Saturday, April 5, 2008

Thing 15. Online Games and Libraries

I had set up a Second Life account last Fall to see what it was like. I found it hard to navigate, but I did learn to fly. I had a hard time finding my way off the learning island. Having said that, I went to a workshop at PLA that showed how another library uses Second Life with their teens to teach history and develop community. It looked great, but I think it would take a lot of training on my part - I learn best with a teacher and don't learn especially easily with online tutorials.

SO, I tried Puzzle Pirates. I learned how to Bilge and Sail. I enjoy playing games online. It's fun to talk to other players. I talked to several players and learned what kind of food they like and someone's favorite rap group (I checked out their lyrics -OH MY!) I was not invited to join a crew yet, but I'm sure it's just a matter of time, me being an excellent pirate and all.

You could recommed Club Penguin at www.miniclip.com to introduce younger kids to the onlien social gaming thing. There was an online fantasy social gaming site that was all the rage about a year and a half ago, but the (mostly) boys who played it are now into myspace and a new crop of useres never materialized. We had to reconfigure the computer settings to allow the game to play properly. We also recently invested in two of the plush pets that come with online codes so the (mostly) girls who bought them could feed and play with the toys online. Te site even has a chat room so easy a 4-year-old can use it.

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