Blog Posts by Subject: Videogames

At a recent internal hacking event here, NYPL Labs developer Paul Beaudoin recruited me into an interesting project: transforming one of the library's 20,000 digitized historical maps into the three-dimensional world of the building game Minecraft.

NYPLarcade Teen is an opportunity for teens to play, watch, and discuss independent, experimental, and thought-provoking games in a library setting. Think of it as a book club, but for video games. Our second series at Muhlenberg Library focuses on the rise of local multiplayer games.

As social networks, mobile devices, and always-online consoles have popularized gaming virtually with others, there has recently been a movement towards designing games which rely on face-to-face interaction.

This series will highlight recent, 

This year's International Games Day takes place on Saturday, November 16. All over the world, libraries will be celebrating the annual event by inviting patrons of all ages to come in and play games together.

At Muhlenberg Library, we will be hosting a special Double Fine edition of IGD 2013 with a curated selection of video games for ages 12 and up as well as board games for the whole family throughout the day. The event is FREE and takes place between 12:30 and 4:30 p.m. See the full schedule below!

Teens and 

NYPLarcade Teen is an opportunity for teens to play, watch, and discuss independent, experimental, and thought-provoking games in a library setting. Think of it as a book club, but for video games. Our first series at Muhlenberg Library will focus on the roguelike genre.

The name "roguelike" comes from the 1980 dungeon crawler Rogue, which was developed for Unix, had procedurally-generated levels, and inspired other classics like Hack and Nethack. The general features are: permadeath (the player only has one 

Developed by Yager and published by 2K Games, Spec Ops: The Line (2012) has been one of the most-discussed video games of the past year.

Edge Magazine calls it "one of the most subversive shooters yet made" and notes: “It may not be subtle, but it engages with problems that the bellicose ilk of Modern Warfare and Medal of Honor have yet to acknowledge."

Despite mixed critical response and

In the process of imaging digital material from the Timothy Leary papers, my eyes have scanned some curious documents, but sometimes the most intriguing files are the ones I can't read. Timothy Leary collaborated with a number of celebrities on projects during his years of freelancing. One of the celebrities that left his mark on the Leary papers is Keith Haring.

Among the box load of disks, a few are tantalizingly inscribed "Drink me" and "Love, Keith" with a paint 

It's that time of year again! The 2012-2013 professional and college basketball seasons are in full swing. And, of course, the Bronx Library Center has you covered with plenty of resources to elevate your sports IQ. Come check out a biography of your favorite ball player and learn about the lives of NBA legends like Jerry West, Larry Bird,

As we come to the close of another year, I always look forward to the "best of" lists and discovering interesting games I may have missed. Over the next several weeks, NYPLarcade will be showcasing six video game titles from 2012, which were not covered in our other game series this year: Jenova Chen, Horror Games, and International Games Day (Music Games).

What is a game series? Think of it as a film series, but for video 

On Saturday, November 3, libraries all over the world will celebrate International Games Day by playing games. This year, at Mid-Manhattan Library, we'll have a variety of board games as well as a special line up of music video games from 2012 in Room 101 from 1-5 p.m.

Dyad (2012)

Hand-selected by NYPLarcade, we will be playing a different game each hour. Come play, watch, and talk about these unique music titles. No prior gaming experience 

This week, I'll be delving into FTL: Faster Than Light, which was recently released for the Mac. If you haven't played it, the concept is a roguelike set in space, or "Firefly by way of Spelunky." Each time you play, you can expect permadeath, dangers lurking around every corner, and a new randomized world. So far, it's been a lot of fun successfully fending off space pirates and navigating asteroid fields, only to accidentally sacrifice my last crew member by leaving 

If you haven't heard of Ernest Cline, you may have seen his 2009 movie Fanboys. Fanboys is about four Star Wars-obsessed friends who travel cross-country with their dying friend to sneak into Skywalker Ranch to see the movie Episode I: Phantom Menace before its official release. If you liked that movie you will love this book about '80s pop culture, but even if you haven't (see it! It's cute) you will still love this 

I'm currently working my way through Borderlands 2 as an assassin who almost exclusively uses Maliwan weapons. It's a lot of fun and (as most reviews have indicated) a nice improvement on the first game. The wacky humor, mindblowing variety of guns, and drop-in, drop-out cooperative play are all back again, but with a tighter story and pacing.

I recently downloaded Stacking from XBLA and the art direction is fantastic (particularly in the miniature 

Our first NYPLarcade Game Club explored the works of thatgamecompany's Jenova Chen. In this six week series, we will look at a variety of horror-themed video games, from the terrifying Amnesia to the utterly bizarre Deadly Premonition to the experimental Dear 

This weekend, I'm planning to revisit the strange, haunting world of Dear Esther, which recently added Mac support to its Steam release. So far, the tone reminds me of Amnesia: The Dark Descent.

In Max Payne 3 (for Xbox 360, PC, PS3) I'm making my way through the single player campaign. As with most Rockstar games, the narrative, characters, and setting all seem spot-on, while the controls and camera tend to be a bit of a struggle. Interestingly, I've found that diving 

I'm finally discovering what everyone loves about Minecraft through the recently released Xbox 360 Edition: the whimsical soundtrack, pixelated sunrises and sunsets, and surprisingly fun split-screen multiplayer keep drawing me back in. If you haven't tried it yet, the free, time-limited demo may win you over.

On my phone,

What is NYPLarcade? Think of it as a book club, but for video games. Together we'll play, watch, and discuss a selected title (following the schedule listed below) each week at the Mid-Manhattan Library.

Our first series will explore the experimental video games of thatgamecompany's Jenova Chen, starting with this year's critically-acclaimed Journey, a digital pilgrimage that can 

The kids in my Teen Advisory Group have been going through a reviewing frenzy recently. Here are some of the books and other “stuff” they’ve been enjoying this spring.

Hey 13! by Gary Soto This is a book of thirteen different stories about teens who go through different situations when they are thirteen years old. Most teens will be able to relate to these stories, and I really think that teens will find it to be a funny and easy book to read.