Category Archives: Game News

Study: Majority of American Adults Play Video Games

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This article is from the first edition of The Video Game Librarian website I published between 2008 and 2010. It was originally written on December 8, 2008.

Back in September, a Pew Internet study revealed that 97% of teenagers play video games. Impressive, but hardly a revelation. Their latest study might provide a bit more of a surprise.

That study, Adults and Video Games, revealed that the majority of adults in America love video games:

  • 53% of American adults play video games of some kind
  • 81% of Americans aged 18-29 play video games of some kind
  • 23% of Americans aged 65+ play video games of some kind

They also found that elderly gamers play more often than young adult gamers:

  • 20% of young adults (aged 18-29) who play video games play everyday
  • 36% of elderly adults (aged 65+) who play video games play everyday

The full report can be found in PDF form at the official website for Pew Internet.

1UP Covers National Gaming Day @ Your Library 2008

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This article is from the first edition of The Video Game Librarian website I published between 2008 and 2010. It was originally written on November 11, 2008.

National Gaming Day @ Your Library, which is scheduled for Saturday, November 15, got another boost yesterday with some news coverage from 1UP. The article includes a brief writeup of what will be happening during National Gaming Day as well as a quote from ALA President Jim Rettig:

“Gaming formats have become a valuable tool for libraries,” said American Library Association President Jim Rettig. “Not only has this new format increased library usage from hard to reach users such as teens, we also have found that video games attract a variety of users and are a great vehicle to teach basic technology skills.”

UPDATE: A second writeup about National Gaming Day @ Your Library was published by the mainstream gaming press today. Be sure to check it out at Joystiq.

Every Teen Plays Video Games

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This article is from the first edition of The Video Game Librarian website I published between 2008 and 2010. It was originally written on September 17, 2008.

A recent study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project has published the game playing habits of teenagers in a new study and the results are unsurprising: Nearly every teenager plays video games of some kind. While this might be a “duh” announcement for some, it’s nice to see it made official by a real research firm.

Some of the numbers from the study are very interesting indeed. I think the “yesterday” statistic is particularly telling about teenagers and video games:

Fully 97% of teens ages 12-17 play computer, web, portable, or console games. Additionally:

  • 50% of teens played games “yesterday.”
  • 86% of teens play on a console like the Xbox, PlayStation, or Wii.
  • 73% play games on a desktop or a laptop computer.
  • 60% use a portable gaming device like a Sony PlayStation Portable, a Nintendo DS, or a Game Boy.
  • 48% use a cell phone or handheld organizer to play games.

A summary breakdown of the report can be found at Pew Research while the full report and the questionnaire used can be found at Pew Internet.

Finally, I am very jealous of Dave Carter, a librarian at the soon-to-be-opened University of Michigan Game Archive and writer of Eaten by a Grue, who used a better version of the headline before I could get a chance to write this post.

Who is the “Author” of a Video Game?

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This article is from the first edition of The Video Game Librarian website I published between 2008 and 2010. It was originally written on August 16, 2008.

A post on the MTV Multiplayer Blog today attempts to answer one of the age old questions of video games: why doesn’t a game’s director get his name on the box?

It’s a good question as librarians routinely suggest books based on the author. Furthermore, with the game industry regularly comparing themselves to the movie industry, film’s “auteur theory” has never made the jump.

There could be any number of reasons for this. A book will usually only have one author and collaborations between two or more authors is rare. The auteur theory in film studies declares that the director is the final voice in the creation of a movie. So in these industries, the “creator” of a work is very clear cut and librarians can use that information to suggest other works that may be of interest to a patron.

The problem with games is that there’s no cut and dried creator of a game. Right now, two very different entities could be considered the “author” of a game. The first, which would tie in most closely with the writer of a book or the director of a movie is the game’s lead developer. Continue reading →

FTC Says Retailers Enforce ESRB Ratings the Best

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This article is from the first edition of The Video Game Librarian website I published between 2008 and 2010. It was originally written on May 8, 2008.

The Federal Trade Commission has released the 2008 update to their undercover shopper study and found that retailers enforce the ESRB ratings more than any other medium.

The report (which can be found here) shows that underage shoppers were able to purchase Mature-rated games only 20% of the time. This is less than half the number of underage shoppers who were able to buy M-rated games in 2006 (42%).

This is a better enforcement rate than any of the other mediums, including R-rated movie tickets (35%), R-rated DVDs (47%), unrated DVDs (51%) and CDs with Paternal Advisory stickers (54%).

The report further breaks the numbers down by store. Among video game retailers, GameStop has the best enforcement rate (6%), while Hollywood Video has the worst (40%)

It’s great to see stores enforcing the ESRB ratings (it makes the “Won’t someone think of the children!” screaming of parental groups look all the more silly), but it may be worrisome for libraries. Many libraries make parents police what is on their child’s account. If parents come to assume that stores will keep Mature-rated games away from their children, they may expect the same from libraries. And that could lead to the awkward conversation where the parent wants to know why their child was “allowed” to borrow the latest blood-and-guts shooter from the library.

The solution (which many libraries practice) is to not carry Mature-rated games. But this is also problematic as it denies adults access to many great games. It also puts games on a different plane from books and movies (which feature themes and scenes on par with any Mature-rated title).

The key, of course, is education. And educating parents on the ESRB rating scale is the first step.

Resources: Everything There is to Know About Grand Theft Auto IV

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This article is from the first edition of The Video Game Librarian website I published between 2008 and 2010. It was originally written on April 30, 2008.

Is all the Grand Theft Auto IV information that’s swirling around the Internet a little overwhelming? Probably so, but if you’re planning to add the game to your collection, it helps to be prepared!

Kotaku has put together a “Grand Theft Auto IV Information Dump” that includes helpful tips about practically everything you might want to know about the game including reviews, comparisons between the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, reports of the game freezing and crashing, and an FAQ titled “Everything You Wanted To Know About GTA IV (So Stop Asking!).”

And on the other side of the coin, What They Play has created the “Grand Theft Auto IV Parent Resource Center” detailing why kids want to play the Mature-rated hit, how they plan to do that without their parents finding out, and “11 Things Parents Should Know About Grand Theft Auto IV.”

Consoles Are Not Dying Out… Don’t Panic!

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This article is from the first edition of The Video Game Librarian website I published between 2008 and 2010. It was originally written on April 1, 2008.

Last Friday, Sandy Duncan, the former head of Xbox Europe was interviewed by That VideoGame Blog. During the conversation, Duncan was quoted as saying that game consoles will disappear in 5-10 years and that everything will be piped into your TV as “web services.” Here’s the full quote:

“I think dedicated games devices i.e. consoles (and handhelds) will die [out] in the next 5 to 10 years. The business model is very risky and the costs associated with creating new hardware are incredibly high. There is a definite “convergence” of other devices such as set top boxes. There’s hardly any technology difference between some hard disc video recorders and a an Xbox 360 for example. In fact in 5 to 10 years I don’t think you’ll have any box at all under your TV, most of this stuff will be “virtualized” as web services by your content provider.”

But don’t worry, the idea is absurd on its face, and I’ll tell you why. Consoles aren’t going anywhere, and you’d think a former Microsoft bigwig would know that. But then, you’d think the current bigwig of Sony would know that too… Continue reading →