Videogames and Libraries

[Reasonable Atheist]

So I was thinking to myself after the amazing discovery that my local library carries the vast majority of the graphic novels i was planning to read (i am currently binging), will libraries ever have videogames on the shelves? And if so, are people going to get all butt hurt and super mad at me for piracy when I play them for free?

Do any escapists have a library near them that carry games?

What are everyone's thoughts on this topic?

 

[False Messiah]

I used to lend games from the library about 12 or 13 years ago. There was no extra charge or anything, if you could lend books, you could lend cds, games and use the internet there. I can remember borrowing MDK 2 and Homeworld, playing them for 3 weeks and returning them when my mother said I would have to pay my own late charges.

If you lend games from a library, or rent them from a store I don't think you can be called out as a pirate. But then again, it wouldn't be free either.

 

[Reasonable Atheist]

I used to lend games from the library about 12 or 13 years ago. There was no extra charge or anything, if you could lend books, you could lend cds, games and use the internet there. I can remember borrowing MDK 2 and Homeworld, playing them for 3 weeks and returning them when my mother said I would have to pay my own late charges.

If you lend games from a library, or rent them from a store I don't think you can be called out as a pirate. But then again, it wouldn't be free either.

Awesome, do you still have access to said library? And if so, do you know if they still carry games? perhaps more recent titles.

 

[False Messiah]

Awesome, do you still have access to said library? And if so, do you know if they still carry games? perhaps more recent titles.

AFAIK they stopped with PC games, but they still lend xbox, xbox360, ps2 and ps3 games. And they have systems in house to play the games there. They even praise games on their website, they say that games are good for children in building coordination, memory and grasp on languages.

EDIT: Nintendo systems; they also have Wii and game cube games. They have a Wii system in the library and minors can game for free, even without needing a parent with a subscription or something.

EDIT 2: After a specialized investigation called "Using the search bar on the website" I found that they still carry PC games, but the latest one is the Commando's complete pack from 2011.

 

[Reasonable Atheist]

Awesome, do you still have access to said library? And if so, do you know if they still carry games? perhaps more recent titles.

AFAIK they stopped with PC games, but they still lend xbox, xbox360, ps2 and ps3 games. And they have systems in house to play the games there. They even praise games on their website, they say that games are good for children in building coordination, memory and grasp on languages.

EDIT: Nintendo systems; they also have Wii and game cube games. They have a Wii system in the library and minors can game for free, even without needing a parent with a subscription or something.

EDIT 2: After a specialized investigation called "Using the search bar on the website" I found that they still carry PC games, but the latest one is the Commando's complete pack from 2011.

I am blown away, where do you live, if you do not mind my asking of course?

 

[False Messiah]

I am blown away, where do you live, if you do not mind my asking of course?

I'm from the Netherlands, most libraries here are backed by the state, people under the age of 18 can get a free subscription and rent any book, game, movie, whatever for two months at a time. There are even options for e-books if that's your game.

I could run out now, pick up their copy of Fallout New Vegas for about 3 dollars (because I don't have a subscription anymore, I just pay a fee when I want to loan someting) and play it for 8 weeks (or longer, you can extend the loan twice for free).

 

[Reasonable Atheist]

snip

I'm from the Netherlands, most libraries here are backed by the state, people under the age of 18 can get a free subscription and rent any book, game, movie, whatever for two months at a time. There are even options for e-books if that's your game.

I could run out now, pick up their copy of Fallout New Vegas for about 3 dollars (because I don't have a subscription anymore, I just pay a fee when I want to loan someting) and play it for 8 weeks (or longer, you can extend the loan twice for free).

That is super cool, I am Canadian myself, all library memberships are free for anyone who wants one, and you never need to pay a cent unless you return something late, then there is a small fine. But there are no videogames in my library.

Is there any push back from the usual suspects? EA? Activision?

 

[False Messiah]

That is super cool, I am Canadian myself, all library memberships are free for anyone who wants one, and you never need to pay a cent unless you return something late, then there is a small fine. But there are no videogames in my library.

Is there any push back from the usual suspects? EA? Activision?

The subscription fee is about 55 euros (about 78 Canadian Rupees), and ofcourse there are fines for returning late. I used to lend a sony e-reader for no extra cost, came with a shitload of books preinstalled and you can keep extending the lend unless someone else reserves it. Not many people here use e-readers so I had that thing for a about the whole of 2010.

I don't know if the game publishers actively push back. The 'release' for libraries is usually a year or two after the normal release and they haven't yet adopted the current gen. Having the right to read, access to books and internet is pretty sacred here and I've heard multiple stories about people who can't pay the fees to have them waived for a year.

Reading is important kids! Go visit a library, readying is playing games on the GPU of the mind!

 

[Hades]

I am blown away, where do you live, if you do not mind my asking of course?

I'm from the Netherlands, most libraries here are backed by the state, people under the age of 18 can get a free subscription and rent any book, game, movie, whatever for two months at a time. There are even options for e-books if that's your game.

I could run out now, pick up their copy of Fallout New Vegas for about 3 dollars (because I don't have a subscription anymore, I just pay a fee when I want to loan someting) and play it for 8 weeks (or longer, you can extend the loan twice for free).

I'm from the Netherlands and I work in a library. Most things I could say have already been said by False Messiah .

The Library I work in do have the newest games almost as soon as they launch and are already buying games for the new generation. You talked about push back from EA and the like? There isn't any real push back from publishers but in order to rent out games you do need to have the publishers permission. Amazingly EA has never been troublesome on that front! At least not to us. The only publisher I can think of that doesn't allow us to rent out their games is Nintendo.

 

[DementedSheep]

I haven't been to a library other than the university ones (not because I don't read, I just borrow and buy books rather than getting them from the library) for years but I do remember there being a few games and some comics (I read Bone at the library), just not very many of them. I think they were donated.

 

[Weaver]

The library I used to live beside stocked video games.

 

[Windcaler]

Years ago our local library stocked video games as well as many other artistic mediums (music, movies). Im not sure if they still do, I havnt been there in years. I wish libraries along with museums would get with the times though. The history of games seems to get a bit more turbulent every year as new gamers come of age but they rarely have the opportunity to experience the great games of the past.

 

[Blow_Pop]

My library carries video games that you can borrow or buy (though the section to buy is a lot smaller than the borrow section). Unless you have a huge manga or DC boner, we don't have that great of a graphic novel selection (seriously who carries like every third sandman graphic novel and not the first one?). We have a huge manga section and then graphic novels are DC mostly with some Marvel thrown in and nothing else really. Kind of disappointing.

Not sure if we've started with the PS4/Xbone games for carrying them to borrow but I know they have PS2, PS3, and 360 (and possibly original Xbox).

Ours also has some music and movies and audio books as well as magazines and regular books (we also sell all of those too but smaller selection than what you can borrow).

And we even do ebooks too for borrowing.

And this is in Southern California.