Gamey

First a note of caution. I'm not a gamer. I don't like Mountain Dew or Cheetos. I'll never become so involved with something that I need to wear an adult diaper.

That said, researching which game system to buy would require in-depth gamer research. I think I’d visit game stores and talk with kids/adults who play. Levine says the average age of gamers is 33. My guess though is that adults can usually afford a home system. A system in a library or perhaps other public arena probably needs to be geared to the high school and younger set.

Actually I saw a newscast recently that said that Wii systems are popular amongst seniors. Apparently it’s a fun way to “go bowling” or “play tennis”. It’s also good exercise for them too. I think this is terrific.

If I absolutely had to recommend a game system for a library I’d do obvious online research, talk with gamers and consult game store employees as to what are systems that are popular and can withstand heavy public usage. My choice for a library would be a “Playstation 3” as this is both a popular game system and is not physically demanding. I think this would be important for a library. Wii systems are attractive for getting kids off of the couch, but the physical activity would be distracting in a library. Although this would be my system of choice if there was a separate and sound-proof gaming room.