Playstation Lures Kids Into Libraries

Thanks to an anonymous reader for pointing to an ICWales article reporting the latest consoles are being used to attract children into libraries, apparently "..to dispel their image as scary, boring places." This measure, being tried in some libraries in Wales, may "..make the youngsters recognize that libraries are places for enjoyment, leisure and information", according to a local librarian. However, Welsh politician Valdo Funning was more dismissive, saying: "I was brought up with Treasure Island and Wordsworth and all the great poets, and it gave me a love of those which I still have today at 67. Literature gives you a lifetime of pleasure. I wouldn't have that if I had been playing on a PlayStation."

Comments

a lifetime of pleasure

[Anonymous Coward]

Watching porn has given me a lifetime of pleasure. Literature wouldn't give you that!

Demographics

[M3wThr33]

Picking a Playstation is a bad idea. There's not enough AAA all-ages titles(No ESRB in Europe). But we can't forget that Europe has some Playstation feitsh equivalent to our "Nintendo" as the generic term. Nintendo hates Europe so they've never really pitched in over that area, since the price-fixing argument and everything.

Anyways, BACK TO DEMOGRAPHICS, they should really reconsider their choice, since the Cube has Animal Crossing, Pikin, Super Mario Sunshine, Mario Party 4 and nearly every other good wholesome game devoid of violence, blood, cuss words(THPS), and sex appeal.(I play games with that, but there's no place for it in a library)

If I was a parent, I'd rather see my kid playing Pikmin than DOA:X.

Of course, the first thing after buying the console would be getting the FreeLoader, GB Player and 4 Wavebirds. THEN you'd get kids into the library.

Re:Demographics

[GeorgeH]

Anyways, BACK TO DEMOGRAPHICS, they should really reconsider their choice, since the Cube has Animal Crossing, Pikin, Super Mario Sunshine, Mario Party 4 and nearly every other good wholesome game devoid of violence, blood, cuss words(THPS), and sex appeal.(I play games with that, but there's no place for it in a library)

You're right about there being no place for that stuff in a library. Libraries should only stock books from family friendly publishers, and get rid of that awful Robert A. Heinlein (he encourages bloody revolutions and polygamy!) and J.D. Salinger (Catcher in the Rye? More like Catcher in the Sin) and William Shakespeare (Sex, murder, psychopaths). I'll let all the violence, blood, cuss words and sex appeal of the Bible through because it's holy, but not the Quran or the Torah because they're only for the heathens.

Librarians tend to be pretty anti-censorship when it comes to books, aside from media bias (the old video games don't tell stories fallacy) I can't see why they would refuse to stock a game simply for its content.

(For what it's worth, since the Dreamcast went to the great Funcoland in the sky the Nintendo has consistently put out some of the most innovative games on the market. I still can't put down Warioware)

Re:Demographics

[scot4875]

get rid of that awful Robert A. Heinlein (he encourages bloody revolutions and polygamy!) and J.D. Salinger (Catcher in the Rye? More like Catcher in the Sin) and William Shakespeare (Sex, murder, psychopaths).

While I do agree with your point, to liken these authors and their works to garbage such as DOA:X and the multitude of PSX games that simply allow players to act out adolescent fantasies is to do a great disservice to the authors you mentioned. Their works, despite the 'rough' presentation, have a message, and challenge the reader intellectually. The likes of BMX:XXX do no such thing.

--Jeremy

He might read peotry but any good at Tekken?

[DrSkwid]

'cos my lad does both

Do *anything* in this country and the local paper can find some fart to say what a bad idea it is.

I would warrant that this guy hasn't ever enthused his love of literature to young people and encouraged a single one of them to read a single book. I would go as far to speculate that he probably has never even had a conversation with someone under twenty that wasn't in his own family.

Plenty of people here hate kids, even if they don't couch it in those terms.

As soon as someone actually tries to do _something_
the nay sayers come out of the woodwork and tell you what a crap idea it is.

And then they wonder why their cars are on fire.

Re:He might read peotry but any good at Tekken?

[SN74S181]

Well, obviously anybody who has their car on fire must have done something wrong or somebody wouldn't have set it on fire.

Good gracious! It isn't a matter of hating kids in general. There are some who should be crushed by falling dumpsters, though.

Here's for putting Playstations out in the middle of busy intersections....

Re:He might read peotry but any good at Tekken?

[DrSkwid]

8) I guess that would be one good strand to the bow.

What one tries to do is widen the horizons and show the young person that there is more to the world than their immediate, uninspiring surroundings, hopefully showing them a more constructive method of expression and maybe even turning the overal picture from despair to hope.

The destructive urge is often "no-one listens to me". Sadly a translation of this can often mean "one person in particular doesn't take no for an answer and I want it to stop".

Put this individual in a peer group with personal status and their inner rage can provide all sorts of fun.

yeah they read books alright

[funkmastermike]

Yes um hi.
I'm going to be checking out this book

Same goes for games as for literature?

[KeyserDK]

I was brought up with Day of a Tentacle and Sid Meier and all the great game designers, and it gave me a love of those which I still have today at 21. Games gives you a lifetime of pleasure. I wouldn't have that if I had been reading litterature"

I do enjoy both litterature and gaming. Ofcourse there a crappy games just as there is crappy litterature. But litterature like Day of a Tentacle is something you never forget.

Arrogant Old Fart

[nathanh]

However, Welsh politician Valdo Funning was more dismissive, saying: "I was brought up with Treasure Island and Wordsworth and all the great poets, and it gave me a love of those which I still have today at 67. Literature gives you a lifetime of pleasure. I wouldn't have that if I had been playing on a PlayStation."

I grew up with Treasure Island and Lewis Carroll and I loved them. I also grew up with console games and I loved those too. But this dickhead would have you believe that games are inferior. It's the worst form of arrogance; the idea that because he doesn't like it, it mustn't be any good.

Games are just like books, comics, movies, poetry and any form of entertainment. The great works can influence you for a lifetime.

Re:Arrogant Old Fart

[bigman2003]

Also- going back to the original subject- games in libraries.

Where do you think a child is more likely to pickup a taste for reading- at a library, or at home- where when the Playstation (I prefer Xbox, but I don't want to compete here) goes off, Ricki Lake comes on.

Getting their little butts in the door might be half the battle, one they (library people) are trying to win with a Playstation. Hey- ya gotta try something.

Go into almost any library today, and see what is drawing people in- for my local library the biggest draw is the Internet. The Internet may not be literature, but it is filled with facts (?!?!), communication, and interesting things to look at/read. In my town it also serves those who don't have a connection at home, keeping them somewhat up to date on what is happening out there on the great information superhighway.

Adding technology to the library is not the same as turning their back on the printed word, they are just trying to augment their services to bring people in.

Besides, one day some kid might be waiting for a Playstation, and pick up a book (possibly Treasure Island) maybe he will become a game designer, and create some game based on that one book he read way back when...

Re:Arrogant Old Fart

[tsa]

But this dickhead would have you believe that games are inferior.

When he was 13 there weren't any computers around so he probably doesn't even know what he's talking about.

Re:Arrogant Old Fart

[dekashizl]

OK, I'll bite. You said: Aesthetically, the games played on computers are pretty pitiful compared to the classics of literature.

How about this:
Aesthetically, the fruit you can buy in the grocery store is pretty pitiful compared to the classic dishes made in my favorite French restaurant downtown.

It's a meaningless statement, as was yours. There is a time and place for both things, and your concept of aesthetics is either flawed or so superior to the rest of us, that it needs no explanation or support whatsoever. And I'm leaning pretty strongly toward the former.

Scared and Bored?!?

[greenhide]

to dispel their image as scary, boring places
Does anyone else think this is a strange combination? I'm picturing a horde of young children, walking around with wide, scared eyes, shrieking, "I'm bored! I'm so bored! "

My local library did this too.

[shippo]

A couple of years ago, my local library in Ripon, North Yorkshire, moved to new and very much larger premises, and had a Playstation installed as one of the facilities, fitted with headphones.

Unfortunately the children using it made so much noise that it was withdrawn after only a few months of service.

Re:YMMV

[Omestes]

Eh, not true. I wouldn't have discovered I loved books, if I didn't get suckered into reading by various tricks, now I read foraciously while my peers sit in dark rooms playing crappy sequals all day. How would you know if you love Wordsworth unless you experienced him? How could I want to read Wordsworth BEFORE exporsure? Some odd a priori literary knowledge?

My mom making me like books, and exposing me to library programs planted a seed, I didn't go there on my own seeking to read the meager philosophy section, I had to realize its existance first. I had to start by finding out I loved bad old sci-fi (such as Clifford Simak), then discovered the natural science section while researching something I discovered in a book. Then moved on to bigger and deeper books, on EVERYTHING. All because someone planted a love of books in my, and the knowledge of the existance of the great body of literature out there, on everything.

If I would have never left the confines of my Nintendo and my C-64 I probably wouldn't know half of what I know now, I'd probably (to be honest) be dumber than shit.

Mr. Man does make a mistake though, his all or nothing approach. Just because I game, does not mean that I do not also read. I game like mad, but I also read alot (right now I'm crawling my way through everything Jung has wrote). Video games do not necissarily[sic] rot your brain, the potential is there. But it is also there in books, some people I know ONLY read they never get out and apply what they read, they never leave the house. They are as sick as said kid sitting in a dark room playing crappy sequals.