Gaming has been one of hobbies & passions for years. I honestly can not remember a time when I didn't enjoy it. So I have a wealth of experience in MUVE (or MUGEs, as they were called at one point) and interactive games. In fact, my thesis was on how anonymous individuals slowly build personal relationships in MMORPGs, specifically focusing on World of Warcraft. I played WoW for a couple years in college, and not only was it a fun game, it had a very supportive community surrounding it. With the advent of audio tools like Vent and social media sites, players were able to bond outside the fantasy world and get to know each other. And personally, I was surprised at the sheer variety of people I met. I don't know why I was so surprised--at the time I was playing, the game boasted over 11 million subscribers. (Now, it's down to 7.6 million.) Of course there were mothers playing along with their teen children, grandparents raiding until the weekend when they would see their grandkids. All genders, nationalities, sexualities seemed to be represented. And yes, even though we were able to hear each other's voices and know there was a "real" person on the other side of the keyboard, it still felt like a protected environment for everyone to just be themselves. That's important--public libraries like where I work should provide service for everyone, including those who feel disenfranchised. MUVEs could be very effective in teen programming, especially in racially diverse communities and ones that need help with their support of LGBTQ teens.
Interactive gaming also has the opportunity to be educational, while "tricking" kids into having fun at the same time. This would be great for children's programming. At the library I work for, there are a large number of interactive games meant to teach young kids everything from shapes and colors, to spelling. Those computers are always a favorite with our little patrons.
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