City Coucil: Get more kids in the door or we pull your funding.

Library: Hummm, I guess Dr. Seuss readings isn't going to cut the mustard anymore...

Edge of Blade

Yes, they do.

I´ve learnd english through games, pop culture, movies and music, oh, the the evil internet too! I´m serious! Games were never localized for us brazilians and I had to force myself to understand them. I´m thankful for that, seriously. I don´t really know if games help to develop other abilities but they helped me a lot to learn new languages. I´m currently playing Resident Evil 4 in spanish just to learn new stuff.

lucasreis

That's like asking does any one form of media make you smarter? Not all books are educational, not all educational books are good at delivering their message.

Games are a more interactive form of media then most traditional forms (literature or audio/video alone), but the message and process of delivery still need quality. Space Invaders was fun at the time, but I took nothing from it (aside from some hand eye coordination and the belief that all forms of protection will eventually crumble and we should simply embrace our alien overlords when they come and feed them the fat kids).

rezlow

Let me tell you all something.

I live in Arizona, and ANYTHING that can even remotely promote the possibility of making people smarter is a great thing. I have never seen a larger congregation of people with absolutely no common sense in their head. None at all.

So while I would tend to suggest a game like Civilization to really help with people's thinking skills, if Guitar Hero helps them in some way, great. Because the collective intelligence of most of the people in this state ranks somewhere between slim and none.

mva5580

@Fabrice: This.

"Smarter" doesn't necessarily mean more literate, or a bookworm, or anything like that...there's no denying GH improves motor skills, reflexes, hand-eye coordination, rhythm (something that a lot of people lack!)...the list goes on.

Video games, like everything, are a very good thing in moderation. It's only when you binge on them constantly at the expense of say, health, that it becomes a problem.

Norellicus

My local library always host Guitar Hero, DDR, and karaoke nights. I live in Phoenix, AZ.

Moopman133

RPGs in libraries would be a disaster. Can you imagine how long each person would be playing? Unless it was something like the FF: Crystal Chronicles franchise where 4 people can play.

And no, how can they possibly imagine that playing GH improves literacy? There's certainly no direct link, though there may be an indirect link facilitated by the socialization or the library atmosphere. You know, while you wait for your turn maybe you'd open up a book or something.

tybeet

My library just started a video game club too.

ManlyVGnoob

I hate when older people say "video games"

It just sounds...weird.

Ryumeka

Yeah, RPGs would be the way to go for libraries rather than guitar hero. Of course, they don't have the same pull that Guitar hero games do...

Though going to the library for guitar hero is kind of missing the point of the library.

As sad as that fact is, to a lot of people reading seems like an annoyance rather than something done for entertainment. Which is a horrifying dilemma.

DarkCode

Isn't GH3 rated T, not E :P

Maddzy

Looks like Guitar Hero has made Luis a child genius!

idkmybffgreg

This just in: i be a jenius

dabu

These games really improve coordination, reflex and 3D visualisation. At any age it's a pretty good excercise.

Fabrice

What i never understood is why libraries and other social places offered game centers for people? I mean, the fact that they will get broken pretty quickly (e.g. every Best Buy Rock Band drumset) and are expensive is true, but with proper moderation (especially in a place such as a library) that could probably be significantly reduced. Plus it would not only warrant an educational but social benefit, as games like these are community-based games, and could help to keep kids off the streets or provide relief from broken families.

You go ALA and Tuscon.

P3nnst8r has returned on the Graces of Brian Ashcraft

I live in Tucson and I am behind this 100 percent. Hey if this gets kids in its a good thing. When I was a kid I went to a sci fi movie event fairly regularly and it got me in and I always checked out a book on my way out because it was my moms requirement for me to see the movie.

onepoker

I don't really see the link between Guitar Hero and literacy. They're really just looking for an excuse to get kids into the library.

thefais

Maybe not Guitar Hero, but I do believe some video games can make children smarter.

Kai200X

A local school here near Edinburgh has been using Guitar Hero to great effect to bridge the gap between primary and secondary school.

[olliebray.typepad.com]

ixalon

Rubik's Cube made kids smarter in the 70's, on the news at 10!

DigitalHero

Making them smarter? No. But as that girl said, she hangs out at the library now because games are there.

If anything, games can be used to keep kids in a safe social environment in the evening, as opposed to them wandering the streets or getting into bad or illegal things. I think that's what this librarian *should* be focusing on, not "making them smarter".

Unless just being in the library makes kids want to read books.

Schmatz

*words is the right word, worlds is just silly.

RET_Ghost

If they want to improve literacy with video games, RPGs to me would seem like the way to go. I think I learned a lot of worlds from those games....It might have been school though........

RET_Ghost

Bah the whole thing is stupid. To get accurate viable results the study would have to last years and as Fahey pointed out, including only two games, and those two games at that is ridiculous.

Personally, I think it's just the library trying to save their asses because no one wants to go anymore. *smugs*

Syco Killer

this isnt going to work. I say for every hour of guitar hero at least 2 hours of reading not even I will do it.

Servant_of_Jashin

WAIT!!!!!!!!!
They said the library's game were all 'E for everybody' but Guitar Hero is T!! MY GOD

excel_excel

No. Video games can not make anyone smarter. The only thing they can do is ruin society. And anyone who disagrees with me is a farty pants bum head.

- Jack Thompson

mitsoxfan

@Black_Ops_19: .. "isn't".

Black_Ops_19

@Black_Ops_19: But at least the News is blaming Guitar Hero for seizures, or homeless drunks. As per their norm.

~19

Black_Ops_19

Holy shit, TV news isn't damning video games as a martyr? I think I just bricked my pants.

GrrSnort

No.

I didn't have to read it.

~19

Black_Ops_19

@Thunderclap8:

"Literacy" is the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate, compute and use printed and written materials associated with varying contexts.

What does rhythm-based button mashing have to do with that?

tybeet

@TheHun: This

Shykin

@Norellicus:

The problem is... if you watch the video, the question they are asking is "will GH make kids more literate."

I agree with you on the point that they make kids more intelligent. Someone I know has actually done reasearch into the Flynn Effect, asking whether gaming has contributed to the rise in IQ scores in the past few decades.

The answer is: for spatial intelligence, absolutely; for other intelligences, it was inconclusive.

tybeet

I'm a librarian, and have been following closely what ALA is doing with this program. The news story misses the point a bit - games ARE literacy, just a different type than traditional book literacy. There's been a lot of research lately in this area, about how games can help children develop their minds.

Thunderclap8

@Chicopollo: Yes because of course forcing someones brain to comprehend certain notes in order obviously makes people stupid.

Gravnar

I think Guitar Hero makes kids dumber actually.

Chicopollo

It helps with eye/hand coordination and also reading if you are playing rockband...

It helps your brain comprehend things also.

Seeing as how you have to hit the notes in certain orders and other things.

So my answer is Yes.

Gravnar

Obviously games don't make you smarter. Proof: 90% of the comments on Kotaku...

TheHun

I'd have rathered them use something like Civilization or Braid or something that requires you to think. Guitar Hero is great don't get me wrong, but that is strictly a test of Hand-Eye Coordination in the highest degree

Seanross

Yay video games in a positive light! Yay!

Unfortunetely the quick answer will be no.

Your kids will be just as dumb as you were. Probably dumber because your a terrible parent.

Cheers!

grecords

Next up, can bees think?

A new study confirms that no, they cannot.

gaijira

@kevlarkevin: fat jarvis, southpark - guitar queer-o. 8m15s into episode.

kevlarkevin

There is a bunch of research showing that playing videogames regularly will alter/improve various functions in the brain. Research by Green, C.S., Bravelier, D., 2007 found that FPS gamers had an increased allocation of attention for the visual field, and are better at visually tracking multiple objects, when compared to Tetris players. Tetris players did not have the same improvement pattern as the FPS gamers.

Other stories have shown improved coordination and surgical skill; improvements correlate to the brain requirements of the game.

Unless fat jarvis at 8m15s is the new definition of smart, no, guitar hero will not make children smarter.

kevlarkevin

What if they gave you game time based on books you checked out. Maybe require them to tell you what it was about and give them game time. Encourages them to read and rewards them with some rockin out! Earn more game time for more difficult / educational books. Just thoughts.

Piblo

lolwut? How is that place a library? We had similar public places we went to play games when I was a kid only we called them community youth centers. The term "library" we reserved for a building where you go to find, oh I don't know, BOOKS.

But wait a minute...if video games make kids smarter and more violent like the media says...my god, we are going to raise an entire generation of evil super geniuses! Now I'm totally for it.

gaijira

Are you saying that mcdonalds picture menu is a stupid thing?!...nonsense!

Mike918

Wonder how long it will be before Jack Thompson pays a group of parents to send their kids there and have them beat up other kids and turn the story back to "Video Games = Violent Kids"

/I keeeed

PlasmaMachine

Musical training has been shown to improve kids performance in school.

[www.amc-music.com]
[www.apa.org]

Sure, Guitar Hero might not teach kids as much as learning trumpet, but it has to be better than no music lessons at all.

Bakkster_Man

Yeah and fairies will fly out of my butt...Oww...owww! It HUUUUUUURRRTSSSS!

"Kurt Russel? Can you hear me, Kurt Russel?

"THEY'RE RAPING ME!"

sisedi

I'd say Pokemon's the best "teaching" game. There's so many things tied into that game it's crazy. There's a ton of reading, math, and strategic thinking to be done. It's probably the best RPG for those libraries as well. Now if only they gave the games more of a narrative than go to 8 gyms and the Elite Four and beat some sucka fools...

Pickens

Did you know that grocery stores will sell soda pop at a loss on a regular basis? It's to "get people in the door." It's not some bizarro world idea. And any club promoter will tell you about the psychology of associating a certain place with "fun" or making it a familiar destination.

@Thunderclap8 also raises an excellent point. I know a few librarians (and several people with masters degrees in library science) and the concept of "libraries" and "librarianship" has expanded beyond the stereotype of glasses-wearing old ladies shushing you among a stack of dusty books. The modern librarian sees themselves as a steward of media and facilitator of information gathering; a typical library carries DVDs and CDs as well as periodicals and books of all stripes. It's also the only internet access point for a lot of people. Once you accept video games as being as valid an art form as music or movies, Guitar Hero in the library makes perfect sense.

beeporama (brian.j.parker)

@tybeet: I'm thinking more of literacy as this definition: "a person's knowledge of a particular subject or field"

'literacy' is really a very generic term. One can be book literate, computer literate, health literate, etc. Gaming is just another on the list.

I know my own sense of rhythm has been enhanced by 'button mashing' through Guitar Hero/Rock Band. I listen to music a lot differently now than I did before playing those games.

This news report also leaves out another big part of the gaming in libraries initiative: board games. Complicated board games can very easily require a ton of critical thinking skills.

And from the definition you cited, "printed and written materials" needs to be expanded to include media of the modern world - including games.

And lastly, from a more practical standpoint: libraries have circulated movies on VHS & DVD for years now. I don't see that those belong on library shelves any less or more than games do.

Thunderclap8

sheesh

whatev-kev

Other than the obvious enhancements to cognition and coordination (great things in their own right) which games like GH or an FPS focus on, I'm curious as to whether it's possible to develop games to enhance other, specific areas of the brain.

I don't mean edutainment, puzzlers, or Brain Training clones, just a regular game designed with the goal of "tweaking" certain mental skills.

ShaggE

I'm damn interested to see the outcome of the study, but more importantly, I'm just glad to see libraries more fully embracing a relatively new type of culture, as most of us agree they should. But for all the haters, quick story for you: When I was a wee lad of 2 or 3, I used to love my local library, primarily for its play area, containing toys and a small slide. Did the slide make me smarter? Probably not. But it sure as hell made me love the library a lot more. Cut to 20 years later, and I still love the place, worked there for three years, and in two other libraries for four. Will GH make kids smarter? Maybe not directly, but if it gets them in the door, that's good enough for me.

monkeysaresilly

Its funny how the little girl doesn't know how to pronounce library. Smarter I think not.

Phreakz

@beeporama (brian.j.parker): Libraries aren't trying to make a profit, but I can see why they'd run an experiment to make it worthwhile to put in some money. Your arguement makes a fatal mistake here:

"the concept of "libraries" and "librarianship" has expanded beyond the stereotype of glasses-wearing old ladies shushing you among a stack of dusty books. "

MY concept of librarians are steamy 20 something girls with bountiful bosoms who happen to have thick framed glasses and a taste for old fashioned clothes two sizes too small. PS they only sush me as they're fighting thier passions for me. Now if you'll excuse me I'll go back to reading my letters to penthouse.

superapplekid

Well I know from playing Zelda I learned not to be lazy to read lol.

Since some games made you read text of what characters were talking about.

MellowJade

kids don't matter when it comes to video games. More adults play now than kids! the stupid media needs to get off kids! enough! stop calling them video games too. they're video simulators or interactive entertainment! games imply it's a kids thing and dumbs it down.

Orionsaint

Well now we know another excuse a kid will throw at his parents "But, but, it was scientifically proven that it may help my literacy mommy!.

PsycheE

Okay. Let me spell something out for you all. I don't know about where everyone else went to college, but where I went (Indiana University), a "communication degree" is basically the same thing as a literature degree, except without the pretentious assumption that books are the only medium worth studying.

Yes, that's right. Movies, videogames, music, TV news and political speeches are treated as though they are just as important as (now) cliche books written by Dickens, Austen, Bronte and even Shakespeare.

Nevermind the fact that Indiana is in the Midwest. This is where academia is heading. If you grow up in this day and age without listening to and appreciating CCR, Cream, The Who, The Beatles, the Stones, and many, many others, academia will look down upon you as illiterate.

What a shame they're at least half a century late to the party. Mozart would be laughing his ass off right now.

BtownDesignGuy

What he said. Seriously, look up the concept of "media literacy." It does not mean the same thing as literacy; it does not mean "I know how to read mommy."

halfrobo

@Orionsaint that's a bit of a wide brush. What about Game Shows, or games of chance?

MysidianMan

Well - I don't know if it has promoted literacy but it certainly has opened an entirely new generation of kids to classic rock they would have never been exposed to in the past... How many 16 year old kids do you know prior to Guitar Hero and Rock Band that were talking about the musical genius of Boston or hitting iTunes for Outlaws tunes? That has to count for something... Who knows how this could change the future of music now that these kids have a whole new set of influences - I for one think it has opened minds... And that is almost never a bad thing...

Gamertrainer

truth. didnt know what mitochondria was until parasite eve.

could care less about history till MGS3

renewable energy wasnt an issue for me until FF7. and now im a chemical engineer working on just that.

(the last one was only half a joke)

twyphoon

What the ALA is failing to understand is they can't just put the focus on "are the kids becoming more literate?" and checking out books.

Libraries are losing their relevancy for many people as new generations come in. People aren't going to the libraries for their info, unless they really have to. Heck, even back before the internet, public libraries were 3rd in line for where you got your info, behind home encyclopedias and the school library.

Gaming programs at libraries are about libraries examining themselves and saying "Why ARE we needed?" and one of the answers is in building and fostering our communities. Libraries have always been home to a number of programs, from local music programs to arts and crafts to movie showings, none of which have anything directly to do with books. This is just the next step, and the only difference is now we're doing something people actually are talking about. No one complains about libraries carrying movies and music anymore.

I've been in charge of running the gaming tournaments at my library for over 2 years now, and I can say honestly that while there are a good chunk of people who are now checking things out, the other teens are still benefiting from a positive program that A) should be a good enough of a reason by itself and B) no different from anything else we do here that doesn't involve reference materials or the fiction department.

Also, first time poster. Hello!

Izmo

I would think a real guitar would give a child a better chance to be smart.

HannibalKing

@mva5580 as much as I'd like to raise the bar as well, wailing on a 5 button pad to Bulls on Parade sounds like it's just going to exacerbate the problem.

MysidianMan

@mva5580: Heh. You think your state is special. Trust me, California, New York, all of them are no better.

@Norellicus: Nope. Guitar Hero increases reflexes, hand-eye coordination, and rhythm...for Guitar Hero. It doesn't translate. I used to be the world's biggest klutz with no rhythm, and sucked at Guitar Hero. After months of playing, I'm the world's biggest klutz with no rhythm who can play on expert now.

Ad-hominem

>I'm not all that clear on how Guitar Hero is going to promote literacy. When you think about it, the very concept of Guitar Hero is about dumbing-down an activity so every one can do it

I was dead certain this point would be missed. I think I love you.

MysidianMan

aT 00.27 The woman says 'games like Kareeokee and guitar heerooo' She makes it sound like there impossible to prononce. For gods sake

Jacob_Hodgson_Stokes

If you play enchanted arms for too long, it actually makes you dumber. I swear I could speak spanish before starting to collect'em all

PsyComa

I was watching "The Science Channel" the other day and they had a study on how active brains are when they are focused on playing music... the brain becomes very busy when playing music. So I could see Guitar Hero or Rock Band being about as good as Brain Age or slightly better at getting the brain to fire up.. Even though it is a dumb down form of playing an instrument.

JustOneFix

I wish I could go into santa monica library and they'd be like,

YOU CAN DO THROUGH THE FIRE AND THE FLAMES ON EXPERT? REEEEAAALLYYYYYYY?

th4tkid