Civic Engagement through Gaming: How to Build Communities of Players and Level Up the Discourse

From TechSource Gaming Symposium

Presenter: Eli Neiburger (Ann Arbor District Library)

Description: One of the challenges facing teens in our society is that there are very few models of mature social behavior that they can relate to; the conventions of the pre-digital world seem hopelessly antiquated to digital natives and many of their traditional role models (adults) are flummoxed by or dismissive of the changes that instant connectivity has wrought. When libraries create online communities that center around something that mainstream teens are actually interested in, it opens up an opportunity for the library to become a place where kids learn to be good online citizens and learn how to talk out differences. Come see how this can work, learn some good rules of thumb and tricks to keep online communities of teens productive and peaceful without being preachy or pedantic.

Intended audiences:

• Pretty much any librarian

at

• Academic libraries
• Public libraries
• School libraries

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