VGL Review – Wii For Dummies

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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 October 13, 2008.

A few weeks ago, Wiley Publishing released Wii For Dummies, the latest book in their “For Dummies” series. The book was written by Kyle Orland, a regular contributor to the popular Joystiq blog and the creator of GameSpot‘s PressSpotting column.

Short and simple, Wii For Dummies is an essential addition to any library’s collection of video game books. Orland knows his stuff and this book shows why he is one of the most trusted names in game journalism.

Wii For Dummies covers the full gamut of information that anyone interested in the Wii would need to know including how to find one in stores, what to do with it once you get it home, how to connect it to the Internet and (most important of all) what kinds of games the Wii has to offer. It also includes detailed sections on all of the Wii Channels that Nintendo offers as well as a primer on Mii creation. Owing to their success, the book even gives Wii Sports and Wii Fit their own individual chapters.

The writing is clear and concise and, like the best Dummies books, the subject matter is kept simple so that no one feels out of their depth. Veteran video game players will find little use for Wii For Dummies, but this book isn’t really for them. For beginners to the world of video gaming, this book is an indispensable resource. A ton of helpful photographs, screenshots and illustrations round out the package to help guide new Wii owners in using their new toy.

Verdict: Highly Recommended

Free Resources for 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 September 30, 2008.

National Gaming Day @ Your Library (which is on Saturday, November 15) is getting closer and closer and the American Library Association has two programs that can help librarians get involved.

The first activity will be a national video game tournament using the Ann Arbor Library’s GT System. Interested librarians can sign up at icanhaz.com/ngd to participate.

If a national video game tournament sounds like too much, librarians who register to participate can also obtain a copy of the Hasbro board game Pictureka! for free. Hasbro has offered to donate a copy of the game to every public library branch in the U.S. And because of that, the second activity is an attempt to set a record for the most number of people playing a board game at the same time.

Finally, an online publicity tool kit will be available starting tomorrow, October 1. This kit will include downloadable artwork, a customizable postcard, a sample press release, a sample letter to the editor, and much more

More information (and the online tool kit) can be found at the ALA’s Games and Gaming Resources for NGD 2008 page or at the Facebook Event page.

University of Michigan’s Computer and Video Game Archive is Now Open

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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 23, 2008.

Dave Carter, a librarian at the University of Michigan and the writer behind the Eaten by a Grue blog, wants everyone to know that the school’s Computer and Video Game Archive is now open to the public. One might say it’s currently in beta testing, as Carter refers to the current operating schedule as the “Preview Opening,” and the official “Grand Opening” will happen sometime in November.

But for now, the Archive is open during weekday afternoons and offers a ton of gaming opportunities as seen in the pictures attached to Carter’s post.

Keep up the good work Dave.

Volume 3 and 4 of Legend of Zelda’s Manga Adaptation Will Come to US in Early 2009

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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 22, 2008.

Viz Media is getting ready to release the first volume of The Legend of Zelda manga, The Legend of Zelda: Volume 1 – Ocarina of Time: Part 1, on October 7. But now, Amazon listings for Volume 3 and Volume 4 have popped up on the site.

Both books will again be written by Akira Himekawa and will be based on different games in the Zelda saga. The third volume, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. will be released on February 3, 2009. The fourth volume, The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons, will follow on April 7, 2009.

Part 2 of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time‘s manga adaptation is still scheduled for release on December 2.

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.

The Stanford Game Library and Blog

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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 9, 2008.

A few days ago, a link at Kotaku lead me to the Stanford University How They Got Game blog. In turn, that site showed me the way to Stanford’s Stephen M. Cabrinety Collection of video games.

How They Got Game is a research blog detailing the history and cultural impact of video games while the Cabrinety Collection is a list of the hundreds of games they have in their collection. Both blogs are an interesting look at how librarians are attempting to preserve some of the more unique pieces of video game history.

The Kotaku article focused on a blog post discussing products licensed by Nintendo in the 80s including paper plates, a backpack and Nintendo Cereal System (which, by the way, was delicious to my seven year old self). In “Errant Nintendo Licensing“, Stanford’s Eric Kaltman also examined how Mario and Link, Nintendo’s flagship mascots, were rendered by different artists for these products.

A part of me is actually amazed that someone was able to find this stuff in good condition after 20 years.

Xbox 360 Essentials #1

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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 25, 2008.

Choosing what games to buy for your video game collection can sometimes be a tough task. Where do you start? Ideally, it would be great to be able to buy at least one copy of every game, but realistically, that’s just not possible. So here are ten highly recommended titles that belong in every Xbox 360 collection. They may be critically acclaimed, they may be sitting atop the sales charts or they may be cult classics that have been unjustly overlooked. But all of them are essentials.

The Xbox 360 is by far the console of choice when it comes to gamers in their twenties. And to satisfy this niche, developers have responded by putting the most realistic and action-packed titles on the Xbox 360 that they can. It also so happens that many of these titles happen to be rated M For Mature. So if you’re ready to take the plunge into the M-rating, here are ten essential M-rated titles for the Xbox 360.

Here are today’s additions to the Xbox 360 Core Collection: Continue reading →

Wiley Will Release Wii For Dummies Next Month

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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 25, 2008.

Wiley Publishing has revealed the latest book in their “For Dummies” series… Wii For Dummies. Scheduled for a September 29th release, the book was written by Kyle Orland, Joystiq blogger and freelance game journalist extraordinaire. Orland is one of the best game journalists out there, so this book will surely be as thorough an examination of the Wii as a “For Dummies” book will allow.

Some of the topics that Wii For Dummies will cover include:

  • How to connect a Wii to a television
  • How the various Wii controllers work
  • Mii creation and use
  • An explanation of Wii Channels (including the Photo Channel, the Wii Browser and the various Mii channels)
  • Details on the Wii’s best games, including Wii Sports and Wii Fit

Wiley Publishing has tackled video games with the “For Dummies” series before, and they previously published PlayStation 2 For Dummies in 2001 and Xbox 360 For Dummies in 2005.