Eaten by a Grue

Here is our list of top ten games played in the archive for the month of September. The usual favorites are back with the return of Fall students, with a few extra games thrown in for good measure (Fire Emblem and Disgaea).

Did you know that the CVGA has all 3 versions of Super Smash Bros., as well as the Japanese version of Smash 64? In fact, the series has become so popular in the archive that we've held multiple Smash tournaments, and have amended our rules to relegate Smash to Fridays, when people can come in and unwind while leaving the rest of the week open to other possibilities.

Authored by our long-time student worker, Doug Carmichael:
Shooting games comprise one of the most played genres in the Archive. Barely a day goes by without patrons requesting to play shooters like Call of Duty or Halo: Reach. Shooting games have a rich and varied history, first coming into popularity in the early 90s. The Archive is proud to showcase a wide variety of shooting games from all points in the genre’s history.

Authored by our student worker, Grace Allbaugh: Wednesday is highlighting Retro Games, or games from the late 1980s through the mid-1990s. The CVGA has a bunch of retro consoles to choose from, including the original Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Nintendo, the Sega Genesis, Atari and even an upright Arcade Legends game that has over a hundred arcade games. The CVGA has an assortment of awesome games for each of these systems.

Did you know that the CVGA has more than just video games? When we moved to our current location in January 2011, we added a small section of board and card games, as well as a couple of tables on which to play them. We now have 120 board and card games in the CVGA. Some of the most popular games are Dominion, Settlers of Catan, and 7 Wonders.

Did you know that the CVGA has a vast array of racing games, as well as a racing wheel controller to go along with our popular Xbox 360 games? We now have over 50 racing games in the CVGA, ranging from arcade style to realistic driving games. Some of them (Forza, etc.) have even been used by students as a driving simulator in research involving texting while driving. A few of our other popular racing games include Mario Kart, Need for Speed, and Gran Turismo. Here are some other interesting racing game series in the CVGA that you may wish to try.

Welcome, new students! Now that you're getting a chance to settle in, we'd like to offer a chance for you to stop by the archive and see what we have to offer.On this note, we've decided to hold a Gaming Week during the week of September 17-22 (the third week of classes), with each day showing off a different type of game that we offer. This is also your chance to stop by and see who else on campus is interested in the same types of games that you are. So drop by anytime on the day that interests you to meet new people that share your interests, discuss potential tournament/event ideas, or just hang out.

Here is our list of most popular games played in the archive throughout the month of August. Nintendo dominates the board for the first time in a long time, probably due to the influx of younger kids that have been able to check out the CVGA over the Summer. The past month has also brought us a long list of new games to try out, so be sure to stop by when you get a chance.

Coursera, a website that teams up with professors from various universities to offer free online courses to the public, is offering an introductory course on gamification, a concept that is gaining speed quickly. The course begins this week. This is reportedly one of the first courses designed specifically for the concept of gamification, and the course itself is partly designed to explore the meaning and purpose of the concept, as well as to generate ideas on how to apply it in relevant ways. Read more about the course here.

Check out Dave Carter, our fearless leader, describing the archive in a more in-depth glance at what we have to offer via this feature on SlashDot.