought a Nintendo, I thought nothing could ever beat that. That was until he came home from working in New York City late one night and had a very special game with him. A game we had seen advertised, and came in a special gold cartridge.

image courtesy of ign.com

No other game franchise would endear itself to me like the Legend of Zelda. I still play all of the games in the series, to this day. Although I would classify myself as a Nintendo super-fan, I do also have an Xbox 360 and a PS3 in my house. I play everything from role playing games to puzzle games to platformers. I tend to stay away from first person shooters, as the genre has never done anything for me. Another favorite series of mine, is Animal Crossing, which could be described as a MUVE-light. In Animal Crossing, you are a human who creates a village occupied by...animals. You can fish, celebrate holidays and birthdays, and build. The game takes place in real-time, so it reflects whatever the date is on your gaming system.

There is a video game club that meets at the high school media center where I work, and the turnout has been great. I love that it is more "mainstream" to see video games in libraries now. One of my goals is to buy a Wii U system for the media center, and have the kids branch out by playing with clubs from other schools in the area, and try to attend meet-ups and conventions. 

If I am so lucky as to become employed as a children's librarian, I would love to start up a video game club if the library doesn't already have one. Games like Mario Kart, Smash Bros., Guitar Hero, and others have a way of bringing teens together and creating a fun environment for them.