Eaten by a Grue

Yes, we finally have the CVGA copy of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (for Xbox 360).

Here are our top 10 games played in the archive for the month of November.Our newer Batman and Gears of War games quickly rise in the ranks, with a few familiar favorites also making an appearance.

American Libraries Magazine recently published an article featuring the Video Game Collection at the Library of Congress. According to the article, the collection preserves every game turned in for copyright registration, which works out to be about 10% of the games published each year. They collect the games themselves, along with promotional materials and guides associated with each game.

For those who are interested in working at the archive next semester, we now have one more job opening! If you already applied in August/September, feel free to apply again. It may be that your Winter term schedule is more compatible with our needs.

The Smithsonian's Art of Video Games Exhibition is seeking images of creative projects and paraphernalia inspired by video games. According to their site, they are looking for "photographs that show how video games can inspire creativity! These might include images of video-game-inspired drawings, paintings, sculptures, jewelry, clothing, events, graphics, food, wallpaper... anything, really! We're particularly interested in seeing creative and crazy costumes inspired by your favorite game characters."

Submissions are being accepted for the National STEM Video Game Challenge, an opportunity for students and educators to flex their creative muscles and share their original video game concepts.The competition is divided into four categories: Middle School, High School, Collegiate, and Educators. The general goal of the competition is to motivate interest is Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM).Submissions will be accepted anytime between November 15th - March 12.

The Computer & Video Game Archive will be open today from 11:30am-9pm, with an English 125 class taking place in the archive in the morning from 10:00-11:30am. We will be closed from Wednesday - Sunday for the Thanksgiving holiday, and will resume our hours on Monday, Nov. 28th. Happy Thanksgiving!

Ian Bogost, author of several books including How To Do Things With Video Games, spoke to Forbes recently in an interview about video games as a medium. He discusses the strengths of video games as a medium, the power of games in politics, and how the industry is handling adult themes in games. He also mentions the varying answers that people give to the question "what is a video game?" and how that affects whether they consider themselves gamers.

Phil Minchin of Port Phillip Library in Australia shares his views on why games are an overlooked but important addition to libraries via a blog post on the Library Journal blog. In it, he points out a number of reasons why games should be in the collection, including that they are important elements of culture, that they foster community, and that they are art - the poetry of system.

Here are our top games played in the archive for the month of October. There was a tie for 1st place, with Melee being back in the lead for the first time in quite awhile.