This week, a handful of teenagers have gathered in an upstairs room of the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library for a couple of hours each day and planted themselves behind computers. Under the supervision and guidance of teen librarian Joy DuPont, the teens begin a multiplayer game of Minecraft.
While it might be easy to write their game off as just more teenagers playing video games, the players are doing more than killing virtual bad guys. In Minecraft, the players must search for resources, tame animals, create materials and build structures. Veteran players help the newer ones, giving them advice about where to dig or adding a room to their house for the newer player to stay until they get the hang of building their own home. And though there are zombies that come out when the virtual world gets dark, the teens who want to focus on creating can switch from Survivor mode to Creative mode and just build.
The game is part of Teen Tech Week, a program put on by the Young Adult Library Services Association for libraries to showcase technology and teach useful technological skills to teenagers, according to DuPont. Different libraries implement different programs, but all are meant to be educational.
“These are skills they can use in schools, in college and in their jobs,” said DuPont. “You’re not going to be able to get away from technology, so it’s good to go ahead and learn it now.”
Teen Tech Week is supposed to teach teenagers more about science, technology, engineering, the arts and math, DuPont said. In the case of Minecraft, players do a lot of engineering, and more advanced players have opportunities to solve equations and learn coding. As players learn to code, DuPont says, they can create their own virtual worlds within Minecraft, a feat which allowed one teen librarian in Tennessee to create a topical map of Chattanooga.
DuPont and the Columbus-Lowndes library chose Minecraft for this year’s Teen Tech Week because they are hoping to implement a Maker Spaces program for people visiting the library to collaborate on creative programs. Maker Space programs are becoming a big part of some libraries across the country, according to DuPont. Minecraft would only be one part of the program, which could include sewing and knitting clubs, using 3-D printers, a writing workshop, building with Legos and “anything you can think of that makes something,” said DuPont.
This week served as a dry run for Minecraft at the library which just got licenses for eight players to play the game at a time. DuPont has spent the week learning the ins and out of the game while the teenagers in the program play along.
“It was something that we’re really excited about and wanted to try,” DuPont said.
DuPont hopes to start weekly Minecraft games. The games and the Maker Spaces program would be part of bringing kids to the library and introducing them to its other programs. Though some of the kids at the library this week are in nearly every day, DuPont said she didn’t even know some of the others. Once the kids finished the game, some of them wandered around the library looking at books.
The game also gives kids the chance to socialize, DuPont said. During the game, they help each other in Survivor Mode and compete in Player Versus Player mode. DuPont added that Wednesday during the game, kids had in-depth conversations about comic books, movies and other popular culture while they played.
“It’s really cool to share ideas across the board that way,” DuPont said.
DuPont is excited to continue the program. Only a handful of kids have enjoyed the game this week, but DuPont expects that once spring break is over, more kids will be in the library and will have the chance to play.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.