The main focus of this course is to educate non-gamers about what video games are, to eliminate stereotypes and fears about video games, and to introduce librarians to a medium that engages the free time of more than 80% of their teen clientele. In this six-week course, participants will learn why video games matter in terms of entertainment, culture, learning, literacy, child/adolescent development, world economy, business; discover the platforms, genres, ratings, and brief history of video games; discuss the controversies of games, including violence and gender bias; gain an understanding of how video games function; and develop a library program for the gamer generation. Students may expect to spend approximately 2.5 hours per week on course work.

This course is not available at this time. If you would like to make arrangements for an exclusive group offering, please contact Nicole Gibby-Munguia at nmunguia@ala.org for details.

This course addresses the following of YALSA’s Competencies for Librarians Serving Youth:
(V) Knowledge of Materials

• Teacher: YALSA Staff