How Public Library Staff Engage with Video Games and Video Game Services

Abstract

Research problem – The average age of video game players is above 30 in many parts of the world, but the literature surrounding video games in public libraries often focuses on engaging children and teenagers. This suggests that there may be an underserved population of video game players in public libraries. In addition to this, successful video game ventures require organisers familiar with and knowledgeable about video games. It is unknown whether public library staff in general possess these qualities, or if they are engaged with video game services. This report aimed to investigate how public library staff in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) engage with video games and video game services. Methodology – Invitations to participate in an online questionnaire were sent to 20 public library systems and the NZ-Libs email list. Five organisations agreed to distribute the questionnaire to their staff. A sample size of 183 respondents was achieved. Questions were asked about video game experiences, perceptions, and library services. Results – NZ public library staff appear to engage with video games in a similar way to the general NZ population. In addition, there appears to be an overall positive perception of their place in public libraries (87% of respondents supported video games in public libraries). Video game players appear to think more positively about video games and be more aware of their impact on individuals compared to non-players. They also appear to be more confident in delivering related services and more likely to be running related events. Video game services in NZ public libraries seem to largely target younger age groups, mirroring the perceived main target audience for video games indicated by respondents. This revealed a potentially underserved population (video game players aged 46 – 84) for NZ public libraries that offer video game services. Implications – It appears that encouraging engagement with video games may improve staff confidence in delivering video game services, although further research is required to confirm this. In addition, there is a potentially underserved population of video game players aged 46 – 84, who account for nearly half of the 46 – 84 year old population. Evaluation of this potentially underserved population is an interesting topic for future research.