Every year, Germany’s Digital Gaming Culture Foundation (Stiftung Digitale Spielekultur) supervises the Gamescom Committee, a small group of journalists who choose the best games that were present at the Gamescom expo. The Gamescom expo is held in the Summer, and serves as the European equivalent to the Los Angeles-based E3 Expo.
While most of these titles are still in development, you should keep them in mind when you add games to your collection this Fall and into 2020.
Dreams was named “Best of Gamescom,” and the full list of winners and nominees can be found below. Continue reading →
The American Library Association is gearing up to host another International Games Week this November, and the Games In Libraries blog has announced that registration for this year’s event has begun. A map highlighting this year’s registered libraries can be found on Google Maps.
International Games Week 2019 is scheduled for November 3rd through the 9th, and librarians across the world are encouraged to host gaming-related programs on any (or all) of those dates.
Every year, the Game Critics Awards, a collection of editors from more than 60 major publications that cover the video game industry, get together to choose the best games at the E3 Expo.
While all of these titles are still in development, you should keep them in mind when you add games to your collection this Fall and into 2020.
Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VII Remake was named “Best of Show,” and the full list of winners and nominees can be found below. Continue reading →
The Games In Education organization is now accepting registrations for the 13th Annual Games In Education Symposium, which will held at the Troy (NY) Middle School on August 19th and 20th. Speakers and presentation topics will be announced soon:
Games in Education Symposium is a two-day event focusing on the use of technology to supplement & inspire education in the classroom. Participants span early childhood through post secondary educators in New York’s Capital District and surrounding regions who are interested in finding ways to use video games and related technology to enrich and inspire interest by students in core curriculum topics. The symposium has run annually since 2007 and is free for educators to attend.
You can register to attend the Games In Education Symposium at the organization’s official website.
Do you have patrons interested in Harry Potter: Wizards Unite but you’re not sure how to guide them? Don’t worry, CNET has posted a great primer for anyone looking to enroll in the Wizarding World:
Ready to join with other witches and wizards to battle dark forces, subdue magical beasts, save Harry Potter and his friends, brew potions and get to the bottom of the Calamity, an unexplained event scattering magical items across the Muggle? Good. Here’s how to get started playing Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, the mobile game now available for download in nearly 150 countries for Android and iPhone from the creator of the wildly popular Pokemon Go.
[…]
And while it’s similar to the wildly popular Pokemon Go, it’s OK if you’ve never played that game because Harry Potter: Wizards Unite really feels like a new game and not a reskinned Pokemon Go. In fact, we think Harry Potter: Wizards Unit beats Pokemon Go every way but one.
CNET’s guide covers how to get started, as well as Map, Spells, Potions, Portkeys, Professions, and Currency. Just be sure not to drop your phone when swinging it around like a wand.
Niantic’s next augmented reality game, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, will cast a spell on iOS and Android devices in the US and the UK later this week. The game, which asks players to help contain a “Calamity” that’s dropping magical items on the Muggle world, will be available to download beginning June 21.
Like the developer’s Pokemon Go, players will interact with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter: Wizards Unite in the real world. The game’s official website explained exactly how it works in a recent post:
Play Your Part in the Wizarding World
A calamity has befallen the wizarding world, causing artefacts, creatures, people, and even memories to mysteriously appear in the Muggle world. Witches and wizards from across the globe must come together to solve the mystery of The Calamity, overcome the confounding chaotic magic that surrounds these “Foundables,” and return them to their rightful place, keeping them safe from Muggle eyes.
Your journey begins as a new recruit of the Statute of Secrecy Task Force, established by the Ministry of Magic and the International Confederation of Wizards for the purpose of investigating and containing The Calamity.
The Magic is All Around You
As you step outside and explore the world, the Map will reveal Traces of magic, highlighting the location of magical Foundables. While these Traces can be found all around you, certain Foundables may be more likely to appear at various types of real-world locations including parks, banks, municipal buildings, college campuses, libraries, monuments, zoos, art galleries, and more. Cast a variety of spells to overcome the Confoundable magic, keep the magical Foundables safe, and send them back to the wizarding world. By returning Foundables, you’ll earn unique rewards that can be tracked in the game Registry.
As you cast spells, you’ll consume Spell Energy. Be sure to regularly stop by Inns, found at Muggle locations around the world, to collect food and drinks that replenish your Spell Energy. While exploring, you’ll also come across ingredients that can be used to brew Potions, which will aid you in different aspects of your Wizarding World journey. These ingredients can be found on the Map, varying by the environment, weather, and time of day, as well as in specially designated Greenhouses.
Make sure to also keep an eye out for Portmanteaus, which can be unlocked to reveal Portkeys that whisk you away to iconic wizarding world locations. For the first time you’ll be able to step into a full 360-degree Advanced AR immersive experience in places like Ollivander’s Wand Shop.
Stronger United
Test your combat skills by visiting one of the multiple Fortresses indicated on the Map. Fortresses are host to Wizarding Challenges, real-time multiplayer battles against dangerous foes, including Death Eaters and ferocious Werewolves. You won’t want to face these threats alone–gather your friends to take on threats of even higher levels and recover rarer magical Foundables from within the Fortress walls.
To further develop your wizarding skills, you can also choose to specialize in different magical Professions. Aurors, Magizoologists, and Professors each have their own unique skills and abilities that will come in handy at different times, particularly during Wizarding Challenges. Team up and strategize with witches and wizards from other Professions to tip the scales in your favor.
A Launch Trailer for Harry Potter: Wizards Unite has been embedded above.
Many libraries will use “A Universe of Stories” as their Summer Reading theme this year to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing.
But you might want to check out a new post from School Library Journal by Thomas Knowlton if you’re interested in adding a little outer space to your gaming collection this Summer. He suggests three titles (one tabletop game and two video games) that would be perfect to if you want to take one small step…
Outer space is almost a perfect setting for a game: it suggests the potential for friendly (or hostile) contact with alien life, the physics of gravity, and the mechanics of managing limited resources to survive. One can trace these threads back to Spacewar! (1962) and Asteroids (1979) to modern classics such as Cosmic Encounter (2008) and FTL: Faster Than Light (2012).
Below are three titles which complement this year’s Collaborative Summer Reading theme, “A Universe of Stories,” and also emphasize, through their mechanics, the need for players to work together when faced with galactic danger.
Knowlton focuses on Mole Rats in Space, a cooperative tabletop game for all ages, as well as Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime (PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One), and No Man’s Sky (PC, PS4, Xbox One).
Subscribers to Information Today should definitely be on the lookout for the newest issue, as the June 2019 cover story promises an extensive look at “Video Games at the Library.”
The trio of articles looks at how best to spend your gaming budget, what you need to know to develop gaming events and activities, and the positive effects that video games can have on learning:
Everything Librarians Always Wanted to Know About Video Games
(But Were Afraid Wasn’t Job-Related)
by Anthony Aycock
The Library as the Modern Arcade
Video Game Events and Programs at the Library
by Justin Hoenke
Embracing the Power of Gaming in Education
Substance, Engagement, and Flow
by Chi Nwogu
All of these articles provide a great foundation for any librarian looking to bring video games into their library. And there’s also a few words of wisdom from your trusty Video Game Librarian in a sidebar on Page 17. So be sure to check it out!
Every year, Germany’s Digital Gaming Culture Foundation (Stiftung Digitale Spielekultur) supervises the Gamescom Committee, a small group of journalists who choose the best games that were present at the Gamescom expo. The Gamescom expo is held in the Summer, and serves as the European equivalent to the Los Angeles-based E3 Expo.
Every year, the 
Do you have patrons interested in Harry Potter: Wizards Unite but you’re not sure how to guide them? Don’t worry, 
Subscribers to