FranticRead (Ellen Forsyth):

Hello and welcome to this seminar. My name is Ellen Forsyth and I work at the State Library of New South Wales‚ and I never thought that I would be typing this in this game or any other game. I would like to acknowledge all the traditional owners of the land. I am really please to see people here today from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA. I would like to thanks the No More Tears guild from Darth Remar for their help in setting up this guild for us. Their help highlights the importance of collaboration in online games, the games work much better when you are working well with others, and playing to everyone’s strengths, and helping each other as well. Kind of like when a library is working at its best too, but in a library you are unlikely to end up dead if the collaboration does not work.

I know this may seem a little strange at first, having a seminar by IM. If you have any in-games issues, for example get lost, fall off the tram, please whisper Catalogue, Mortisshh or Crumpetcow and they will help you. We also have people from different cultural backgrounds, so just ask for an explanation if someone says something you don’t understand. And I figure someone will let us know if Australia has a new prime minister

One note, please be understanding of typos; I say this because I will probably be making more typos than the rest of you. I thought we would go to the library at Stormwind for the first few presentations. People can catch up with us there.

For those of you new to this game, you can look at the contents of some of the books, you just need to mouse over them. Don’t forget to take pictures of this seminar through screen shots. If you are posting them to Flickr, or tweeting or blogging about this please use #rugame2010 A few of us will be writing up this seminar later. To make it easier for the speakers to know who has questions, it would be great if people could sit (for those new to the game you need to press X) and then stand up when they have a question for those new to the game please use the space bar. The speakers can then decide when they will take the question.

I would like to welcome Liz Danforth as the first speaker. Liz is very experienced in WoW, and in other games, and is very busy working in a library in Arizona and writing a regular column on games for the Library Journal. Liz tweets at @LizDanforth. Over to you, Liz.

Hiemal (Liz Danforth):

I can't tell you what an honor this is... and pretty darn scary too. Ellen asked me to talk about MMOs in libraries and I wonder how many folks even consider such a thing. We're mostly rooted in Rock Band and Dance Dance Revolution; with some board games that get labeled "kid stuff". Which is SO not the case (as I'm sure Oakie [Scott Nicholson] will elaborate on!)

[Editor’s Note: Oakie grinned at this point.]

I see some RPGs out there in libraries... Dungeons & Dragons and GURPS and such. But RPGs are hard to integrate to a library environment when the beancounters want NUMBERS of people playing.

MMOs have seen some library application. Alan will talk about what is working for his library system, and I'm eager to hear. I recently heard Peggy Sheehy talk about the Azeroth Academy, WoW in Schools -- and was blown away. Educators get the "luxury" of a more formal framework for interactive learning -- librarians -- we're different; we are passive, opportunistic educators grabbing the chance to help teach when we can, but mostly having to wait for someone to bring us the learning moment. In a game like WoW, the game brings those moments forward under the radar. We learn all manner of things and don't even realize; the sense of community, the teamwork skills -- damn, I feel like I'm preaching to the choir.

[Editor’s Note: Oakie serenaded the speaker at this point with a song.]

One problem with WoW in libraries is: It isn't free. The free public library is a 100+ year tradition for our cultures. The library branch that would host it is in a particularly challenged area of town; the patrons there could not afford accounts, and neither could the library itself. Anyway, we looked at other GOOD online Massively Multiplayer Online Games that didn’t have a big pricetag. Guild Wars wouldn’t work, pretty as it is.

[Editor note: Nairarbil asked why.]

We focused in on Dungeons & Dragons Online, Warhammer Online, and Free Realms. all solid, good games, library friendly to at least some extent; we weren't trying for a youth audience -- the library manager wanted the late teen-20-somethings. They already HAD a solid gamer audience of teens. DDO has the Dungeons & Dragons franchise name and the guy who would be coordinating it was a long-time tabletop gamer of D&D. Free Realms looked a little too kid-like, though it has solid content. Warhammer... just didn't make anyone's socks roll up and down, I guess. Guild Wars was ruled out -- per the question -- because you have to buy the game. After that, the game is free-to-play, but you have to have an account with the game first.

I was particularly caught with the idea that Lord of the Rings Online is going free-to-play this fall. You get the literary tie-in, makes it an easier sell for a library, and a freakin' TON of accessory material the libraries already would carry -- books, movies, artbooks, the whole nine yards.

At this point, DDO is winning out; the manager wants it NOW, not this Fall; but all these are possibilities for other libraries to look into.

[Questions were at this point taken from the floor.]

Xanthippe: Are any of these games in danger of "dying out"? D&D went free because it couldn't compete with WoW, no?
Hiemal (Liz Danforth): I think they are not in danger of "dying out" ... WoW itself may have a limited future, to be honest.
Xanthippe: Really? WoW seems immortal at this point...
Hiemal (Liz Danforth): It seems so but the growth has stopped for WoW. And we're seeing the microtransactions here to beef up the bottom line ... the Celestial Steed (and YES I have one, dammit).
Taenor: WoW may grow again with the release of Cataclysm. [Editor’s Note: Cataclysm will be the fourth expansion pack for World of Warcraft. Sakurie made similar remarks.]
Hiemal (Liz Danforth): I don't think so, Taenor, Sak. I think people will come back who haven't been playing and we will see SOME growth, but not the exponential growth it had.
Oakie (Scott Nicholson): But it's not about the platform. It's about the context in which it's presented.
Hiemal (Liz Danforth): Oakie, I agree and disagree about platform ... if we're playing on the computer, that's the platform
Oakie (Scott Nicholson): By platform, I mean WoW vs. LotRO vs. Everquest... those are MMORPG platforms (in my mind).

Nairarbil: Thank you. How will this be provided, and do you worry you'll be competing with net cafes and LAN centers?
Hiemal (Liz Danforth): In the US, libraries ARE the only net cafes and LANs. I've travelled around enough to see that's NOT the norm for most of the world. Seriously. Honestly -- I couldn't find a net cafe in Phoenix; the 5th largest city in the US, last I heard; to save my life. In Tucson, where I live -- a million population? -- I think there is one gaming center. Except I think it went out of business.
Wickett (Adam Beck): They are uncommon indeed.
Nairarbil: Thank you, that answers my question.

Sakurie: Did you consider games like Starcraft that can be networked over several computers from one copy, not really mmo's but maybe more cost effective?
Hiemal (Liz Danforth): Sak, we did not. We were hoping to build on the Arkansas model, for one -- And my own research on WoW... still looking to get published (my partner in crime couldn't make it to this confab today). [This research] informs some of the ideas we're trying to develop: 21st Century Learning skills, adolescent developmental assets, community buildings and such. Sak, the cost is still relatively minimal for the games ... not turning out to be as big a factor as we'd expected. Does that answer your question?
Sakurie: Yes, thank you.

Miryl: You mentioned Dungeons & Dragons over say, Warhammer, but i have reservation that D&D isn't as popular over here in Australia. Would you recommend trying for a game that was more "recognised" locally? Would that play a big part in the success of such a program?
Hiemal (Liz Danforth): It isn't as popular in the US as it once was and -- face it folks -- every library is different in the same city, much less across states or countries! I think it would [play a large part in the success of such a program], yes. I also think having someone on site who KNOWS the game personally is huge. There are a lot of associated materials for D&D, more than Warhammer from what I've seen... another thing I think is VERY important. It is NOT just setting up the game and letting them play... context, accessory involvement, secondary things.... all huge.
Miryl: The [Warhammer] "black library" has huge amounts of novels and there is even a 40k movie to be released soon.
Hiemal (Liz Danforth): Then by all means, go for WAR for your library or your country!

Taenor: How would you go about regulating the use of the games? A common problem with our library is that we offer free internet access and we get the public coming in and using it, but just sitting there not allowing anyone else to use them.
Hiemal (Liz Danforth): Hmmm, no time limits? My experience in the States is that libraries delimit computer usage by time.
Taenor: We use a thirty minute time limit on net use, but what sort of limit would you place on MMOs? A dungeon run can take anywhere up to an hour and a raid up to six.
Hiemal (Liz Danforth): You have two choices I see. The system we plan to use in our pilot project depends on a bank of laptops that are not in general use. Several of our libraries have a dozen laptops -- they get used for teaching computer use, job search programs, and yes, online gaming programs. The regular computers, out on the floor of the library, don't come into the picture at all. We pull out the laptops for the duration of the program. And no, we won’t be raiding Icecrown Citadel, nor even Wailing Caverns. [Editor’s Note: Icecrown Citadel is one of the last and most difficult ‘raid dungeons’ of World of Warcraft, while Wailing Caverns is one of the easiest normal dungeons. Raid dungeons are very difficult and dangerous locations that can be attacked with up to twenty-five players at a time; regular dungeons are attacked with five.]
Hiemal (Liz Danforth): In fact, I see smaller "projects" to be done, even in that context.
Taenor: So you see yourself only using MMOs for teaching and not recreation?
Hiemal (Liz Danforth): No, they are for recreation FIRST. And education, learning, literacy, under the table ... under the radar. But free-for-all romp around, MMOs have more to go for; the "stink of the schoolyard" as Eli Neiburger called it... should never happen in an MMO or a library even if that's exactly the teaching moment we get our paws on. If you don't have the bank of laptops (and I assume most do not) you'll have to delimit by time. Set aside a certain number of your regular computers for "club activity" on a given day.

FranticRead (Ellen Forsyth):

Just to let you know, all the speakers today will have posted to them the same speakers gifts which we gave to the people who presented at a seminar on games at the State Library of NSW yesterday; it will be a State Library canvas tote bag and a set of wildcards for scenario planning. The wild cards are part of a Scenarios for the future of public libraries project which took place last year. And to help - please stand when you have a question - it was hard for Liz to see all the waving.

Okay now Oakie (Scott Nicholson) Association Professor for Syracuse University School of Information Studies will discuss non-digital games for libraries: card, board, roleplaying, big games, puzzle hunts. Okay - over the Scott - thanks!

[Editor’s Note: At some point during Mr. Nicholson’s presentation, I was disconnected from the online server. If any of this talk is missing, I would welcome it being edited in from those who saw it all.]

Oakie (Scott Nicholson):

As I looked over the topics for this event, I found that there was a pretty narrow focus on what "gaming" is. And this concerned me. One of the problems that I see libraries have when they start gaming programs is that they get too focused on specific game titles. Or even types of games. Just like we have a wide variety of books we can provide our patrons, we have a wide variety of types of gaming experiences that we can tap. So, I wanted people to make sure you kept non-digital games in your toolbox along with the digital games that you've been focused on.

Now, I have to be careful myself - I enjoy board games, and I have to be careful not to push them too hard. But, some times, they are the best choice for the situation. (Blatant plug - to learn about modern board games, visit my video series - Board Games with Scott). But we'll come back to that. First, a question. Why do you want to have gaming in your libraries? (Just shout out.)

Wickett (Adam Beck): Community! (Nairarbil and Masquirade agreed with Wickett)
Ranganathan: Increase visibility on our campus.
Nairarbil: Gaming is an art form and therefore deserves to be spread like any other.
Lillbill: Brings in people who might not have the game at home or someone to play with.
Libcode: Change perspective for potential users.
Iustus: Because I love gaming!
Merrily: Get a wider proportion of the demographics in the building.
Hiemal (Liz Danforth): Relevance.
Gremedivh: We offer degrees in computer game development and it would be nice to show off what they do.

Oakie (Scott Nicholson):

I appreciate lustus' honesty - because he/she loves gaming. And.. that is a reason why many gaming library staff start gaming programs. Now, let's look at that question another way. Why would your patrons want to have gaming in the library?

Nairarbil: Fun.
Miryl: Social? Because their peers play.
Merrily: Fun in a "safe" environment; opportunity they may not have elsewhere.
Gremedivh: Students need to let off steam - I work at a university.
Libcode: Sense of belonging.
Deybarah: Meeting new people.
Hiemal (Liz Danforth): Something interesting to do.
Catalogue: Small family.... being only child .. come to library to play.
Taenor: Because they like games?

Oakie (Scott Nicholson):

Now, the big question: What do your funders look for out of the library? The people who decide if the library continues to exist?

Nairarbil: Good PR.
Sakurie: Good service for our clients.
Lillbill: Stats.
Deybarah: Usage stats.
Hiemal (Liz Danforth): Numbers.
Merrily: In public libraries it’s still mainly feet through the doors and number of items borrowed.
Taenor: Numbers
Xanthippe: Warm bodies!
Ranganathan: Are we projecting the appropriate image for an academic library?
Miryl: Fluffy side of lazy useless council. (Libcode and Taenor indicated agreement.)
Nairarbil: There seems to be a swell of opinion here.
Masquirade: Pure quantifiable statistics.

Oakie (Scott Nicholson):

Most library administrators have to find a way to balance what the Patrons want, what the Beancou..er.. Funders want, and what the Library Staff wants. One way they do this is by creating mission statements and goals, and getting by-in for those goals from these different constituency groups.

So... when you start to think about gaming in libraries, it is critical that you start out with those goals and missions. If you start out with The Game, you can get into trouble when it comes time to justify why

You are doing that. And this is where having a larger tool box of what is gaming is useful. Many electronic games are quite expensive, and if they don't work out, the gaming program can be a disaster. But there are cheaper gaming experiences that can still be fun, be immersive, provide community, do those things you talked about earlier. That don't require a bank of laptops. Even something as simple as decks of cards can provide a great gaming experience; and it's a lot less risky than dropping cash on consoles and games that will need to be replaced in a few years.

So, I'm watching the time, and want to encourage you to check out the free online course I did on YouTube about gaming in libraries if you want to learn a lot more about this. I've got about 30 videos there, all free, that take you through the process of mission-games-assessment. (gamesinlibraries.org/course).

There's a world of board games, roleplaying games, and free games like werewolf and puzzle hunts that may be a better match for your patrons, your decision-makers, and your budget. So, try and stay open-minded... even if Halo is your “favorite game evar”.

[Editor’s Note: At this point, Xanthippe suggested Cheapass Games, and after clarifying what she meant with her outburst of ‘Cheapass!’, Scott replied.]

That's a great example. Cheapass games are games under $10 that you supply your own bits for. But the coolest thing to explore, in my opinion; and where I'm going with my research, is having patrons make their own games. This is cheap. Engaging. Full of learning. All the social stuff. All the fun stuff. Opens up career paths. And is EASY to justify. Even making a board game is a great experience. There's so much more that can be gained through creation than simply playing what someone else made.

And it doesn't matter if the game sucks. It's the process of creation that unlocks all sorts of cool learning opporunities. You get to use all the great material in your library. You have community growth. And proud kids and parents. So, that's where I'm going next with my writing and focus. Game creation for libraries and perhaps you'll join in. So, let us take questions.

Chaliane: What age group do you focus on?
Oakie (Scott Nicholson): I don't limit my age group. Game creation is just as cool for seniors as it is for little kids. In fact, my new book on the topic, which comes out Friday, is called "Everyone Plays at the Library" as it blows out that gaming is not just for teens and it's not just digital.
Nairarbil: Does that make this a publicity tour, Oakie?
Oakie (Scott Nicholson): Hehe, yeah, this would be the first stop on my book talks. The American Library Association conference starts tomorrow, and my book launch is at the Open Gaming Night that we're putting on on Friday in DC, so come on up! [In response to numerous requests for signed copies:] Book signing will be from 1-2pm at the INformation today booth on Saturday.

Nairarbil: Oakie, you mentioned in a video with the LBI boys [Editor’s Note: Jaap Van de Geer and Erik Boekesteijn] that you believe the best game depends on multiple factors; what are some of those factors?
Oakie (Scott Nicholson): Hehe, was this the video in the library or the after-hours video in Ja..err.. library. When choosing a game, you need to think about the Experience that the game will create. If social engagement is important, then you need a game that creates a social experience. If learning is important, then you need to think about games that allow for learning, explicitly or implicitly. If you want a game where people can demonstrate skills, then you pick games that allow for that. This is why it's all about starting with the mission and explictly saying why you are doing games. THEN choosing the games. And not choosing the games first and trying to work backwards.

FranticRead (Ellen Forsyth):
Thanks Scott, that was great. I think Hie (Liz Danforth) wants to introduce someone now, then we go to Ironforge.

Hiemal (Liz Danforth):
Indeed. It's my pleasure to present to you Peggy Sheehy, Mageical; who joined us a little late. I mentioned her, and the Azeroth Academy and WoW in Schools project – I heartily, HEARTILY recommend you look her up. Her application of the game to challenged kids is pretty darn amazing to say nothing of her other work.

Mageical (Peggy Sheehy):
Sigh. I just ran here from Ironforge! Hi everyone – sorry to be late, but very glad the wiki will host the chat logs. I’m more than happy to tell you a little more about WoW in Schools if anyone is interested. Actually – we invited kids this past year who were "fringe" or as I like to put it – the kids without a "tribe"; as it turned out they were also "spectrum" kids –diagnosed with some sort of learning disorder or social issue; and they were awesome! The remote group we partnered with from North Carolina (we are in NY) was 20 kids who were invited because they seemed to be the likely "fall through the cracks" kids so all in all we had quite a crew. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions: peggysheehy@mac.com. May Elune Light Your Way.

[Editor’s Note: It was at this point that the conference moved to the second conference hall in Ironforge.]

The only requirement we have for membership is a desire to promote modern learning - digital humanities - and we are focused on the use of MMORPGs and MUVEs but our discussions really run the lot. We started two years ago when twelve of us migrated from Second Life (by the way, in Second Life I am Maggie Marat if anyone would like to friend me) and now have over one-hundred and fifty members. Our mantra is we are "learning to game to game to learn".

So, after playing for about a year and a half a colleague from NC suggested we take the leap and try an after-school club - and WoW in School was born. Our curriculum is collaboratively being developed on the wiki http://wowinschool.pbworks.com.

[Editor’s Note: An interjection from Zarrianna: They made the 2010 Horizon Report WOOHOO!]

The kids have formed a guild called The Legacy – also on Sisters of Elune – and a mentorship program is underway now with the educators; but I’m never sure who is mentoring whom – and that is the real beauty. We have given these kids an arena if you will in which to be successful – to be leaders – to be experts.

If you read the work of folks like Constance Steinkuehler and James Gee - the research is sound that gaming supports literacy(ies) and I have seen it with my own eyes. So next year I have been given permission to mainstream a course we are calling The Hero's Journey. The kids will be reading The Hobbit, playing Lord of the Rings Online and also engaging with the cinema. That's it in a nutshell - The WoW club will also be reading The Iliad, drawing connections etc. We are also looking at The Golden Compass and the Xbox game that goes with it; and a series for lower level readers called Deltora Quest (Emily Rodda).

The syllabus is in place but the curriculum is still being developed because we want the kids to have input. Investment, engagement, ownership; clear expectations aligned to standards to keep the wolves at bay. We will measure reading but my experience has been that the true substance of this sort of work does not align with any assessment methodology.

Hiemal (Liz Danforth): See why I was so impressed with what she's doing?
Xanthippe: I'm paralyzed with jealousy for her project.
Nairarbil: I totally can. This is excellent stuff.
FranticRead (Ellen Forsyth): This really sounds amazing, and fun, and lots of hard work.
Hiemal (Liz Danforth): I think librarians and educators can offer each other a lot and we're in the same book but not on the same page.
Mageical (Peggy Sheehy): When I first brought students in Second Life five years ago I immediately saw the power of avatar and identity, and the freedom it affords youth to function in a situated context. This is critical for Middle School in particular – the psychosocial moratorium. (Go back to undergrad educational psychology course; Erik Erikson!) Students being able to "explore personality and identities with out the fear of consequence” – this is what I see happening – in virtual worlds and games.
FranticRead (Ellen Forsyth): Any more questions for Mageical?
Nairarbil: I have one! Do you ever have to stop and pinch yourself and say "Wait, how awesome is this?!?"
Mageical (Peggy Sheehy): Absolutely! Every day! This is such an exciting time to be in education – and I am truly in the best place as I have a visionary superintendent (and my principal is a level 80 hunter in my guild!) Thanks all for listening and please feel free to contact me if you have questions or would like to join or contribute in some way – the presentation is up on Slideshare - (Peggy Sheehy: Learning with the Lich King)

FranticRead (Ellen Forsyth):
It was great to hear from Mageical – please join me in thanking her. I have just heard from Huon and he can't get online, but we have Wickett to look forward to! But I think we need a 10 minute break.

[Editor’s Note: During this time, a discussion broke out of its own accord.]

Capricasix: I have a general question for the group if that's OK? What do you say to the public library director who thinks we are trying to do too much –trying to be everything to everyone? She is not very supportive of gaming in libraries.
Hiemal (Liz Danforth): Capria's question is a good one.
Mageical (Peggy Sheehy): My public library is awesome - I have shared everything with them and they are piloting a similar program
Miryl: Capri, tell her thats our job.
Gremedivh: I think the important thing is that you come up with a business case.
Oakie (Scott Nicholson): That is where you have to build the programming out of the library mission, and then assess it back to that mission.
Miryl: Maybe think strategically... how can you make your aim, mission appear to be inline with current focus.
Mageical (Peggy Sheehy): My first response is, has she been given the research and background to what and why?
Gremedivh: Back it up with facts and align it with your mission.
Oakie (Scott Nicholson): The assessment is critical in that case.
Mageical (Peggy Sheehy): Whenever you have a non believer you MUST be armed with information: rationale, research etc. but, the strongest coercion is letting the kids speak.
FranticRead (Ellen Forsyth): And work out evaluation – you may need to be very imaginative in this.
Hiemal (Liz Danforth): Kids are the easiest sell, but it's cross-generational in a library, or should be.
Miryl: Capri, do you work in public library?
Capricasix: Yes, I do.
Gremedivh: If all else fails, aim for a pilot programme! [Hiemal agreed with this.]
Oakie (Scott Nicholson): Also, try to get outside funging. [sic] Funging? Funding.
Mageical (Peggy Sheehy): Just as the after school club is the gateway in public school – the pilot seems to serve the public library.
Hiemal (Liz Danforth): Our MMO program is planned only as a pilot, even though our director groks games.
Miryl: maybe you could look outside of the library service for support, e.g. comuunity services in your local council..use the "l" word literacy and you may get support.
Oakie (Scott Nicholson): Outside funding can provide a justification that can trump a lot more.
Mageical (Peggy Sheehy): Grants. Our PTA actually matched the funding we had last year – we started with $1000 the kids had won via a video contest.(No Future Left Behind is their video created for Don Tapscott's contest.)

Catalogue: I work behind the scenes in our library .. do you think any of the gaming in libraries would work in our library? How and where?
FranticRead (Ellen Forsyth): I do - As some of the ideas are around collaboration. Board game and other game design could help expose our collection and make part of it accessible off site - but I think we have a way to go. I like some of the ideas from the book Total Engagement which has some good ideas for behind the scenes work.

FranticRead (Ellen Forsyth):
Okay - now I am getting jumpy; so over to the next speaker. Adam Beck from Central Arkansas Library System will be talking about how his library uses World of Warcraft. Thanks Wickett!

Wickett (Adam Beck):
Hi, everyone! So, to begin: we first started thinking of a library WoW program when Bob, my co-programmer, and I first realized we both played the game. We quickly realized that, while there were a lot of players in the area, there was no real way to connect with them. We wanted to build a local community, of sorts. Not just to play together, but to enjoy the social aspects of the game, even outside of the gaming environment. We've been doing our WoW program for about a year now with great success and I wanted to share with you some of the ideas we've developed.

Overall, reception in the area has been wonderful. The local community has been very excited and a lot of people were thrilled to meet other players in the area. And while not all of the programs are as successful as we'd like, we have seen as many as 60+ people at some of the more promoted events, and average about 15 people for the regular programs.

[Miryl asked how much space this required.]

Our library is the main branch of a system of libraries. We are in a 5 story building in the center of the city. Space is rarely an issue. As was mentioned earlier, our library has a bank of laptops that is set aside for special use, and Bob and I are both IT, so reserving those laptops, and even getting clearance to install the software was not a problem.

We've created is a series of programs that progress from introductory level, to more advanced that develops over the several month-long series. Our goal was to offer a solid introduction to the game for any novice, but also build up to something that more advanced players might be interested in.

We begin with a fundamentals program. Patrons are invited to create a character and free-play. (Oh, and we meet once a month, for about three hours.) Between Bob and myself, we've played about every class and race the game has to offer, so we feel pretty comfortable explaining play-style, gearing, and character progression. What we like to do is allow for free-play and teach basic questing and leveling, and then create a raid group of the attendants to defeat one of the notorious, but low level elites, such as Hogger.

[Editor’s note: “Elites” are monsters tougher than the average monster in their area, designed to force players to band together in order to defeat them. Hogger is a notorious surprise to and cause of death for many new players, so much so that the game tracks deaths by falling, drowning, fatigue, burning, and Hogger.]

We feel this displays some of the simple gaming mechanics, like combat and questing, and also hints at other more complex elements like group mechanics (healer, tank, and DPS).

[Editor’s note: These are the basic tasks of the game which players are required to fill. “DPS” stands for “damage per second”; their task is to kill things quickly as possible. “Tanks” are characters heavily armored; their ability to kill the enemies is considerably less than DPS, but they can also take much more damage and survive; their task is to find ways to keep the enemy focused on themselves. Finally, a healer’s job is to heal anyone hurt by the monsters.]

The next program we try and show people a little of what the game has to offer in terms of "how" people play. We try and alternate two specific programs: Role-playing (RP) and Player vs. Player (PvP).

Much of the RP program involves explaining lore [Editor’s Note: The game’s backstory and world], and why it matters; How to use lore in building your character, choosing a back-story, and ultimately creating an identity for your character. RP is one of the most creative and imaginative ways to enjoy the game. It certainly won't suit everyone, but can offer even greater involvement in the world around your character.

The PvP program rivals the RP program because it is undoubtedly one of the biggest factors for WoW's success. It parallels the first program, but with a focus on battlegrounds and strategies, PvP itemization and honor, as opposed to questing and experience. It also involves a lot of free-play and we try to end the program with a dueling tournament, with the top player(s) receiving a prize. This has been one of the more popular events we've seen.

And then we get a little more involved with the complexities of the game. Our third program focuses on dungeoning, and group makeup. Everyone has a role to play in a group, and we try to communicate the why and how of that. We discuss not only the obvious things like tanking and healing, but the importance of things like threat, crowd control, kill order, dumping/transferring threat, etc. We also talk about some of the more generic boss/dungeon rules, such as not standing in poison clouds, and behind dragons, etc. Anything that a new player *needs* to know when beginning dungeoning.

The Fourth program takes an interesting turn : An introduction to maros and add-ons. We're happy to show patrons some of the "must have" add-ons for serious players, as well as popular macros, but where this program really shines is in its' macro-creating section. Throughout the series, mine and Bob's macro-creating skills have increased exponentially, to where we are recreating/improving our own macros, as well as ones we find on the internet. People have been surprisingly keen on learning how to make macros and always have some great requests.

Hiemal (Liz Danforth): Co-operative teaching and learning, it sounds like.
Wickett (Adam Beck): Exactly.

Whether they're as simple as performing an emote while casting a spell, or as complex as combat rotations we try and teach some of the basic coding to build your own macro.

The final program in the series covers video capturing and editing. Though this doesn't relate directly to game play, it shows one of the other paths one can take to be truly creative with the game. For that reason, it is one of my favorites. The massive popularity of the Leroy Jenkins video is a perfect example of how the creativity and fun of the game isn't just limited to playing the game, or even players themselves. Every year there are dozens of websites that hold competitions for WoW movies, and they can be remarkably well done.

On top of that, thanks to the internet, many of them are created by guilds, with members spanning hundreds, if not thousands of miles. There are even guilds whose primary function is not to "play" the game, but to create these videos, adding an even deeper level of "multiplayer" than I think the game creators ever expected.

Because of the complexity and time-consumption this can take, we let a handout do most of the work, but we do perform a full walkthrough of the entire process as well as links to some free and reliable software for each function. We always encourage people to ask questions. That really seems to be one of the biggest factors for how well the programs seem to go. And we try to get as much feedback from patrons as possible, and build on the series from there. In fact, that's how we started the macro-writing section of the series.

Nairarbil: I find it really interesting to compare what you're doing with what Peggy is doing; both are using WoW to educate, but you're teaching into the game, she's using as a platform. Is there a mid-ground? Such as, with the PVP program, not just talking about Honor as a currency, but honor in how you PVP?
Wickett (Adam Beck): We keep each program light and fun, never getting so serious that people get bored. If they don't seem too interested, that's okay. We'll answer the questions they have and free-play for a bit and we're content. I'll be honest, though, being IT, there are implications involved with our programs that we had never really thought of... We never suffered the stress or concerns that you librarians do, the numbers weren't really a concern, and, we never even really considered it being much more than 'something fun to do'. Of course, like i said, we wanted to build a community, but as much for ourselves as for other players. So, it was as much of a selfish act as anything.

We have a lot of ideas for the future of our program, but we're always looking for something new. I'd absolutely love to receive any suggestions or advice as to how we can make our program better. If you have any questions I'd be happy to answer them now, or by email at any time.

Miryl: Is your program available anywhere on line?
Wickett (Adam Beck): We've loosely broken down the series on our blog, and I'll also be posting some notes on the wiki. If it's okay I'll post blog links on the wiki as well.

FranticRead (Ellen Forsyth): Did you get any really good surprises from participants? - unexpected benefits?
Wickett (Adam Beck): We've gotten great surprises! One of our initial complaints were that our particular library suffered from the misconception that only kids played games and we wanted to prove them wrong. And our numbers, and the age groups did. We've had kids as young as 10, as well as adults well into their 40s.
Mageical (Peggy Sheehy): Have you guys seen the TED talk from Jane McGonigal? http://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world.html
Wickett (Adam Beck): We also had a great story, short but touching, that two of our regular patrons, a father and son shared with us. The father, being in the military, would be sent overseas for long periods. But every weekend they'd play WoW together. And watching them play side-by-side, you could tell that it helped. There was a connection through WoW.

Wickett (Adam Beck): Did i miss any questions? Someone mentioned Starcraft earlier. We do plan on planning a series around Starcraft 2 and have already written up a proposal for it.

FranticRead (Ellen Forsyth):
Wickett thanks so much for staying online - it was really inspiring to hear about your work.

For another version of the transcript, have a look here.