More Video Games on Library Shelves

Joystiq has the link to an update on a previous story we ran covering the efforts of a gentleman to add video games to library circulation stock. Since then, the program has really taken off, and Gaming Target has an update on how the project is going. From the article: "Circulation numbers have been brisk. With two week loan periods and late charges of only 25 cents a day, people are jumping at the chance to check out games, any game. I don't know why it's surprising, but people (adults and children, but mostly children) will pull stuff off the shelf and check it out without even looking at what game it is they're getting out."

The only hope for today's youth ...

[Anonymous Coward]

... is to hide books in the cases. Might work if they don't look at what they get.

Re:The only hope for today's youth ...

[blueZhift]

... is to hide books in the cases. Might work if they don't look at what they get.

Heh heh! I'd love to see something like this done with the classics. Check out a game and get a copy of Alice In Wonderland, or Dante's Inferno. With some creativity, some of these books may even be read! How about that, a useful Trojan Horse!

Re:The only hope for today's youth ...

[Monkeman]

How about a Trojan that puts ebooks on your computer?

Re:The only hope for today's youth ...

[Austerity Empowers]

One again the pompous argument that somehow reading books is beter than watching TV or playing video games. In particular, reading classics.

Until someone can scientifically prove that reading books is in fact better in some dimension that we can all agree is critical, I will continue to point out the pretension and elitism of such statements.

Shakespeare can be skipped, with no ill effect, except for those who intend upon pursuing the arts. Nothing Shakespeare wrote is original, nor has he cornered the market on those storylines.

Personally I take a good story anywhere I can find it, books, games, movies, TV, word of mouth. Exactly what sensory input I use to absorb it is really irrelevant.

Re:The only hope for today's youth ...

[Ian Action]

Ditto to that. People sometimes forget that at one time reading books was considered unhealthy.

Bookstores today a filled with uptight pretentous assholes who look down upon those who read sci-fi, fantasy or comics (save for a few authors in each repective genre), considering them garbage, all the while reading whatever bestseller or political trash book they can find. It makes me not want to read!

Also, Shakespeare sucks, Dostovevsky pwns.

Re:The only hope for today's youth ...

[defkkon]

One again the pompous argument that somehow reading books is beter than watching TV or playing video games. In particular, reading classics.

I believe that playing games is far superior to watching television. Rather than sit in front of the idiot box to be entertained, I believe its better for the mind to interact with your entertainment, to have some thought (or at least reflexes?) put into your form of entertainment.

Now as for reading, I believe that this is superior to games and television. I'm not being elitist. I have friends who haven't voluntarily read a book in their life. The result? Their ability to read, write, and speak has been crippled. They can't spell even moderately complex words. They read at the speed and comprehension level of someone 1/2 their age. When they speak, they don't make use of some our our language's more interesting adjectives, verbs, etc. It really is unfortunate. Say what you want, I still think that reading helps all these things immensely.

Re:The only hope for today's youth ...

[kniLnamiJ-neB]

I would mod you all the way to the top if I could...

My experiences with many of my non-reading friends is very similar. I went to school with a guy who plays games about as frequently as I do, but didn't do much reading when he was younger; his command of the English language doesn't extend beyond the level of video game text... it's simple, gets the point across, but it doesn't sound like a highly educated person (which he is) wrote it. Kids should have to read more... even if it isn't the "classics". As far as I'm concerned, Dickens sucked. But Tolkien? There's some pretty advanced reading in some parts of his work. If you can survive The Silmarillion (which I couldn't), you've got a great ability to understand English. I could follow parts of it, but some of it I had to read several times to understand what he was saying. Don't make them read "the Classics" just because they're "the Classics". Read well-written stuff from non-traditional sources, too. Most of all, just spend time reading things! Our whole society's communication system in about 20 years is going to be "OMGWTFBBQ r u coming over 2nite?" unless kids learn the written word... and while games are good, they don't teach this incredibly valuable skill.

Re:The only hope for today's youth ...

[ZephyrXero]

When you say "reading the classics" you mean playing old text games right? Or perhaps something like Final Fantasy 6 (3 in US)? ;P

This is Great!

[Gramaton Cleric]

This is Great! I have been doing this for 2 years and it has helped me decide If I want to go and buy the game long before I actually paid for it!!
It is also helpful to see if the reviews for a game are actually truthful or just meaningless propoganda!! Check out your closest Library for the Gems waiting for you!

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:without even looking?

[Anonymous Coward]

Such a cheapshot; and yet it still made me giggle.

And it is great!

[toygeek]

My son just checked out Tony Hawks Underground for PS2 and has been playing it, and loves it. Now we know to look for it on the used shelf at Gamestop and EB.

Impact

[Leroy_Brown242]

What sort of impact will this have on game sales? I know that libraries won't be carrying tons of new games. But even if they carry a few dozen different games, how many will that prevent from being bought at a retail store? Or, are we just talking older games?

Re:Impact

[porcupine8]

I would imagine about the same impact they have on book, CD, and video/DVD sales? And probably similar to the impact of renting on sales - the fact that it's free will be balanced out by the fact that each library only has one, maybe two copies of each game, whereas each Blockbuster probably has dozens of the most popular ones.

In other words, I doubt the game companies are fretting. If anything, it's free try-before-you-buy advertising.

Re:Impact

[HAKdragon]

In addition to books, I regularly get DVDs from my library. These are generally movies I've been meaning to see but haven't gotten around to it. So if there's a movie that pops into mind that might look good, I go the library's website and if they don't have it in, I can place a hold and I'll get an email when it arrives. I can wait a few days for a movie that I've been wanting to see, but isn't on the top of my list. Plus, if I don't like the movie, I don't feel bad about getting it because I didn't pay money for crap.

Re:Impact

[AuMatar]

Even more so with Blockbuster game pass and gamefly.com. For 10-20 a month you can get unlimited rentals and no late fees. So keep the game til you beat it. Thats far more harmful to sales than a library with a due date.

Re:Impact

[LWATCDR]

Of course everyone is skipping one "issue".
DVD burner+mode chip+Library card = new game for your collection.

Re:Impact

[Dizzle]

DVD burner + mod chip + internet/blockbuster/friend/buying and returning games = new game for your collection. Copying games seems to be more prevalent than you initally hinted.

Re:Impact

[dougmc]

What sort of impact will this have on game sales?

Well, what sort of impact do libraries have on book sales? It's not like libraries are a new thing ...

Of course, both are valid questions, and tricky to answer. I guess you could find a community with no library but a book store, and then add a library, and see how book store sales change.

In any event, the book publishing industry generally does not like libraries (and this is not a new thing), because they are seen to reduce sales. But they don't dare go after them directly, because there would be a large public backlash ...

Re:Impact

[penguin121]

I don't think that comparing the affect on books and games would be that useful in this case. Books are typically something that you will probably just read once then be done with, even if it is a fairly good book, while games it is common to replay over a more extended period, especially if it is good. I'm not saying this is the case all of the time but in general its true. Thus whatever impact it has on the volume of book sales, I would expect a smaller effect on the volume of game sales. Though it might result in better games getting mor of those sales.

Re:Impact

[Gulthek]

For many people it's the other way around. They will play a game once and then put it straight on eBay, whereas books will be re-read many, many times.

Not me though, I replay and reread just about everything.

Re:Impact

[AuMatar]

Unless its multiplayer, I never replay a game. I reread books constantly. I have to, my book bill is already several hundred a month, I can't afford more.

Re:Impact

[DLWormwood]

In any event, the book publishing industry generally does not like libraries (and this is not a new thing), because they are seen to reduce sales.

I personally don't see how this can be true. Libraries, in general, provided a guaranteed minimum sales base for many publications that would go missing if they were discouraged from existing. For many small publishers, libraries are the only real source of bulk purchasing, especially for journal periodicals and more technical or obscure hard cover works. And for bigger "mass market" publications, they've got little competition since any given library will only buy one or two titles, which will end up on lengthy reserve lists if popular. Really, if it weren't for libraries, I'd think books would sell less due to the reduced visibility of literacy in a culture.

Re:Impact

[kniLnamiJ-neB]

I hope it *does* have a major impact on game sales. The problem I personally have is that most of the games on the shelf right now are boring recompiles of a game they released this time last year. Maybe if people try it, find out it's really crap, and don't buy it, the game companies will lose enough money on their crappy re-releases that they'll have to actually come up with innovative stuff so that people will buy them.

Probably because its free to borrow

[MMaestro]

Its simple as that. Its "try before you buy". Don't like it? Return the game. Like it? Write down the name, return it, and go buy a retail copy of it. You can't lose!

Re:Probably because its free to borrow

[British]

Its simple as that. Its "try before you buy". Don't like it? Return the game. Like it? Write down the name, return it, and go buy a retail copy of it. You can't lose!

There was a system like that, but you had to pay full retail price, but if you didn't like it for any reason, return it for full refund(more like deposit).

The place was called Electronics Botique. :)

CD/DVD Scratches

[wuie]

I currently check out DVDs all the time from my public library, and some of them are of decent quality. However, there are some DVDs that have been scratched into oblivion, and are barely able to play in any of the DVD players that I have.

If libraries start providing video games as well, I sure hope they have a way to protect the discs as much as possible and keep them running like new.

When I was a kid

[Pulse_Instance]

The library in my town had a list of games/software with the number of disks you needed for that software. You would drop of the disks and come back a couple days later and the game was on the disk. I am pretty sure it was all shareware/freeware but as a kid it was awesome.

No Arguments over ESRB

[robbway]

My library has had a policy on media-other-than-books as long as I can remember. They don't let minors check them out. The exception was the children's section, but you were limited to a total of three.

If there was ever a good argument for keeping the original game in storage and loaning a single playable duplicate of that game (disc media, anyway), this would be it. Rental stores, too. You could replace a stolen copy (and report it), and the sale of older items (destroying the copies) would fetch a better price.

Duh

[Anonymous Coward]

people (adults and children, but mostly children) will pull stuff off the shelf and check it out without even looking at what game it is they're getting out."

Yeah, and if I had to hazard a guess as to why, it's probably because they already know what game they want to check out before they even enter the library.

Seriously, these people buy magazines that do nothing but talk about games. You think they are going to walk into a library and think "duh... dunno what this game is all about, I'd better read the box to find out"?

If anything's the story here, it's that libraries don't just appeal to casual gamers, but avid gamers as well, which means the effect on game sales might be larger than previously anticipated.

Hmmm... A Way Around The System?

[DLWormwood]

From the article...

We're also not above using a little luck to add to the collection either. Shortly after its release, a copy of Gran Turismo 4 was found abandoned in one of the study carrels. For six weeks it sat in the lost and found with no one to claim it. After that it was processed and placed in the collection and gone out steadily ever since.

I remember reading in the original article that they had troubles getting certain titles, since they were bound by library policy to order titles (for significant markup!) via an "approved" supply chain.

If I lived near that library (and I could prevent another patron from walking off with it before they find it), I'd leave my almost new copy of Culdcept there for them to put into circulation. While I liked the game, the single player AI felt a little unfair. As a game which is essentially a mix of Magic: The Gathering and Monopoly, it would be a better play in 2-4 player games, which would be more likely to be played by some patrons of the library rather than myself.

Re:Hmmm... A Way Around The System?

[Trinn]

I just want to comment...I know this is a bit off-topic, but honestly, the world really needs more people who feel like you do to make themselves heard. Many many people are not against doing a bit to help others when they can afford it, and if it were more well accepted outside of the "charity" idea, specifically if it was actually normal to just offer whatever you can whenever you can, the whole world would be a hell of a lot nicer right about now.

Re:Hmmm... A Way Around The System?

[AuMatar]

Just donate it instead of walking off. Libraries always accept donations (and donations are tax deductible). I gave the local library several hundred books last time I moved- they either put them into circulation, or sell them to get more desirable books.