Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Thanks, Mr. Baker

I like to watch old TV shows, like Columbo, Kojak, The Rockford Files. They take place in a world without computers, microwave ovens, GPS, and cable tv. The telephones have cords.

Don't get me wrong--I like gadgets. I have two kinds of rice cookers. (I am able to enjoy my old tv trips down Memory Lane through a streaming wi-fi connection.) But I am a cautious, reluctant adopter. I like to wait til the kinks are worked out. It might take years. I got a cell phone in 2004. I started turning it on in 2008.



So I would like to thank Nicholson Baker, for looking into the whole video game thing for me, in the August 2 edition of the New Yorker magazine. (The link takes you to a podcast of an interview with Baker, the article is not online. You can check out the magazine at the library. We have a lot of magazines you can check out: Cooking Light, People, Poetry, etc.)

I guess video games have been around for a while, but I kind of missed the boat on them, especially the home versions. I was around when video games were introduced in arcades, and I played Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Asteroids, and Robotron. When the home consoles came out, I was busy with other things. Life went on...now it's possible to get a four year college degree in video game design. I'm not really sure what to think about that. Should we have them in the library? Circulate them? What do you think?
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5 comments:

  1. UnknownAugust 11, 2010 at 6:28 PM

    I say get them if it will bring the kids in. They'll be exposed to books and appreciate the library. Nice article.

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  2. NotHavingItAugust 12, 2010 at 5:41 AM

    I also think there's a crossover effect that can't be ignored. Movies are based on video games, books are based on radio plays, there's influences in every direction, genre to genre, and the video game is another way to tell a story.

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  3. RobynAugust 23, 2010 at 9:38 PM

    That very well might be my son getting that four-year degree in video game design :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousNovember 7, 2010 at 4:46 PM

    I do activities with older people - which now includes the Wii as a regular daily activity. We are on a limited budget. I don't mind putting a little money into a game if they like it, but we have tried a few games that they just don't like. Having access to Wii games would be greatly appreciated.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Blacker SwanNovember 9, 2010 at 7:23 AM

    Anonymosu: Please contact me and let me know what titles you would be interested in.

    ReplyDelete

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